Where We Are At with In-person Worship

We are moving forward to having worship in the sanctuary once more, beginning Sunday, September 13, at 10:30 a.m. The service will look and sound different than it did 6 months ago, but the goals will be the same: to give God thanks, to be refreshed in faith, to build up community, and to be renewed in service and witness:

-We will enter through the wooden doors in the front hall. Volunteers will welcome you, screen you, and include your name and phone number on a contact list (to be used by the Health Unit if contact tracing becomes necessary.)

-There will be a limit of 30% of capacity inside the sanctuary. This works out to 40-60 in attendance.

-Signs will direct you in the direction you are to travel, ask you to use hand sanitizer, and remind you of the need to wear masks. The worship folder will be on the pew, helping to mark the designated, physically distant place you can sit. Those from the same social bubble are able to sit together. Every other pew will be marked off.

-There will be no congregational singing, or dialogue. No hymnbooks or other material will be in the pews.

--Volunteers are needed to serve as greeters, ushers, and readers – of the Lessons, as well as the prayers.

-The presiding minister and assistants will be at least 4 m, 16 ft., from the assembly.

-There will be a container for offerings at the entrance to the sanctuary.

-The Sharing of the Peace can still be offered – through a gentle nod, a bow, a simple wave, sign of the cross, or crossing one’s arms over the chest.

-The service will last 30-45 mins.

-Pastor Matthew will not greet people.

-There will be no Fellowship hour. On the way out, please maintain physical distancing, exiting by the doors to the parking lot.

-There will be no Sunday School.

-Our first celebration of Holy Communion will be on Sun. Oct. 4. More details to follow.

-Participants are encouraged ‘to go’ before they arrived. Washrooms will be available, but will have to be cleaned after each use. The platform will be available, as needed, to access the basement washrooms.

-On-line worship folders, and sermons, will continue to be available.

Your Congregational Council

For the Beauty of the Earth:

To all members and friends of Our Saviour’s,

As we look forward to heading back to church this month, we also are preparing the building. Please assist us in developing new bulletin boards in Immanuel Hall. The theme is the hymn ‘For the Beauty of the Earth” and pictures, paintings, photos, drawings and anything illustrating the hymn’s words are needed. Please review the words and drop off your artistic submissions at the church. Remember to put your name on the backs or somewhere so that they can be returned.

This is a chance for everyone – young, old, or in-between, to participate in the life of our church.

Thank you in anticipation,

Pat Kaukola and Kim Koivukoski

For the Beauty of the Earth

John Rutter (modified)

For the beauty of the earth

For the beauty of the skies

Lord of all to thee we raise

This our joyful hymn of praise

For the beauty of the hour

Of the day and of the night

Hill and vale

And tree and flower

Sun and moon and stars of light

Lord of all to these we raise

This our joyful hymn of praise

For the joy of ear and eye

For the heart and mind’s delight

Linking sense to sound and sight

Lord of all to thee we raise

This our joyful hymn of praise

For the joy of human love

Brother, sister, parent, child

Friends on earth

And friends above

Lord of all to thee we raise

This our joyful hymn of praise.

ELCIC Members Encouraged To Respond With Prayers, Financial Support Following Devastation In Lebanon; Donations Made Before August 24 Will Be Matched

Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada’s (ELCIC) National Bishop Susan C. Johnson urges members to pray for all who have been affected by the recent devastation in Lebanon and to support relief efforts.

“We pray for all those impacted by the recent events in Lebanon,” says Bishop Johnson. “All those who have been injured, those who worry and wait for news of loved ones, for all who work to bring relief and aid. Supporting this appeal is a chance for us to show our love for our neighbour in a tangible way.

It is estimated that the explosion on August 4 of a warehouse in the port of Beirut has left at least 100 people dead, and thousands injured. More than 300,000 people have lost their homes.

ELCIC’s partner Canadian Lutheran World Relief (CLWR) is accepting donations to assist with the response to the Lebanon crisis. This morning the Government of Canada announced a plan to match donations made to provide assistance to the people of Lebanon following the disaster that devastated the city of Beruit this week.

The Honourable Karina Gould, Minister of International Development, announced that the donations from individual Canadians made through organization such as CLWR before August 24 would be matched by the government, up to a maximum of $2 million.

"We’re so grateful for the Canadian government’s rapid response to this unimaginable crisis, said Karin Achtelstetter, Executive Director of Canadian Lutheran World Relief. We’re deeply concerned about this situation, where 300,000 people have suddenly become homeless in a country already dealing with an economic crisis and a pandemic. We urge Canadians to follow the Government’s lead in responding generously, and especially in taking advantage of this matching fund to make their gifts provide as much life-saving relief as possible.”

CLWR is responding to the devastation through its local partners in ACT Alliance who are on the ground in Lebanon, who are focused on life-saving immediate needs including shelter, food, clean water and trauma care.

Individuals and congregations wishing to support relief efforts can donate as follows:

Call CLWR at 1-800-661-2597 (locally at 204-694-6502) to donate by credit card

Go online at https://clwr.donorshops.com/lebanoncrisis.

Send a cheque made payable to CLWR and mailed to CLWR, 600-177 Lombard Avenue, Winnipeg, MB R3B 0W5. Please indicate that you wish to contribute to “Lebanon Crisis.”

Season of the Spirit

LWF Communion Prayer for the Pentecost 2020

The liturgical season of Pentecost is called “ordinary” because the weeks are ordered, or numbered. Some churches order these weeks according to the Sundays after Pentecost, some after Trinity Sunday, and others, until the start of Advent, and a new liturgical year.

Our Lutheran World Federation is offering 'Season of the Spirit' to the global Lutheran communion, as a way to be in the solidarity of prayer during this sesason.

The daily prayer follows a simple order: psalmody and prayer. "We commend these prayers to your use, whether alone in your home, as a family, or as your community is able to gather at a distance. As you pray in solidarity with the communion across the globe, and the communion of saints in all times and places, be encouraged by the counsel that Luther offers in his letter, A Simple Way to Pray:

“Never think that you are kneeling or standing alone, rather think that the whole of the Church...are standing there beside you and you are standing among them in a common, united petition which God cannot disdain. There we find God the Creator, God the Redeemer, God the Holy Spirit, that is, God who daily sanctifies us.”

Throughout this green time, may the Spirit of God bring forth new growth in you."

August 9-15

https://www.lutheranworld.org/sites/default/files/2020/documents/20200809_pentecost_reflections_week_11_en.pdf

August 2-8

https://www.lutheranworld.org/sites/default/files/2020/documents/20200802_pentecost_reflections_week_10_en.pdf

July 26 - August 1

www.lutheranworld.org/sites/default/files/2020/documents/20200726_pentecost_reflections_week_9_en.pdf

July 19-25

www.lutheranworld.org/sites/default/files/2020/documents/20200719_pentecost_reflections_week_8_en.pdf

July 12-18

https://www.lutheranworld.org/sites/default/files/2020/documents/20200712_pentecost_reflections_week_7_en.pdf

July 5 - 11

https://www.lutheranworld.org/sites/default/files/2020/documents/20200705_pentecost_reflections_week_6_en.pdf

June 28 - July 4:

https://www.lutheranworld.org/sites/default/files/2020/documents/20200628_pentecost_reflections_week_5_en.pdf

June 21-27:

https://www.lutheranworld.org/sites/default/files/20200621_pentecost_reflections_week_4_en.pdf

May 31-June 6:

www.lutheranworld.org/sites/default/files/2020/documents/20200531_pentecost_reflections_week_1_en.pdf

World Council of Churches Prayer Cycle:

Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger

09 - 15 August 2020

INTERCESSIONS

We are thankful for:

• the heritage of ancient trade routes, rich oral traditions and nomadic practices of people in the lands these countries now occupy

• humanitarian work to improve food security and livelihoods, especially for women

• pro-active efforts to preserve the environment in these desert lands

• welcome and provision for those who often must flee across borders.

We pray for:

• those impoverished who lack basic needs and rights, that these will be met

• desperate children and others who turn to crime or begging or become enslaved

• effective response to the frequent droughts and hunger in this area

• more stable political rule in these countries to stem violence and provide for all.

PRAYERS

God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Eternal God, we pray in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ, for Mali, Chad, Niger, Mauritania and Burkina Faso.

We know that in our part of the world some people are getting carried away by hatred – people who are unable to think clearly, and turn furiously on the people whom you have placed in this part of the world to enjoy your creation and witness to you. We pray for girls and boys, women and men, children and adults, and the elderly, for you to grant them peace, your peace. In the name of Jesus Christ, Lord, change the hearts of all those who are carried away by hatred, that they may find in you the Hope of Salvation, and that they may become messengers of peace for ever.

We thank you, Lord, for you are faithful to your promise.

Glory and praise be given to you for ever and ever. Amen

(Pastor Kinda Tegwende Leonard/Sore Mahamoudou, Burkina Faso.)

Prayer for Mauritania

Your land, O Lord, is divided

and suffers from fighting between your children.

Injustices of all kinds, hatred and bitterness

are part of the daily life of the people.

Families seek reconciliation.

Tribes and ethnic groups need reconciliation and peace.

The country needs to be restored and reconciled with itself

in order to deal with its past.

The downtrodden still struggle to live a decent life.

The powerful continue to exploit the powerless and the voiceless.

Send your Holy Spirit to reveal your presence and might to all.

May your name be feared and judgment brought upon those

who continue to oppress the little ones.

Enter into hearts and lives and change them to become havens of love.

(© Dr Colette Bouka Coula, Cameroon, former staff member of the Lutheran World Federation in Mauritania)

Prayer for Mali, Niger, Chad, Burkina Faso and Mauritania

God, our Father, we bless you

for the gift of life that you grant us,

that strength of faith,

so fragile and so powerful,

which is nourished by the assurance of your love.

We pray to you, Lord,

for the sustenance of life for the people of these five countries,

Mali, Niger, Chad, Burkina Faso and Mauritania.

Stir up the strength and courage of all those who are engaged

in lifting these countries out of poverty.

(Prières pour le monde 2004 © Fédération protestante de France, Paris, France. English transl. Terry MacArthur, © 2005 WCC)

Mandatory Use of Mask or Face Covering within Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church

Under instructions issued by the Medical Officer of Health, all businesses and organizations, including places of worship, in the Thunder Bay District Health Unit area must adopt a policy that requires all members of the public and employees who enter or remain in an enclosed public space to wear a mask or face covering.:

1. Beginning 12:01 a.m., July 24, 2020, all members of the public, employees, and others who enter or remain in enclosed public areas of Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church of Thunder Bay, Inc. are required to wear a mask or face covering. The mask or face covering must cover the nose, mouth and chin without gaping.

a. The following persons are exempted from the requirement to wear a mask or face covering and will not be required to provide proof of such exemption:

i. Children under two years of age, or children under the age of five years either chronologically or developmentally who are unable or refuse to wear a mask or face covering and cannot be persuaded to do so by their caregiver;

ii. Individuals with medical conditions rendering them unable to safely wear a mask or

face covering, including breathing difficulties, cognitive difficulties, hearing or

communication difficulties;

iii. Individuals who cannot wear or are unable to apply/remove a mask or face covering without assistance, including those who are accommodated under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) or who have protections under the Ontario Human Rights Code, R.S.O. 1990, c.H. 19 as amended;

iv. Employees who are within or behind a physical barrier (e.g. Plexiglas).

b. Temporary removal of the mask or face covering is permitted where necessary when:

i. actively engaging in an athletic or fitness activity, including water-based activities;

ii. consuming food or drink;

iii. receiving services in a personal service setting on an area of the face that would otherwise be covered by a mask or face covering; and

iv. for any emergency or medical purpose.

2. This policy will be implemented and enforced in “good faith” to primarily educate people on wearing masks or face coverings and promote their use in enclosed public spaces. Persons listed under 1a) are not required to show proof of exemption.

3. Signs about the requirement to wear masks or face coverings will be posted prominently at all public entrances. Alcohol-based hand sanitizer will also be made available at all entrances and exits for persons entering or exiting Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church of Thunder Bay, Inc.

4. Employees/staff will be trained on the policy, including:

a. How and when to provide verbal reminders of the policy’s masking requirement to persons entering or remaining without a mask or face covering, and those who remove their mask or face covering for an extended period of time.

b. where and how to properly wear a mask or face covering;

c. how to respond to customers who do not have a mask or face covering;

d. where people can get more information about the policy; and

e. how to handle a customer who becomes aggressive about the new requirement.

5. A copy of this policy will be made available on request to a public health inspector or other person authorized to enforce the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act.

Dr. Janet DeMille, the MOH has included these words in her directive:

Emerging evidence supports that wearing a mask or face covering when in enclosed spaces is an important measure in reducing community transmission of COVID-19. Increasingly, recommendations and expectations around masking in enclosed spaces are being strengthened to reflect this...

Implementation of the policy should be enacted and enforced in ‘good faith’ and should be primarily used as a means to educate people on mask or face covering use in public spaces."