Returning to IN-PERSON Activities!
ONLINE and IN-PERSON Opportunities!
In-Person Activities begin on October 31, 2021 REFORMATION SUNDAY
After 20 long months, we will begin welcoming people into our church building on Reformation Sunday. Reformation Sunday is the celebration of the Church’s need to be “semper reformanda” always reforming! Our return to in-person gatherings will be for us a reformation, as we seek ways to serve the various communities which make up our congregation. Sensitivities, anxieties, expectations, desires, passions, fears, disappointments, hopes, and dreams will all be mitigated by our desire to care for one another as we strive to be LOVE in the world. So, you can expect our in-person and online gatherings will continue to evolve over time.
To begin with, Council has laid out a plan for the next couple of months which will be evaluated early in the new year. Current York Region Public Health Regulations for Places of Worship, together with Eastern Synod’s Best Practices for the Safe Resumption of In-Person Worship will guide Holy Cross’ In-Person Gathering Policies and Practices. As both resources are constantly adapted in order to address our changing realities, Council will also endeavour to change and adapt HCLC’s Gathering Policies.
HCLC’s In-Person Gathering Policies – October 31/21
All Members and Friends of HCLC are reminded of our obligation to LOVE one another. This LOVE is expressed by our individual commitment to do everything we can to keep our sisters and brothers safe! Each one of us should click on the links above and read both the York Region and Synod guidelines so that you can do your best to keep everyone safe! Members and Friends of HCLC will be advised as these guidelines are adapted. Please do your best to stay informed.
Both York Region and the Eastern Synod recommend that we continue to offer opportunities for people to participate online. HCLC’s Worship Team will continue to create pre-recorded Worship Videos which will be uploaded onto our website by 8:00am on Sunday mornings and can be viewed any time after that.
HCLC’s Worship Team will begin hosting in-person Sunday Gatherings at 10:45am beginning Reformation Sunday (Oct.31). Our Sunday Gatherings will include prayer, singing, and conversations. It is hoped that our conversations will enable those attending to have input into how these Sunday gatherings will evolve over the coming months. On Reformation Sunday our conversation will be inspired by the Reformation Worship Video. So, please tune into the video before you attend. These in-person gatherings will not be recorded. Current guidelines discourage serving beverages so those who gather are encouraged to bring their own coffee/tea etc.
- We trust each Member and Friend of HCLC to care for their neighbour by doing everything you can to limit the spread of COVID-19. We strongly encourage everyone, who is eligible, to be vaccinated. If you are not eligible or have elected not to be vaccinated, we trust that your commitment to be LOVE in the world will lead you to carefully consider your obligation to keep your HCLC sisters and brothers safe and will therefore compel you to limit your participation to online only activities. In this SPIRIT of trust, we will NOT be asking about or checking your vaccine status.
- As always, even if you are vaccinated, if you are feeling ill, or showing any symptoms of illness of any kind, stay home. Remember to call us and let us know so that we can stay in touch!
- Masks must be worn at all times inside the building, and physical distance (2m) maintained. Feel free to socialize without masks outside in the parking lot.
- Attendees must sign in to facilitate any necessary contact tracing.
- Please refrain from physical contact. Sadly, for now: the peace will be passed without touch, no communion will be served, and you are encouraged to bring your own beverages and only share with those in your own household.
- To facilitate maximum ventilation, the windows in the sanctuary will remain open and even though the heat will also be on, it may get drafty/chilly, please dress accordingly.
- As conditions change, our policies and practices will be updated. Please stay tuned!
ONLINE OPPORTUNITIES will continue:
In addition to the weekly, prerecorded, Sunday Worship Videos, online opportunities for Zoom gatherings will continue. Please continue to check our website for information about faith CHATs, Book Studies, Progressive Christianity Courses, and Global Justice Events. During the Season of Advent, we will be adding an online mid-week Zoom Advent Worship.
If you have any questions, concerns, suggestions or you just want to say hi, please contact any members of Council or Pastor Dawn.
Council wishes to express our thanks to everyone of HCLC’s members and friends, both longtime and newcomers, online and in-person, no longer either or, but both and, each and every one of you! Thank-you for all your efforts to ensure that our congregation continues to provide space in-person and online for LOVE to be embodied in our lives together so that LOVE might find expression in the world, in, with, through, and beyond us!
Sincerely,
Holy Cross Lutheran Church COUNCIL:
Chair, Global Justice Team, Property, Petra Vollmerhausen – petra_v@rogers.com
Vice-Chair, Worship Team, Eric Schultz – ericschultz@rogers.com
Treasurer, Sharon Smyth – sharonsmyth@rogers.com
Program and Worship Teams, Andrew Slonetsky – slonetsky3@me.com
Global Justice Team, Laura Lawrence – lauralawrence@sympatico.ca
Pastor, Dawn Hutchings – dawnhutchings@me.com
