Black History Celebration Service
11:00 am on Zoom Feb 28
We are a welcoming, caring community, called by Christ and enabled by the spirit, to share God’s love by living our faith.
Mount Zion
Lutheran Church, Waterloo
The Jyrkama Family
News from Mount Zion
May 22, 2020
In our
prayers
In Our Prayers
Another week of being dependent on virtual reality to come together and confining ourselves to our own spaces has gone by. Prior to March we may have been lulled into thinking that all was well when trouble was not in our backyards and planning for spring and beyond was something all of us did. We were planning on having my brother and family visit us from India and really looked forward to going places in Canada that we have not been to. But Covid19 lulled us out of that sense of invulnerability and turned our worlds upside down. This was not something happening on the other side of the globe, it was on our doorsteps and we are still grappling with how we would face this pandemic. This is a reminder, as Archbishop Desmond Tutu puts it, “we are bound up together in the bundle of life.”d
Let us remember Emily, Gwen, Christine, Lynda, Margaret, Willi, David and Conrad in our prayers. Conrad Barth is Karen Bjerland’s father. Let us also pray for the leadership at Mount Zion this week, the various committees that still give leadership, especially Karen Gastmeier who wears many hats. Pastor Philip
_JPG.jpg)
Mount Zion receives wage subsidy
Thanks to our financial team of Richard Brubacher and Tim Ehrlich for their work in applying for a Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS). The subsidy will help even out our income while the building is closed to rentals. Mount Zion received our first claim this week. A second claim is expected in June. It is unlikely that we will qualify for the 3rd period as revenue for May is not expected to be down by the 30% required to qualify because of parking income received in May. Rentals comprise almost 20% our M&M budget. Watch for more complete information in May's finance summary.
Readings and Psalms for May 24
Acts 1:6-14
Psalm 68:1-10, 32-35
1 Peter 4:12-14; 5:6-11
John 17:1-11
PRELUDE:
POSTLUDE:
More about masks
With the Ontario government's recommendation of residents wearing face masks in public, Christine's update on the sewing and distribution of fabric face masks is more timely than ever. She writes, "There seems to be a renewed interest in fabric masks over the past week. It is becoming more the norm or should I say expectation that people will wear a mask of some sort while in close proximity to others while in public.
The good news is, Donna and Lauren Harris were sewing these masks for Mount Zion long before many were using them out in public. Many masks have been handed out and they are busy making more. After some feedback, we realized that the masks fit the majority of people but not everyone. There will be some options to ensure that everyone has a proper fit when it comes to getting a fabric mask.
If you are interested in getting a mask, please contact the church office or Christine.
Links and Lessons & Gremlins and Glitches
For those of you who were with us on Sunday, please understand that the technical challenges we eventually overcame originated with the “Zoom” platform itself. It had nothing to do with you, your devices or any buttons you pushed. Apparently, anyone using Zoom at that time was affected. Thanks to Amy’s quick work, we were able to get up and running after a 10 minute delay. Apparently some of you were not able to participate until the service was over. Sorry about that and thanks for hanging in! We have been reassured that Zoom is working hard to make their service more reliable. See you Sunday! Bill Gastmeier, W+M Chair
Zoom Links
SUNDAY 10 am (Sign in any time after 9:30 am)
https://zoom.us/j/741745428?wd=N2QvYUZoS0NRZGIwc2xnc3ZGSmRmUT09
Meeting ID: 741 745 428 Password: 128324
VESPERS 7:00 pm (Sign in any time after 6:30, Service starts at 7:00 pm)
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82644087778
Meeting ID: 826 4408 7778
MEN'S BREAKFAST Now we have virtual meetings of those that attended Men’s Breakfast, meeting every Thursday.. Same great discussion, the only thing missing is the food.
9:00 a.m. Thursday
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84760781137
Spring in the Garden
Joan Brunger reports that the garden was steadily busy Saturday and Sunday of the long weekend. Things are looking tidier. The steady stream of gardeners was mannerly and the mood energetic. A CTV camera truck stopped by in the morning and filmed a short segment which was broadcast on Sunday night as part of the weather report. We had plants donated by a kind neighbour. All the plots are spoken for and one member is sharing a plot. Composting is producing some healthy soil and the rainfall is filling the water tank.
Julian of Norwich
One of the delightful outcomes of our Vesper Services is that participants sometimes prepare the message. Pauline Finch recently shared her thoughts and research about Julian of Norwich..Read it here
Faith and Caring in a time of Covid 19
The Eastern Synod's newsletter included this article from Pastor Peter Kuhnert where he shares his pandemic thoughts and experiences as a doctor, parishoner and family member.
https://easternsynod.org/content/faith-and-caring-time-covid-19
Amy's Pick
It seems that every week when we gather to discuss the newsletter, one of us has read something that we would like to share. This week Amy shares this article about singing and its ability to reduce stress. Whether singing is a usual part of your life or whether you only sing in the shower, the article will speak or more correctly, sing to you.
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200518-why-singing-can-make-you-feel-better-in-lockdown