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In this week's Crossroads, you will find information on:
Greetings from your Church Council
Covid-19 Pandemic update
Palm/Passion Sunday and Holy Week Schedule
Idea for celebrating Passion/Palm Sunday at home on April 5
Offerings during the time of the Covid-19 pandemic
Seniors 211
Tolmie Regional Youth (TRY) Youth Group
Updates on Luther Court and the Shelbourne Community Kitchen
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Our Place
Blood Donors Urgently Needed
Opportunities for individual prayer and pastoral care
Ways to join worship on-line
Read ahead
The deadline for all Crossroads submissions is Wednesday at noon. Thank you.
Please visit our website for more information about us and our events.
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Greetings from your Church Council, we met via Zoom Wednesday March 25. The following are some items we discussed and/or made decisions on.
- The Board of Deacons is now the Board of Care for Communities. A decision made by National Church to change the designation of Diaconal Minister to Deacon is the reason for this name change. As a result of the name change our bylaws will be updated.
- Ongoing discussions are occurring between the Shelbourne Community Kitchen and the Development Committee to determine the feasibility of leasing the lower level (current preschool area) to the Kitchen.
- COVID-19 was discussed and Council decided:
- to purchase a month by month subscription to Zoom ($20.00/month), allowing meetings to continue virtually;
- long-term renters will not be expected to pay rent when they cannot meet in the space;
- Luther House students will be dealt with on an individual basis if they cannot pay their rent, they may be eligible for financial assistance from government programs;
- the Church's financial position was reviewed in detail, government assistance will be explored to determine criteria for non-profit organizations; all Boards, Committees and Council are looking for items in their budget to delay implementing until later in the year or that could be moved next year's budget.
If you have questions or comments about the Council meeting, please contact a Council member.
At a virtual meeting March 28 for lay leadership, Bishop Greg announced that the BC Synod is sharing a gift they received with all of the congregations in the Synod. Every congregation will be receiving a gift of $10,000 from the Synod. God provides, thanks be to God.
Thanks you for your faithful support during this time and for following the restrictions required of us. Blessings
Joanne Solomonson
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 Covid-19 Pandemic update
A few updates
- Worship online continues – the link is on the home page of our website: lutheranvictoria.ca, you can view worship live-streamed, Thursdays at 7 PM and Sundays at 10 AM or it may be viewed after. A Sunday School learning time is also available. Tuesday morning prayer, 8:30 AM will be added this coming week. Orders of worship, sermons, and Crossroads are being mailed out to anyone who does not have computer access. When in doubt check web-site for details.
- Phone calls have been made or attempted to everyone connected to the congregation. Emails have been sent in instances where we don’t have phone numbers. Follow-up contacts are being planned.
- Assistance is available – for groceries, medications, conversation, and other help as needed; a group of people are ready to assist. Please contact the Church office if we can be of help in any way.
- The Church Council met – online via Zoom on Wednesday evening for updates and to discuss our response and needs during the pandemic. It was a good meeting. We are blessed with wonderful leadership. A letter from Church Council will be coming soon with updates for the congregation.
- Zoom is available – This application for online meetings is available through the Church office for any Boards, Committees or groups in the congregation to meet during this time. It is simple to use, and Nicky in the office is able to set-up the meetings for those who wish to use it and assist with any questions.
- Thank you! – to everyone who has assisted with phone calls, emails, groceries, medications and other needs; with live-streaming worship and Sunday School, and in the office, with messages of support and feedback, dropping off offerings, and in many other ways. Thank you to everyone for your ongoing support of the congregation and our communities.
- Please pray – for the everyone in the congregation during this time, for our elders particularly and others who are vulnerable, for those working in health care on the front lines of support, for many who are much more affected by this pandemic in our neighbourhoods and around the world, and for leaders in our nation and world for wisdom and compassion in their words and actions.
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Palm/Passion Sunday and Holy Week Schedule
The church will continue to be closed to public worship through Holy Week and Easter Sunday.
Online Worship for Palm/Passion Sunday will be live-streamed on Sunday, April 5 at 10 AM PDT.
Maundy Thursday worship at 7 PM PDT and Good Friday worship at 11 AM PDT.
The Easter Vigil and Easter Morning Worship are still being finalized.
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Offerings during the time of the Covid-19 pandemic
Many people have been reaching out asking how they can continue to support the church and its ministries during this time. In particular those who give during the Sunday offering or cannot leave their residences at this time.
Alternative Giving Delivery Methods. We can't do collection as normal but there are a variety of options to allow you to continue to support the church:
Mail The church office will be staffed during normal working hours and cheques can be mailed to Lutheran Church of the Cross 3787 Cedar Hill Rd Victoria, BC V8P 3Z4. Please do not mail cash, if you want to make a cash offering please drop it off at the church or call for home pick up.
Direct Banking Over 40 members of the church give their offering via direct monthly with-drawls from their bank accounts. If your interested in giving this way contact the office and we will get you the forms to start as soon as possible. You can select to contribute monthly, weekly, bi-monthly, or a one-time single offering. You can stop and start any time you want.
Church Drop Off The church office is open Monday to Thursday 900 am to 300pm.
E Transfers If you use E Transfers for other things in your life you know what we are talking about. We can accept these through our bank Van City. If you would like to do an E-Transfer please contact the church office before sending your transfer and Nicky can help you.
Home Pick Up If you are not comfortable with any of the above methods but still want to support the church contact the Financial Secretary Barry Walker, 250-381,1698, bhwalker@shaw.ca and he will arrange for someone from the congregation to come and pick up your offering. We will even bring a collection plate for you to put it in!
Local & National Charitable Foundations Several of these exists that you can use on-line to get your offering to the church. The two most commonly used by members of the congregation are The Victoria Foundation and Canada Helps.
Adding “Donate Now” button on web-site We are researching options for adding a “donate now” button to the web-site, especially for reaching people looking to make one-time donations. We are searching for an option with the lowest service fee available.
If you have any questions or need any help please contact the Financial Secretary, Barry Walker, 250-381-1698, bhwalker@shaw.ca or the church office. Thank you for your continued generous support of the church and its ministries.
Church Office phone: 250-477-6222
Office e-mail: lutheranchurchofthecross@shaw.ca
Mailing address: Lutheran Church of the Cross, 3787 Cedar Hill Road, Victoria, BC, V8P 3Z4
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Seniors 211
A program that matches seniors who need support with non-medical essentials, to volunteers in their community who are willing to help.
To register for services, or to offer help, register by dialing 211 or visit the government web-site below for more info:
http://www.bc211.ca/
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Tolmie Regional Youth (TRY) Youth Group
Grades 9-12 Friday April 3rd: Netflix Party @7pm Sunday April 5th: Board Game Night @7pm Saturday April 11th: Bake-Off @7pm
E-mail try@bc.anglican.ca for details.
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Updates on Luther Court and the Shelbourne Community Kitchen
Luther Court – is closed to all visitors except to immediate family of residents who are under palliative care. The staff are working very hard to protect and care for residents during this pandemic. Please pray for the people of Luther Court and all residents and staff of care facilities, for their safety and health.
Shelbourne Community Kitchen – is closed for all programs and activities but remains open for access to groceries for members of the Kitchen and community. They cannot accept food donations at this time, but cash donations are needed and appreciated. See their current newsletter below for the latest information and ways to support the Kitchen.
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Our Place continues to provide much needed support to some of the most vulnerable people in greater Victoria. 1400 take-out meals are prepared each day. For information about how you can support this important work, visit their website at www.ourplacesociety.com or call 250-940-5060.
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Blood Donors Urgently Needed
Canadian Blood Services is in urgent need of blood donors to ensure the supply of blood to serve the needs of cancer patients, accident victims and heart surgeries. It is safe to donate blood! The clinics are extremely sanitary and appropriate precautions are taken to protect blood donors. If you are in good health, contact Canadian Blood Services at 1-888-236-6283 or visit the website at www.blood.ca to book an appointment. The Victoria blood donor clinic is located at 3449 Saanich Rd. Across from Uptown Mall.
Canadian Blood Services is Canada’s Lifeline!
Help save a life today!
Call 1-888-236-6283 to book a donation time!
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Opportunities for individual prayer and pastoral care:
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10 AM to 12 PM, Church of the Cross Sanctuary.
One way we keep our doors open while practising physical distancing.
If you feel ill please stay home.
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Ways to join worship on-line:
Here are ways you can participate in worship on-line:
Sunday Morning Worship
Live broadcast on Sunday, April 5, 10:00 AM PDT
Use the link (purple button) on the home page to YouTube live
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-hFFtwAFHeQWmYsewOQLUA/featured
Worship Bulletin for Sunday, April 5, 2020, 10 AM
https://www.lutheranvictoria.ca/news/worship-bulletin-for-sunday-march-22-2020-10-am
Mid-Week Lenten Evening Prayer
Live broadcast on Thursday, April 2, 7:00 PM PDT
Use the link (purple button) on the home page to YouTube live
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-hFFtwAFHeQWmYsewOQLUA/featured
You can also view the video after the livestream has ended. Videos are saved and can be accessed at any time following the livestream.
Worship And Sunday School already available:
Check out past sermons available in print at our web-site:
https://www.lutheranvictoria.ca/podcasts/media
Thursday, March 26 Lenten Evening Prayer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbFpXKrYFso
March 29 Sunday Worship available in video (March 29):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwEkDRm4gpU
March 29 Sunday School
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4VAYGPwfOg
March 31 Morning Prayer
https://www.facebook.com/lutheranvictoria/videos/514739009437915/
Scroll down page to find video.
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Read ahead:
+ Passion - Sunday, April 5, 2020 (P) Isaiah 50:4-9a / Psalm 31:9-16
Philippians 2:5-11 / Matthew 21:1-11 / Matthew 26:14-27:66
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