Church Council and others continue to work to see that in-person worship is safer for everyone. Our current practises for in-person worship meet all present requirements. Changes in the pandemic continue to raise concerns for health and safety, and we will adjust our plans as health orders change. 
 
Being vaccinated against COVID-19 is the best protection for the health of yourself and others. We strongly encourage everyone who is eligible to be fully vaccinated.
 
We will continue to livestream worship each Sunday.  
 

• If you are not feeling well and experiencing any Covid-19 related symptoms or if you are not vaccinated, please stay home and participate in worship online.  
• Wear a mask when entering the building and throughout worship and Sunday School.  (This is required of everyone age 12 and older. Children under 12 are encouraged to wear a mask.)
• Observe social distancing.
• Sanitize or wash hands as needed.
• You are welcome to sing, but masks must be worn.
• We will greet one another and share the peace at a distance.
• Holy Communion will be served with bread and individual glasses of wine that are spaced in the trays. You may commune with bread or wine alone if you wish.
• You are invited to greet and talk with others after worship with masks on.
• It is not required that people register for worship ahead of time or sign in as you arrive.

Congregation’s Annual General Meeting

The Congregation’s Annual General Meeting will take place on Sunday, March 13, 2022 at 1 PM on Zoom. An invitation to the meeting and annual report has been sent by email.

AGM Q&A This Sunday:
AGM Q&A In-person, March 6, following worship (around 11:15 AM PST) in the Sanctuary. Council executives will help answer your questions.

Link to Annual Report
 

Coffee Time

Starting Sunday, March 6, in person coffee time following worship will resume.  Weather permitting this will take place just outside the entrance to the church. If the weather is inclement, refreshments will be served just inside the entrance to the church with the doors fully open to allow for air circulation.   Those who stay for coffee time are asked to practice social spacing.  Masks must continue to be worn during worship.  Thanks to Gisela Braniff for scheduling hosts for coffee time and to those who have agreed to be host.
 
COVID-19 Leadership Team

Sunday School Resumes
 
Sundays in Lent and Easter Sunday, March 6 through April 17, Sunday School will meet in person during Sunday Worship. Contact the church office for more information. Stay tuned for special kids activities on Easter Sunday, April 17.

Prayer Around the Cross

Lenten Evening Prayer at Church of the Cross
Thursdays in Lent, 7:00 PM PST, In person & livestream
5 Thursdays: March 10, 17, 24, 31, April 7

Simple liturgy of word and music including invitation to light candles and place them around the prayer wall.

A Meatless Recipe to Try
The first in a series of vegetarian recipes shared by the Greening Committee during Lent.

Growing up in a Catholic household meant that our family didn’t eat meat on Fridays during Lent.  My mom would prepare different meals like potato pancakes, eggs, fish sticks and tuna noodle casserole which was a sacrifice for a meat and potato family!  

Later in life, I discovered another meatless Lenten dish – risotto!  I fell in love with the simplicity and comfort of the creamy rice – with or without vegetables.  I found that cooking risotto at home was a fun way for people to gather in the kitchen to watch it come together.  We take turns stirring the rice as it cooks while sipping some wine.  And so, risotto has become one of our favorite vegetarian meals.  Try it out!  

Happy cooking!

Michael Coughlin

Join Michael making this recipe in his kitchen in this video here.

Risotto al Latte e Verdure

Ingredients

Method

Slowly warm the milk in a pot. 

In a separate pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat and add the shallots and garlic. Sauté until translucent. Add 1 tablespoon of butter along with the mushrooms, carrots and asparagus. Add the rice and stir well for several minutes well to coat all the rice grains. Season with salt and pepper. 

Add about ¾ cup of the warm milk to the rice, stirring until the milk has been absorbed.  Continue to add milk until the rice is just cooked. This will generally take about 25-30 minutes, stirring frequently. 

Taste to ensure the rice is cooked and add more salt if desired. When cooked, add the remaining tablespoon of butter,Parmigiano and parsley.  Stir well to mix through the rice.  Add the peas. Stir together. Serve and garnish with a sprinkle of parsley. 

Recommended wines:      Red: Italian Chianti Classico ​White: French Sancerre

Our Neighbours at the Mount Tolmie Shelter
First in the Social Justice Lenten Series 
 

Mount Tolmie Shelter, operated by the Portland Hotel Society, is a temporary shelter with a lease until December 2022 for a small community of formerly homeless people who are in the process of obtaining permanent housing.

The shelter has 24/7 supportive services including embedded clinical health services and an overdose prevention site operated by SOLID Outreach Society. Outreach staff from BC Housing and the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction are supporting the transition to permanent housing.  Laundry is provided weekly by Squeaky’s on Shelbourne.  Members of our Social Justice Committee provide treats at lunchtime once a month.
 
The 41 residents have private and shared rooms, lockers for personal belongings and receive two meals a day catered by Jones BBQ from its Quadra St. location.  The freeze-up in December destroyed the water services to the building that is unrepairable so showers and toilets are provided in an adjacent trailer in the parking lot that has direct access to the municipal sewer system. Drinking water is provided by 18-litre water dispensers around the building.  Residents are free to come and go as they please but after a three-day absence, the room will be reallocated.
 
If you are so inclined, donations can be put into a basket in the Narthex waiting to be filled with much needed and desired individually wrapped snacks like granola bars, pudding cups, chocolate bars, cup of soup, small bags of chips, etc.  of high calorie, energy-giving, put-a-smile on the face munchies!

Women in Faith Book Group

The Women in Faith Book Group will meet on Wednesday, March 30th at 1:00 pm on Zoom. We will be discussing Two Solitudes by Hugh McLennan. If you have any questions please contact Janice or contact the church office at lutheranchurchofthecross@shaw.ca

Thriftys' Stamp Promotion

The Thrifty's stamp promotion to purchase pots for Shelbourne Community Kitchen is coming to an end. Please bring any remaining stamps to the church by Sunday, March 13th. Thanks to everyone who has participated.

Amazing Journey Day Camp 2022

Save the dates July 4th to 8th, 2022 for this year's Amazing Journey Day Camp. Fully vaccinated children aged 4 to 12 will be eligible to attend. We will also be looking for middle school students to be Leaders in Training and High School students to be small group leaders. Registration will open in April. Additional details will be available in the coming weeks.

Ukraine Emergency Appeal

Your friends at St. Luke Cedar Hill invite you to Jazz Vespers in St. Luke's Church on Sunday, March 6th. Jazz Up Your Sunday Evening with a Jazz Vespers service starting at 7 pm. This hour long service will feature lots of jazz along with contemporary prayers, poems, and readings. Come and see and hear what it’s all about!