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        Lord of All Lutheran Church (NALC)
        • External link opens in new tab or windowNorth American Lutheran Church

        President’s Pondering's - March 2019

        A LIST OF PEOPLE WE ARE PRAYING FOR

        Jeff Marcotte, Tim Smith, Doug, Sharon, Elsie Marie, Wayne, Madeline, Nancy, The Bishop Family,


        COMMUNICATIONS We are working out the bugs of the email and communications systems for the church.  Thank you to all who are participating, Watch for emails coming out in the days to come.  If you want to be on the list of people receiving church generated emails, please send Linda an email at ChurchMail@lordofall.ca  Our hope is that this is a way to keep people updated about key events happening within our church…


        PASTA – BILITIES was a wonderful night.  120+ were fed and thoroughly enjoyed the entertainment and fellowship.  A profit of just over $800 was gained.  Thanks to everyone who helped make it a success. People expressed positive feedback about the entertainment, and it was a great event shared in our church this year…


        PANCAKE (SHROVE) TUESDAY was a fun night for everyone attended.  There were approximately 70 people at the dinner and a lot of pancakes and sausages and eggs were consumed.  From our free will offering, approximately $150. was put into the Kids to Camp fund.


        FINANCIAL UPDATE  Thank you for your faithful offerings through the first two months of the year.  Please continue to help us to work towards a balanced budget this year…


        PERPETUAL BOTTLE DRIVE  We have an ongoing bottle drive at the church, which helps fund youth activities.  You can bring your bags of bottles/cans to the church, they are stored in the garage, and we will make sure they are picked up and the donation is brought back to our youth.  That will help send our youth to the…  2019 NATIONAL YOUTH


        GATHERING  Doug and Vicki Thurn, and Pastor Dawn will be taking our youth to the National Youth Convention in Outlook Saskatchewan the long weekend in May. We hope to have six or possibly more youth attending. Our youth will also be holding a fund raising event at the church in April.


        KIDS TO CAMP We have kids getting ready for camp, but will need some support to make it happen.  If you have children or grandchildren that would be blessed by time at camp, please know some funding is in place.  Speak to Joe or Linda and pick up a form.  As well, if you would like to support this great initiative, designated donations can be made with your offering, to “Kids to Camp”.  Just put it in the designated space on your envelope… Application cut off is April 30, 2019.

        UPDATE - JUNE 

        June 15, 2021

        To our family and friends at Lord of All,

        On June 13, 2021, the Church Council met to discuss and move forward on opening the church for worship this summer. We are excited to see that happen.

        Our understanding is that, barring unforeseen changes, we will be moving into Stage 3 of the Alberta Re-opening Plan very soon. Based upon that, our goal is to be open for in-person worship on July 4. As we currently understand, Stage 3 lifts all restrictions on gatherings which will mean getting back to as close to normal as possible and we are planning for that. Should Stage 3 be delayed, we will still open the church for live services, however, all of the guidelines and restrictions in place for Stage 2 will apply including a limit on attendance.

        Based on feedback received from members, it is almost unanimous that people want the church to be open and about 50 percent of people that responded seem ready to come back now.

        Once a full opening occurs and there are minimal, if any government restrictions, our goal, as it has been throughout the pandemic, is to keep our people safe as we transition. These were some of our reflections in our decision making.

        •  People will vary in their level of comfort and should be encouraged to do what they need to do to feel safe at church. Some will be ready to come back, some may need time to feel ready.
        • Masks, hand sanitizer and tissues will be available for any who wish to use them.
        • All need to be mindful and respective of not judging others for varying viewpoints on safety.
        • Coming back to church will be emotional and there will likely be a want by many to hug and shake hands, etc. Please be conscientious that not everyone will be comfortable with this. Before making any physical contact, we would encourage you to ask the other person what they are comfortable with.
        • Our priority is to get live Sunday morning worship going again for the summer, while still maintaining online access for those unable or not yet ready to come back. Services will be streamed on the church’s YouTube channel.
        • PD’s weekly live messages on Facebook will continue, but only once or twice per week as we move forward – likely Tuesday and Thursday at this time.
        • Decisions regarding live Bible Studies, Thursday Evening Services and other activities will be made in the fall. +
        • We anticipate there will be some new faces in our midst in the days ahead and there may be people whose names are not familiar to you. To help with that, we are encouraging everyone to wear a name tag as an act of hospitality. We will have them available at the church.
        • Communion will resume on July 11 with no common cup. We will be proceeding carefully with all of these steps to make sure we are doing them wisely and well. As has been our policy in these past months, if you are not feeling comfortable coming to worship or receiving communion in worship, Pastor Dawn is happy to arrange for private communion with you.
        • Even though we move into this re-opening, we also understand that Covid still exists in the community and there is not zero risk. As such we would ask anyone that is feeling unwell or has symptoms of Covid to stay home. We also still do not understand what contact tracing requirements we may still need to implement in Stage 3, so please be patient with us as we work to figure all of this out. There is still a possibility that we may require volunteers to assist with sign-in / temperature taking. Please reach out to us if you would consider volunteering in this capacity.
        Some other items that were discussed by council:
        • As there is no Community Cowboy Breakfast and Service this year, on Aug 1, we will hold a regular worship service.
        •  We are looking at the possibility of having an outdoor service across the street in the park on August 22, along with a four evening Vacation Bible Camp for all, on the 23-26 of August. Details will follow.
        As we await the next steps and guidelines from the Alberta government and AHS, we must be prepared to shift our plans accordingly. We ask for your encouragement and prayers, and invite you to contact Joe Elliott 403 512-2691, or Pastor Dawn 403 934-8452 with any questions. We thank both the council who have carefully and prayerfully met and made these decisions.
        As well, a word of thanks was extended to our worship team that have provided solid worship for the past 65 weeks (Yes, it has been that long), to Joe for his leadership, and to Pastor Dawn for everyone’s hard work and dedication to keep the operation of the church and worship moving forward. We also thank Linda for her hard work on so many fronts and welcome her back into the church office next week to her regular three-day schedule.

        Thank you to all who have helped to keep our operating funds coming in. We are a bit behind where we usually are at this time of year and appreciate your generosity in helping us meet our obligations. Wishing all a wonderful and safe summer and looking forward to seeing all of you, either at church or out and about, in the days to come.

        With Prayers of Thanksgiving,

        Joe Elliott, Council Chairperson Pastor Dawn

        A PRAYER AS WE MOVE AHEAD:

        Heavenly Father, we come before You with thanksgiving for your presence and guidance to us through these unprecedented times. We have learned much, we have carried your name forward, and we have continued to respond to your call to bring light to the world in whatever ways we have been able. Thank you for the safety and provision we have experienced. Guide us now, as we move forward, to do those things that bring honour and glory to your name, caring for our congregation, our community, and the world. With confidence, we hold to the words of promise you have given us in Matthew 28: 20 - ”And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” AMEN

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