This Sunday – The fifth after epiphany – A ZOOM COMMUNION
Worship this Sunday will be our second live ZOOM Communion Service at 11:00 am. The ZOOM Service is at 11:00 because our Spirit West ZOOM Sunday School has been meeting at 10:00 am since the end of September, and the 11:00 am Service time gives us time to switch ZOOMs
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ZOOM has been used for Communion Services by the General Council and by Norther Spirit Regional Council, and is being encourage as the way for the church to gather for Communion as it brings people together at the same time. Since it will be Communion, you are encouraged to have some bread and grape juice (or wine) available for each member of your household.
Now in a ZOOM Service, what you see is what is happening at the church as you watch it, with the exception of the musical portions which are recorded in advance and shared by our ZOOM technician at the appropriate times in the service. Because we are using ZOOM there is a greater possibility for lags in the video or audio and other real time technical problems. There will be no subtitles for the prayers and prayer responses. But, a bulletin will be provided in the email that will be sent out by Norma on Saturday, but rather than a YouTube link, you will be reminded of the ZOOM link. Please be patient with us as we learn another way of worshiping together. We also hope that the recording of the service works this time, and we will be able to post a YouTube version of the service later on Sunday afternoon
Some Questions and Answers:
Q; What if I am new to ZOOM, and a bit unsure about how it works?
A: Sign on early (around 10:45 am and receive a short tutorial about ZOOM)
Q:I can’t use ZOOM, what do I do for worship?
A: The ZOOM Service will be recorded (we hope) and posted to our YouTube channel later on Sunday afternoon.
Q: Will all the Services be on ZOOM now?
A: No, for the present, we will only be using ZOOM for Communion Services, on the first Sunday of each month. The remainder of the Service each month will be the pre-recorded YouTube videos that you have become used to.
To Join the Zoom Communion click on this link between 10:45 and 11:00 am on Sunday, February 7thh. (Some computers may require you to press the CTRL key at the same time as you click on the link with your mouse)
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85002656536?pwd=Sm1McDVpT2YwOWdsOVdoa2kxYXF0dz09
It is unlikely, but you may be asked for the Meeting ID: which is 850 0265 6536. If you need a Passcode it is: 814813
The Scripture Readings for Sunday are Acts 19: 1-7, and Mark 1; 4-11. In the Time for All Ages, I will be saying, “I don’t feel well.” My sermon is titled, “Healed to Serve.”
ZOOM Coffee Hour will follow the ZOOM Service on same link
YOUR TAX RECEIPT FOR 2020 IS IN THE MAIL
The Charitable Tax receipts from Spirit West for 2020 were mailed today. You should see your receipt in your mailbox early next week
2021 OFFERING ENVELOPES
If you have been regularly using Offering Envelopes for your offering, either mailed in to the church or dropped off, your 2021 Envelopes are now available at the Church. We would prefer if you could pick them up. Call Norma at the church, so that she can have your envelopes ready for you. If you would rather that they be delivered to you, you will also have to let Norma know.
SPIRIT WEST WORSHIP VIDEOS
Greeters (update)
You may have gotten (or will get) a call from Diane H. our new “Greeter Co-ordinator,” asking you if you would record a greeting for our Sunday Worship videos. If at all possible, please say yes. Recorded greetings should be sent to our “Recording technician” (Paul W.) at [email protected] or you can come into the church and we will record your greeting. Video greetings need to be sent in or recorded by the Friday before “your” Sunday.
Scripture Readers (update)
Using the list of those who have volunteered to be Scripture readers, Norma has drawn up and sent out a schedule of readers for the next couple of months. If you have read scripture for one of the worship videos, you will be on the schedule and will have received a copy. Please confirm with Norma as soon as possible that you are available to do your reading. Readings can be recorded well in advance of the date required. Your reading can also be recorded at the church between 2:30 and 4:30 on Thursday afternoons.
Sharing our Celebrations
In this time when it is important for us to look for signs of hope and joy, opportunity is being given for you to share your celebrations (birthdays, anniversaries, new grandchildren etc) with the wider community. If you have a celebration you want to share please email [email protected] or phone the church. (must be sent in before noon on Thursday for inclusion on the Sunday) During the opening section or our Worship Video, I will announce celebrations that have been shared with me.
Prayer Requests If you have a prayer request that you would like included in the Prayers of the People that are part of our worship videos, your request needs to be into the church by Thursday at noon for inclusion on Sunday. The best way to send in your request is to email [email protected]. During the Prayers of the People, only the first name of individuals will be mentioned, and the specifics of the request will not be shared. The prayer requests are also forwarded to the Prayer Chain.
Feedback
I appreciate all the positive feedback that we have received about the Worship Videos. We (Margaret, Bonnie, Glenn, Paul W. and I) are trying our best to provide you with something that will assist you in your faith journey during this “crazy” time. We would also like to hear from you if you have suggestions on how we could make the videos better or more helpful (like Scripture readers, Greeters, music with the hymns …). Email your comments to me [email protected] or post them on our Facebook page.
YOUR BOTTLES FOR THE CHURCH
You may have bottles piling up for recycling. You can bring them to the church (or you can call for pick up). If you want to bring your bottles (and any other recyclable beverage containers) in during our office hours and put them directly in the Bottle Shed (by the garage), give us a call, and we can have the shed open for you. All money raised from the return of bottles goes towards paying down the principal on our mortgage.
FINANCIAL SUPPORT
We can now accept donations by eTransfer. The contact name for the eTransfer is Spirit West United Church, and the email address is [email protected] . If you include a security question with your eTransfer, please notify Norma at the church office by phone or email. And remember that if you are not on PAR(Pre-Authorized Remittance), you can also mail in cheques to the church office (Spirit West United Church, 7003 – 199 St. Edmonton, AB T5T 3A8, include your envelope number if you have one.) The church office is open and you can drop off your offering/donation in the offering plate just inside the front doors. You can also donate online, see below…
ANOTHER WAY TO CONTRIBUTE FINANCIALLY TO SPIRIT WEST DURING A GLOBAL PANDEMIC
You are stuck home, Spirit West is not holding services, you are not on PAR, but you want to make a financial contribution to the work of Spirit West, because the church has bills to pay even when we are not gathering on Sunday. Check out the online donation option on our website spiritwest.org and click on the Donate tab in the navigation bar.
Spirit West Prayer Chain
Prayer is important. We know that people still face challenges and difficulties not related to Covid-19, and we cannot forget them. Our Prayer Chain will continue to be active. If you have a prayer request, please send it to [email protected]. These requests will be shared regularly with the prayer chain and will form part of the Prayers of the People in our Sunday Worship.
SPIRIT WEST ONLINE!
Website: www.spiritwest.org
Facebook: Spirit West United Church and Friends of Spirit West Outreach
Instagram: spiritwestyeg
YouTube: Spirt West United Church, Edmonton
CHURCH OFFICE
The Spirit West Church office remains open.
Office hours
- Norma => Noon to 5:00 pm, Monday to Thursday
- Larry => 10:00 am to 5:00 pm, Tuesday to Friday
Larry
(Rev.) Larry K. Wright, CD, BA, MDiv
Minister
Spirit West United Church
780-481-1406
[email protected]
Spiritwest.org