Kindred in Christ,
With our zone going back into Orange Level this week. We will have a Live in person service with a maximum of 50 people in the building. It will be at the usual Sunday morning time of 10:30. We will continue to provide a very familiar Sunday service on Zoom at 10:30 as well (read below to find out how to log on). Thank you.
Weekly Announcements for January 28th, 2021
- Information to join us for worship through Zoom
- Out of the Cold information from the Board
- 2021 Envelopes
- Annual reports
- Submitting Announcements in the new year
- Message from the FundScrip Team
- Annual Meeting message/information
- UCW rummage sale Fundraiser
- Preaching this Week
Scroll down to see more information on these announcements
1. Information to join us for worship through Zoom: We will continue to offer streamed worship through Zoom. We are glad to have you!.
The Zoom link is: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85811548808
The password for this meeting room is: 200188
For those who would prefer to call in the number is: 1 647 558 0588 then use the Meeting ID: 858 1154 8808, and then enter the passcode 200188 when prompted
2. This winter, as for the past number of years, there is a significant number of our brothers and sisters in our city who find themselves homeless. Each of these people is someone’s child, a sibling, and in some cases, a parent and grandparent. Each person is a child of God. It’s heartbreaking to see people sleeping on the streets in our harsh Fredericton climate.
The past two winters St. Paul’s responded to this problem by offering space in the downstairs gym for people to sleep. With the outbreak of COVID-19, we closed St. Paul’s to all activities early in March. When the fall rolled around and none of the organizations involved in providing shelter approached us, the Board assumed that the new shelter on Brunswick Street was able to handle the demand and moved on.
We have many reasons we should not be in the shelter business right now. We’re very short staffed (we had 5 full time people when this started in December of 2018 and we currently have one); the COVID cleaning requirements are almost impossible to maintain with a drop-in population (and the basement washrooms are pretty hard to clean at the best of times) and our St. Paul’s volunteer base is spread very thin already.
In recent weeks, at least one person who is very concerned about the well being of people who are currently sleeping outside has approached a number of St. Paul’s members about re-opening the space. The Board considered the matter again on January 10th and decided not to make the space available for overnight shelter subject to input from the folks at the Out-of-the-Cold Shelter. I consulted with the Executive Director of the John Howard Society earlier this week, and in addition to our admittedly self-serving considerations noted above, he provided an additional perspective.
Although it was called an “overflow” shelter, many of the users of our space were people who couldn’t adapt to the environment at the official Out-of-the-Cold shelters. These folks are often described as “high acuity’. They are dealing with complex mental health, addiction and physical issues. It is a great tribute to our dedicated volunteers that they were able to safely sustain the operation of our overflow space and to share some of the kindness that every person deserves. However, it is also dangerous to everyone involved.
Professional, trained staff is a basic requirement for John Howard shelter spaces (they use volunteers in conjunction with staff) and these folks are in short supply. Within the more formalized shelter system, enforcing rules is very difficult and attempting to convince guests to follow COVID safety requirements has added another level of difficulty and potential conflict.
The Board has taken the position that if a governmental or not-for-profit agency approached St. Paul’s with a plan to use our space, we would be happy to work with them to provide a safe overnight sleeping space for those who need it. But in the absence of a “lead-agency” partner, we will be keeping the space closed.
We’re called to look after those in need and it feels wrong to not use what we have to provide an immediate solution to a terrible situation. Chronic homelessness is a terrible scourge in a country as wealthy as Canada and there is a screaming need for systemic and sustainable solutions. Please, when and where you can, use your connections and expertise to support those seeking such solutions. And in the meantime, please support the agencies that are providing services to those in need, including our Pantry and Brown Bag Lunch missions.
Jane on behalf of the Board
3. 2021 Envelopes are available for pick up in the Narthex on Sunday morning. Contact the office 458-1183 to pick them up during the week.
4. Annual Reports are due please submit them to the office by email stpaulsoffice224@gmail.com Thank you very much.
5. Submitting Announcements in the new year: To get your announcement in this weekly notice, we ask that you submit them to the office with a small paragraph of detail by Wednesday of the week you want your announcement to run. Also include the number of weeks that you want this announcement in our weekly notice.
6. Message from the FundScrip Team
For those who ordered gift cards: The cards are available at church on Sunday. If not, you can pick up your order at the church office next week.
Future orders: Starting in February, the deadline for gift card orders will be the third Sunday of each month . . . February 21, March 21, April 18, etc. Having a set date will enable you to plan your purchases . . . what cards you need and when. It also means cards will be ordered from FundScrip on Monday and arrive on Friday for distribution on Sunday. You may want to note these dates on your calendar, but don’t worry we will always have a message in the Weekly Announcements to remind you. Order forms will continue to be available in the Narthex on Sundays, at the church office during the week or you can print one by clicking here: http://www.stpaulsunited.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/POF_46258_NB_20210107105919197.pdf
Thank you to our frequent shoppers for your on-going support. For those who have not yet tried this fund-raising program, I encourage you to give it a try. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact me . . . cpeacock@bellaliant.net or call me at 452-1016.
Remember . . . Shopping is fund-raising for St. Paul’s!
7. The Annual Meeting, which was tentatively scheduled for February 21st has been moved back to March to allow enough time to complete the year end financial review. We’ll let you know the new date as soon as we have it.
In the meantime, please plan to volunteer to help out at St. Paul’s. We NEED new members on the Board, Heritage & Resources and the Worship Committee. Property and Christian Education can also use more helping hands. Please speak to a Board member or Eric if you think you can help out.
thanks!
Jane
8. The UCW are participating in a fundraiser with Value Village called FUNDrive. Think of it as a Rummage Sale without all the work. Our target date for gathering in goods is Monday, March 15th. We are collecting clothes, accessories, household textiles (blankets, sheets, towels, tablecloths, curtains), small household goods, kitchen items, decorations, knick-knacks, toys and games, small electronics, etc. No large appliances or furniture please. Think of the items you would normally see at Value Village. Please have clothes and household textiles items in bags, and small household items in boxes. We are paid by the pound in the different categories. Items may be dropped off at the Church. They will be stored in the purple Sunday school room by the elevator. If you have many items, you could always just keep them at home and meet us at Value Village on the drop off date (March 23rd). Why move everything twice?
Just a bit of calculation – to make $500.00 with 50 people participating, we would each need to collect 4 garbage bags full of items. So ask your family, friends and neighbours. This is the perfect time of year to declutter. If it works out well, we might do it again in the Fall. Any questions, please telephone Donna Chauvin 458-5885 work 458-1898
9. Preaching this week is Heather Donnelly