June 15, 2020

VERY IMPORTANT INFORMATION

(This is going to be a long, detailed note!!! It is very important, though, that you read it!!)
Dear Friends,
Greetings to you in the name of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ!
All of us need interaction with others, don’t we? In the last 3 months such interaction has been very minimal. It is a good thing that restrictions are eased somewhat and we can meet with family members and a few others while still respecting distancing protocols.We are praying that the days ahead will notbring other extended regulations as families, businesses, employees, etc. can return to some sense of normalcy. Of course, all of us need to exercise common sense as we journey along. The good news is that we can meet together as a congregation again!Well, at least, within the 30% parameters!As we think about re-opening the church, there may be some who do not feel comfortable attending the Sunday service right away. That is quite understandable and your concern is respected. We encourage you to come back to church when you feel ready. We are really missing everyone!

EXTREMELY IMPORTANT- Added to the COVID- 19 crisis are these very troublesome times as
indescribable racial tensions and unrest grips North America and other nations of the world. It is more than heartbreaking to see what many people are experiencing. We stand with those who are going through such atrocities and oppression. We join specifically with many of the voices in support of our precious black brothers and sisters and pray that relationships will heal.There are 2 verses of Scripture from Old Testament prophets that spoke to the generation of that day many hundreds of years ago. The same message resonates today. Here’s what they said: “But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-ending stream!” (Amos 5:24) “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8)
These are excellent words to live by! Practicing these words in daily living brings solutions to
complicated situations. Following is a note from our General Superintendent of The Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada (PAOC),
Rev. David R. Wells. Rev. Wells also serves as the Chair of the Pentecostal/Charismatic Churches of North America. Please visit the PAOC website (www.paoc.org) for the full article with more commentary and further remarks by various evangelical leaders in North America.
Thank you for reading this and for your continual prayers and tangible support as we call on God to intervene. Here’s a quote by Rev. Aaron Campbell (Chair of Race Relations Commission) “we must seek God, who is able to bring about justice in ways that we cannot even imagine.”

Demonstrating Unity in the Power of the Spirit
Dear Friends,
The Pentecostal Charismatic Churches of North America's vision of “demonstrating unity in the power of the Spirit” is rooted in how the Spirit has spoken to its members from the very beginning of our formation.
We pursue justice, love mercy, and desire to walk humbly with our God. To tangibly demonstrate those pursuits, the PCCNA has as one of its purposes: “To embrace and implement biblical principles of racial reconciliation, justice, and equity within our spheres of influence, and to work toward the eradication of poverty.”
Within our nations in North America these biblical principles are often violated and call us to respond in unity with prayer, confrontation of evil and loving actions towards those who experience injustice as well
as redemptive initiatives towards those who act unjustly. In the light of current and recent events that have violated the biblical principles PCCNA has purposed to demonstrate, I would invite you to note the response from some leaders or representatives within several of the PCCNA’s member organizations and from our chair of the Race Relations Commission, Rev. Aaron Campbell, who also serves as the director
of the Memphis Chapter of PCCNA
Rev. David R. Wells, M.A., D.D.
President – PCCNA
Simply click on this link www.paoc.org to view the website for more commentary and further
remarks by various evangelical leaders in North America.. Scroll down to the tab “The PCCNA and
the PAOC Call for Unity in North America.” Thank you!

RE-OPENING CHURCH & ONLINE CHURCH – As you are aware our premier, Doug Ford, announced that places of worship can meet at 30% capacity since June 12, 2020. We will confirm the actual number we can accommodate in the next few days and let you know what that looks like. Your church board and staff members met a few days ago and discussed a workable path to re-opening. We have certainly discovered that it is far easier to close down than to start up!! It was agreed that we set June 28, 2020 as the “soft” opening date. Even though we do not anticipate this date being changed to a week later wewant to ensure that the building is properly prepared to accommodate us. In the meantime online church will continue. As soon as we are back in the building the church service will be live-streamed instead of the weekly pre-recordings. We expect this ministry (live-streaming) to continue each Sunday morning at 10:00. We hope that this will be a blessing to those who cannot attend church for various reasons.

As you can readily understand there are numerous logistics relative to re-opening. We are networking with the PAOC, our Eastern Ontario and Nunavut District and our insurance company to ensure that we are adhering to the various and numerous regulations for public gatherings. Please note that thefollowing is bu t a cursory list of things to do! There may be others that we will add before the opening date. Please read this carefully:
*ONLY the entrance doors on the west side (towards the parsonage) of the building will be
opened. The back entrance (facing the old Lenadco) will not be opened to give access to thebuilding.
* There will be markings on the walkway and foyer that indicate 6 feet distance.
* “Greeters” will be at the entrance and hold the door(s) open for those entering the building.
* All other doors at the entrance and sanctuary area will be propped open.
* Once in the building, please find your seating place (assisted by an usher). It is important to not
linger in the foyer area.
* When the service begins at 10:00 a.m. the outside doors will be locked. Of course, there will still
be access to leave the building and go outside by simply using the panic bar on the door.
* Only every second pew will be occupied. That means we have to start with the very first pew
and distance from there. Families from the same household should sit together and there must
be 6 feet of space between them and others who may occupy the same pew. Ushers will assist
in directing you where you may sit. This exercise will take some diligence to make it work!!
* The church service will be a maximum of 1 hour!! That means I have to make sure I am not long-winded!!!
* Distancing will be observed by the worship team each week.
* Offerings will not be received via passing the offering plate but by simply dropping your
envelope in boxes provided at the entrances to the sanctuary. It would be good for those who
are donating online to continue doing so.
* You will notice that all hymn books will be removed and stored. Also, there will not be a printed
church bulletin. All pertinent announcements will appear on the screen and I will also mention
them through the weekly email distribution.
* The debit machine will be monitored by a person wearing a mask and disinfecting the machine
appropriately. Please note that we are not aware of any regulation that requires us to wear a
mask. You may make the personal choice to wear a mask.
* Since we will not be shaking hands, please ensure that you have a big smile for everyone…that’s
the only thing that should be infectious!!!
* Please keep washroom use at a minimum. Ideally, it would be good if they were not used at all
but it is understandable for those who find it absolutely necessary.
* Hand sanitizer stations will be available throughout the area of the building we are using.
* The doors leading to the nursey, Cornerstone Christian Academy, the gym and washrooms on
the lower level will be locked.
* We regret that we are not able to provide other Sunday services ministry, i.e. Sunday School and nursery. Kid’s Sunday School will continue online.
* Both overflow sections will available to help us with the seating ratio.
* The foyer may be used for seating as well plus the youth room if needed.
As I view this list I am astonished at the sheer volume of details that must be considered. There will probably be more to come!!! One of the main concerns is that we have not missed any item that is important. That’s where you can assist us. As you read this list, is there any concern you have that wehave missed? If so, please let us know and we will check it with the official guidelines and adjust as necessary.

Signs are posted on the entrance doors saying “STOP”!!! You have probably seen this on a number of public building entrances. The sign highlights proper hygienic protocols. It is most important that we follow this. If you are feeling unwell, experiencing symptoms, or have been in direct contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID- 19, please do not enter the building. Please take note that we are looking for a cleaning company that will do a disinfectant cleaning between each Sunday use of the building, making it clean for the next service. We sincerely appreciate your patience and understanding in the midst of the reality all of us are currently experiencing.

BIG NEED – We need volunteers to help us! Several are needed to serve as “greeters” (no hand
shaking!!!) to open the outside door(s) for those entering the church building. Extra ushers are needed in the foyer and move the wonderful people along to the sanctuary (no lingering). Still others are needed to assist us with acceptable seating in the church sanctuary. We will find a way to coordinate this – probably a short meeting at the church before opening Sunday. For now, would you call the church office and put your name on a list of possible volunteers? Or, you may email me directly. Thank you for this. It is more helpful than I can express. We need YOU!
PRAYER NEEDS – The prayer needs list continues to grow. Please remember Wilma (recovering from surgery), a young man facing surgery, Rose-Marie (surgery soon), Tim, Lori (taking treatments), Laura, Olivia,  Phyllis (bereavement), our seniors who are shut-in, Pat, Franz (recovering from surgery), Bonnie, Angela, Shawn (seeking employment), Ken’s niece, Robbie (taking treatments), Allan (takingtreatments), Elizabeth, Linda (physical and spiritual needs), businesses and business people, new pastor, unspoken needs, online church, Kids Sunday School and VBS (coming July 6 – 10). There may be others that we should add to this list. Please let us know if that is the case and we will gladly include them. Be sure to send an email or telephone us should you have a need. You may reach us at office@evangelnapanee.com or 613-354-4281. There are lots of prayer needs and they all include both
the spiritual and physical!

VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL – Please note the dates for Vacation Bible School: July 6 – 10. Already many children have registered for this “different” online year. Tanya and her team have worked extremely hard to make this a fabulous ministry. You may register your children by visiting our website www.evangelnapanee.com or calling the church @ 613-354-4281.

PASTORAL SEARCH – Thank you for your continual prayers. We will keep you posted as the journey progresses.

ZOOM PRAYER MEETING – Each  Monday at 6:30 p.m. we host a ZOOM prayer meeting. Please plan to join us. It appears that we will continue the ZOOM venue for now. I thought that we would soon meet at the church for the prayer time but that would possibly mean an extra cleaning/disinfecting. We will monitor this as the days go by. We look forward to seeing you online.

BIBLE READING – The Bible reading assignment for the month of June is the Book of Psalms. The
challenge is to read at least 5 Psalms per day. That will include all 150 Psalms for the 30 days of June! Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible so you may want to pace your reading
somewhat…whatever works for you. The word of God will certainly strengthen you in your daily walk with God.

ADMINISTRATION – Regular office hours will resume on Monday, June 15, 2020. Just a reminder…this is Monday to Thursday 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Tithes and offerings are tracking well and that is because of your faithful commitment. Thank you for your diligence.

Many blessings!
Cal and June