Good day St. Paul's,

We are re-opening this coming Sunday, June 21!! We recognize that many of you may be unable to return or not yet ready to return so services will continue to be live streamed and available on our YouTube Channel. The bulletin for this Sunday will be available on the Sermon page of the website Sunday morning. Printed bulletins will be available to those attending in person.

If you plan to attend in person: We have a number of regulations that must be followed while onsite. Part of caring for each other is keeping each other healthy and keeping risk low. If you plan to attend in person, please read the following list and ensure you are able to follow these guidelines.

  • Experiencing Cough, Fever, or Other Symptom/s? Do not come to the church. Stay home for fourteen days following the end of your symptoms.
  • Maintain Physical Distance. At all times at St. Paul's, please remain a minimum of six feet (three marked seat spaces) from all other individuals not part of your family unit. You will find tape on the floor six feet apart in multiple locations to help you maintain this distance. Please also maintain physical distance outside.
  • Listen to the Ushers. There will be ushers inside and outside to help direct these new procedures. Please heed their direction as they are trying to keep everyone safe and healthy.
  • Sign-In Upon Arrival. Please sign-in with the designated usher when you arrive onsite. This will help us track who is in attendance just in case we do have to notify the parish if someone tests Covid positive following a service.
  • Sanitize Hands Frequently. Please sanitize your hands upon entry and before taking communion. You may also sanitize as often as you would like during the service. Please also try to refrain from touching surfaces and your face.
  • Consider Wearing a Mask. Though we are not requiring parishioners to wear a mask, we do encourage you to wear a mask while onsite. If you do not have a mask, we have masks available in the foyer.
  • Refrain from Singing in Church. At this time, congregational singing is not allowed by the government of Alberta. Please listen to the lyrics being sung by the leader/s and meditate upon them. You may also hum along to the music as long as your mouth remains closed while onsite.
  • Recycle Bulletins. Please do not leave bulletins in the pews. A recycle bin is available at the exit door. 
  • Use of Washroom. The only washroom available at this time is located at the back of the Sanctuary (just North of the Main Entry doors). Please wipe down all surfaces (including toilet and handle, counter, and faucet) following use.
  • Parts of Building Closed. At this time, the only accessible parts of the building are the Sanctuary, Sanctuary washroom, and alley foyer. All other rooms are closed for use including the main washrooms, hall, basement, and chapel. Please do not access any closed section of the building without permission.

As always, please read on for new announcements as well as reminders of previous announcements.

New Items

St. Paul's Projection Ministry
St. Paul's is hoping to bring back use of projection as soon as possible but have only heard from a couple of people willing to serve in this area. Without having a rotating team of at least three or four people, we will need to continue with printed bulletins. If you would like to serve in this way, please contact the church office.

Repeated Items (from Previous Notices)    

June Missionary of the Month - Don and Sandi H.
Don and Sandi H. were sent out with the Overseas Missionary Fellowship (OMF) by St. Paul’s in 1992, recommissioned February 2014. They now minister in on the Canadian homeside. Don is the Director of Finance and Administration for OMF Canada. Sandi is the Coordinator for ESL ministries in the GTA. Don and Sandi have provided us with some prayer requests and a video presentation. To access these items, please click visit the News section of the website and find the June 2020 Missionary of the Month item.

Food Pantry Update
Thank you to all those who have contributed to the St. Paul’s Food Pantry. We have supplied several hampers to families who were very appreciative of the support. Most needed items at the moment include personal hygiene and household supplies (toothpaste, body soap, shampoo, toilet paper, paper towels, dish soap, and laundry soap) and canned fruit. Please also consider picking up fabric masks and paying what you can. Donations will be used to provide grocery cards along with the food hampers, and to purchase additional materials for the mask-making bees. 

Fabric Masks 
We now have many new fabric masks available in the church foyer. Please pay what you can (suggested price is $10.00 cash per mask if you have the financial means to pay).  Income from mask sales will be used to purchase supplies for more masks and to support our Food Pantry. 

New (and Old) Giving Options
St. Paul's is now set up to receive emailed e-transfers. If you would like to give to St. Paul's during this time, the following options are available:

  • E-transfer: E-transfers may be emailed to the office email
  • Pre-Authorized Debit (one time or monthly): If you would like to set up a one-time or monthly pre-authorized debit giving, please email the office and RJ will send you the correct form.
  • Credit Transaction (one time or monthly): If you would like to set up a one-time or monthly credit gift, please email the office and RJ will send you the correct form. 
  • Cash or Cheque: Cash can be dropped off at the church anytime during open church hours. Cheques can be left in the church mailbox, dropped off during open hours, or mailed to the church office at any time.  

Facebook Group for Parishioners
We now have a private group for the St. Paul's congregation that will be used for special updates - mainly personal prayer requests, bulletin board information, etc. If you would like to join this group, please contact the office and RJ will send you the link.

St. Paul's "Stories of Hope"
There are now a few videos available in the St. Paul's Stories of Hope series. You can find the videos on our website and looking for any blogs titled "Fellowship". Thank you to Jodi Penner for taking on this initiative. If you would like to submit a video, please email it to Jodi or send it to the office and we will forward it to Jodi.

St. Paul's Open Hours - Please Call Ahead
If you plan to come into St. Paul's for prayer or to drop off food or other items, please call ahead before you come. Myron will try to be onsite during the open prayer hours but sometimes has pastoral emergencies that take him offsite and RJ will be working from home until gathering restrictions are lifted. The Sanctuary and Chapel will generally be open for prayer from 10:00AM-Noon Monday-Thursday and Saturday (NOT OPEN Fridays and Sundays). Entry will only be available through the Alley Door. Again, please call ahead before you come to be sure someone is onsite. Please hand sanitize upon entry and keep a distance of at least two metres from other individuals. 

Hands To Hearts Cards Available
Parishioners may drop in to pick up a handmade card during the hours that the church is open. The cards are available on a table across from the main washrooms. Please sanitize your hands prior to handling the cards.

Puzzle Exchange at St. Paul's
Puzzles can be dropped off at St. Paul's during open church hours. All dropped off puzzles will be sanitized and be made available for pickup a few days later. If you would like to contribute to this initiative but are unable to come into the office to drop off/pick up, please contact the office and we will arrange for a no-contact pick up/drop off. 

Care and Concern
Though services have been suspended, we are still the church and our Care and Concern Team is ready to help. If you need groceries delivered, errands run, or other services at this time, please let us know. The church is still operating even if we cannot meet closely together at this time. 

Prayer
Please continue to be in prayer for all of those who may be immuno-compromised or otherwise vulnerable.