How did you do on the crossword we ran here a few weeks ago? Try your hand at this one, on the theme of Food in the Bible! All the credit for putting them together goes to Rev. Mary Taylor of St. Paul United in Westville, NS.
A Letter from Pastor Beryl Regarding the Reopening of our Church
Dear Friends:
Well, it has been quite a journey over the past six months or so. And we are still trying to figure it all out.
To date, there has been no official announcement from Conseil régional Nakonha:ka Regional Council other than what we already know.
So, that being said, we are planning to re-open for worship on Sunday, September 13th (unless we receive directions to the contrary in the meantime).
Because each of us is responsible for the safety of the other person, and we must respect the congregation of Verdun-LaSalle Baptist Church who use our facilities after us, the following guidelines will be in effect for the time being:
1. Please do not arrive more than 15 minutes before worship begins
2. The only entry and exit point will be the front door. Entry and exit by the side door will not be an option
3. Please arrive with your mask
4. If you have a fever, cough or any other symptom or suspect you might have been in contact with a person with Covid 19, please do not come
5. You will be asked to sanitize your hands upon entry
6. You will be asked to sign a register for tracking purposes in the event of an outbreak
7. Please respect the social distancing measure of six feet when in the pews. However, members of the same family may sit together
8. There will be no hymnbooks and a bulletin will be provided, which we ask that you dispose of after the service (you may take it home)
9. For the time being, there will not be a choir but, if possible, a soloist or musician is permitted (along with Sarah of course)
10. Access to the washrooms will be by the staircase at the back of the sanctuary only
11. Please do not use the first row of seats as the Minister and readers are required to stay well back from the congregation
12. If you are reading that week, please bring your own Bible
13. The Minister, reader and soloist must all use different microphones
14. There will be no coffee hour after worship and it is recommended that you leave the church in a timely fashion, via the front door only.
In being diligent and observing these suggestions, each of us is taking responsibility not only for ourselves, but for our family members at home, our friends and our neighbours.
I realize all of the above may seem overwhelming but we have come this far, we are strong in faith and we can get through this.
Looking forward to seeing you for worship on Sunday, September 13!
In peace
Pastor Beryl
News of "Our" Breakfast Club
Like schools across Quebec, Verdun Elementary will be welcoming students back next week after what for many has been an unheard of 5 1/2 month break. Like most years, the Breakfast Club will be there to greet them. Kids will recognize the cheerful tag-team of Sue Purcell and Sheila Morrison who have coordinated the program there for several years. And that’s good, because so much else will be unfamiliar.
One of the biggest changes at VES this year is that the program will serve all 250 of the school’s students. Fees, which have always been modest, have been further reduced to a “suggested donation” of $20 from the families. this is Breakfast Club of Canada stepping up its game to make sure kids don’t go hungry during these challenging economic times.
That change goes hand-in-hand with another one: children won’t eat in a cafeteria space like the old SouthWest Mission, but in their classrooms. The role of the coordinators will be to plan weekly menus based on the pre-packaged foods they will receive from Breakfast Club of Canada.
“We’re not allowed to cook anything,” says Sheila, “not even toast.”
Breakfast Club will still provide well-balanced meals representing all food groups, but they will be cold breakfasts. It’s all of course in the interest of preventing an outbreak of Covid-19 in the schools.
Another part of Sue and Sheila’s job will be packing large plastic bins for delivery to each classroom. They are not allowed to have volunteers helping them out as the school tries to limit the number of people who come and go.
“The delivery guy can’t even come in,” Sheila says, “He will leave the order outside the front door.”
“We’ve been off so long,” Sheila said when asked how she and Sue were feeling about being back in a school environment during a pandemic, “you want to get back into a routine. And we love doing it, seeing people, having a purpose.”
Amy
SouthWest United is pleased to continue providing salary support to the VES Breakfast Club. In past years, we have given food donations but this year that is a no-no. Sheila and Sue will let us know if there is anything more we can do to help further down the road. Meanwhile, if you’re so inclined, the national organization, Breakfast Club of Canada, would be grateful to receive your donations, this year more than ever.
The Dog Days
The phrase “in the dog days of summer“ popped into my head and I found myself wondering, what exactly does this mean? It seemed to me there was a connection to Sirius, “the dog star” but were there specific dates that constituted the dog days? I looked it up.
It seems that the Greeks and Romans connected the dog star, which is visible in the Northern hemisphere for most of the summer, with “heat, drought, sudden thunderstorms, lethargy, fever, mad dogs and bad luck”! Although I have yet to spot any mad dogs, otherwise it sure sounds to me like we are in the dog days.
Sirius is so bright that the ancient Romans thought it radiated extra heat toward Earth. During the summer, when Sirius rises and sets with the Sun, they thought Sirius added heat to the Sun's heat to cause hotter summer temperatures.
For the ancient Romans, the dog days of summer occurred from about July 24 to around August 24. Over time, though, the constellations have drifted somewhat. Today, The Old Farmer's Almanac lists the traditional timing of the dog days of summer as being July 3 until August 11.
It’s hard to get anything done on this weather. We move slowly through the humid air and our thoughts seem muddled. It’s a perfect time to go on vacation, to lie in a hammock with a cool drink, swim in a lake or ocean. Unfortunately, many of us will not have the opportunity to go anywhere on vacation this summer of Covid-19.
Pastor Beryl had been hoping to take a vacation in August but instead, she spent this week on a study leave, attending online classes and writing papers, and will take an at-home vacation the next two weeks. Her contract is for half-time ministry, and yet she has been preparing pre-recorded services every week since the pandemic began. We will miss those services for the next couple of weeks, but we wish Beryl some well-earned rest and relaxation.
This Sunday, why not try out an online service from somewhere else in our Region or anywhere in Canada? With churches still closed across the country, there are a slew of virtual services to choose from.
Wyman United in Hudson and three other United churches are sharing worship over Zoom for the rest of the summer. This week’s service features Rev. Mark Hammond of Montreal West United and can be joined using this link: https://zoom.us/j/4939842064. You shouldn’t need a password but if asked for one it is 458.
Laurentian Area Ministries are also offering Zoom services every week in French (10:00) and English (10:30). Find out more on their page here.
St. James United in downtown Montreal streams live on Facebook Sunday at 11am.
Or,
Go to this interactive map from Nakonha:ka Regional Council for other suggestions.
Wherever you’re spending these dog days, I hope you get a chance to, as the prophet Nat King Cole sang:
Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer
Those days of soda and pretzels and beer
Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer
Dust off the sun and moon and sing a song of cheer!
Amy
Community news
Having heard that there were cases of Covid-19 at the Champlain Hospital, Pastor Beryl had been trying for some time to get in touch with Pamela, our inside ministry liaison there. Beryl finally heard from her last week and was sorry to learn that Pamela had herself been ill with the coronavirus but is finally feeling stronger. Pamela also reported that Phyllis and Anne had been infected but were both now in a “green” or recovery zone. Pamela is anxious to see SouthWest folk again.
Lil Jones reports that there are only two Covid cases remaining at the Floralies LaSalle, after reaching a height of 96! Lil herself has remained well – just bored and in need of a haircut, she says. The Floralies is allowing family caregivers in, and is now allowing residents to go outside and meet visitors as long as social distancing is maintained.
I called Shirley Robinson to find out how things were going at the Cavalier LaSalle, and was sorry to learn that she is back in hospital! The wound from her heart surgery became infected so she is back getting pumped full of antibiotics and will have to undergo a second surgery. Typical Shirley, when the plastic surgeon came by to discuss the procedure, she asked him if he could throw in a free facelift while he was at it. We love you Shirley and we pray for a swift end to all your troubles.
This week I also spoke to Doris Smith, who has been pretty much confined to her apartment since March. Luckily, given the last week, she has an air conditioner. She also has a son and daughter-in-law who live downstairs, so they have done all her errands for her. She says she misses SouthWest and is eager to be back at church.
Amy
When will we be back at church?
As you have surely heard, the Quebec government said that places of worship could open as of June 22nd. The United Church of Canada and Nakonha:ka Regional Council are advising caution. If you are interested in knowing more, below are links to the most recent Nakonha:ka newsletter, and to the Regional Council website with many resources addressing the reopening of United churches.
If we were to go back now, our services would be very different than what we are used to. Family members who live together may sit together, but everyone else must keep a distance of 6 feet: no hand shaking and certainly no hugging! Instrumental music and one singer would be allowed, but no group hymn singing. The church hall would be off limits except to use the bathroom, and that means no coffee time after the service.
We are all anxious to go back but are hoping if we wait, some of these restrictions can be lifted so that we can experience a worship service that’s more like what we’re used to.
Ladies in hats
UPDATE: Dennis Brown writes: “We had a tradition for several years to have a men's choir on Mother's day and then a ladies choir on Father's day. The hats were just a prop. This was a Sunday morning rehearsal.” Also, I would add Ann T. to the list of names below. She is the third lady from the right. The lady in the red blouse is Betty W. I still can’t place the lady behind Myrtle and in front of Rev. David, or the lady on the very right next to David L. Anyone?
An additional note: very soon after this was taken, David L left his post as music director. That August, Sarah F. was asked to “fill in” for six weeks. I guess she didn’t mind the gig because she’s still with us!
ORIGINAL POST:
These photos are dated 2006. I recognize a lot of faces but wonder exactly what the occasion is. David Lyttle is there and people seem to be holding music books, but I don’t think this is the choir because there are no men! Is it the UCW? I see Shirley, Linda, Phyllis, Betty, Iris, Myrtle, Lil, Sandra, Shirley, Dorothy, Shirley, Donna, and a few more I don’t recognize. What, only three Shirleys??
Great hats, everyone!
Familiar Faces
Love the boots, Percy!
This week I finally got to drop in on Katherine B. and her son Percy to see how they are getting along.
Katherine, who was working at home before this crisis began, says things haven’t changed that much for her family, although Percy has not been going to daycare so I’m sure that makes working a bit more challenging.
Katherine works for a small company called Dovecot Studio, which specializes in “boutique information architecture”. I’m not going to pretend to fully understand what they do, but it has to do with ordering information - on websites but also in other settings - to make it easier for users to find what they’re looking for. Katherine’s specialty is taxonomies, which means grouping things. As it says on the Dovecot website,
A visitor brought a hand-me-down toy that Katherine says he played with for hours:)
“we’re excited to help you detangle the mess and create some order.”
Familiar Faces
Ethel
I have spoken to all of these ladies in recent weeks, but unfortunately have not been able to see them in person. Sisters Phyllis and Ethel have not been able to visit each other for two months, and that is very hard. I thought I would share these pics of them with Lil J. from last year’s St-Jean barbecue as a reminder of happier days, and a vision of happier days to come.
We have also learned that Shirley Robinson was taken to hospital earlier this week. This was taken a few weeks back outside her apartment. Wishing you a speedy recovery, Shirley!
Phyllis
Lil, Ethel.
Shirley
Pandemic Pastimes
Dennis Brown sent along a series of photos from the last weeks that reflect his and Dorothy’s isolation experience. These are his captions for them.
1) Masked grandson delivering groceries
2) - Jigsaw puzzle of Locomotives (a difficult one)
3) Building a kit Locomotive.
4) Camera set up to take Macro images
5) - The picture Lady
6) The new Mother’s Day visit.
