Calendar

 

Special Notices

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21 August 2020

More Details on Re-opening of LMC for In-Person Worship 
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Starting on August 30, we will open the church building for worship on Sunday mornings. The service will be live streamed over YouTube, so if you attend, you may be recorded.
 No one should feel pressured to attend. We will continue to offer all of the other options which we have developed during the COVID-19 pandemic with some changes for those who join on Zoom (see below).
 The service will begin at 10:00am, but please arrive by 9:45 as there are some safety protocols which will take a few minutes. You will need to wear a mask. If you forget your mask, there will be disposable masks on sale for $1.00, and cloth masks for $5.00.
 We will follow the usual order of service with a few changes:
·        We will project the Moments for Children on the screen and children will stay seated with their parents.
·        We will listen to music, rather than having congregational singing.
·        We will not have a live Sharing Time. If you have a prayer or praise item, please let Pastor Nancy know by email, or phone, or if you are there in-person, you may tell her before the service starts.
·        The service length will be 50-55 minutes.
·        You will be dismissed row by row at the end of the service.
·        There will not be fellowship time after the service. You may visit in the parking lot if you wish.
·        There will not be a Sunday School hour or coffee served.
 When in the building, we ask you to maintain a 2 metre distance from those outside your social bubble. Seating will be marked to maintain distance in the sanctuary. Washrooms will be available, but only one person will be allowed in at a time. Doors will be propped open, please call out as you enter.
 For those who usually join on Zoom, you will now view the service live-streamed over YouTube. After the service ends, Nancy will continue to lead a Fellowship Time (using breakout rooms) over Zoom from 11:15-11:45am. You may join Zoom at that time. The link is in your emailed out bulletin.
 Christian formation for children and youth will begin on September 20. There will not be a Sunday morning option for adults, during the next few months; however, there will be opportunities for adult study during the week, either in the church building or over Zoom. Details in September.

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29 July 2020

Tentative Re-Opening Plans
 
Council Executive met via ZOOM on Wed, July 22 to further discuss the document that was created in the spring when we decided to curtail our services.  It was amended to reflect the Covid 19 Response to Stage 3 requirements.  With further discussion at the meeting, it was amended further and was presented at the Council Meeting held Wednesday July 29th.
 
After much discussion and a few further revisions, it was decided that the church would re-open for Worship Services beginning Sunday, August 30th.   These elements will probably be required for all services in the foreseeable future. Council hopes that the congregation should feel free to attend worship services if they feel comfortable with the precautions taken, but members should not feel compelled to attend if they have misgivings or concerns. It is for this reason that council has recommended that we continue to provide access to the service via Zoom to allow people to participate from home. 

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14 June 2020

Note from LMC Leadership regarding Re-Opening of LMC:

On Thursday June 11, 2020 Council Executive met to discuss the path LMC needs to follow in order to have worship services in our church building during the Covid-19 pandemic. We asked for God’s blessing and guidance as we entered the meeting so that we could glorify God’s name but, at the same time, protect the health of our members. The executive considered information offered by MCEC as well as from leaders of other denominations.   We also considered input from Dr. Klaasen, MOH (Perth) who met with the North Perth Ministerial. When all factors were considered we understood there is much to do to prepare for services in the church building, more than we had realized. Furthermore, many aspects of our Sunday worship would still be curtailed, including congregational singing, Sunday School and fellowship. It was agreed that our current format is working, giving people meaningful worship experiences in safe environments. The decision was made to defer meeting for worship in the church building until the beginning of September when we hope some of the restrictions we currently face will be eased.  We ask for your continued prayers and understanding as we move forward. If you have questions or counsel, please speak with a member of the Executive (Glenn Buck, Mark Nolan, Peggy Bauman, Dorothy Edgar, Pastor Nancy Frey).
~  Glenn Buck, for LMC Council Executive

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15 March 2020

Note from the LMC leadership to the congregation re: COVID-19

​In times of crisis, the first question we should ask ourselves is "What would Jesus do?" How can we carry our Christ light into the situation before us? The answer is not always obvious, but remembering to love our neighbours as ourselves and to live in hope and trust rather than fear are good places to begin.
I would like to share the following story:
In the summer  of 1665 in England the bubonic plague was killing tens of thousands of people. In the village Eyam, the plague began to spread, along with fear, from house to house. Many people packed up their belongings to flee. Two church leaders, William Mompesson and Thomas Stanley, challenged the villagers to rethink their decision to run. They reminded the villagers that if they fled to other parts of the country, they would carry the Black Death with them. Mompesson and Stanley quoted John 15:13: "No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends." They asked the villagers to put their Christian faith into action, accepting death themselves so that others might live. The people of Eyam decided to accept a voluntary quarantine. All 350 members of the village agreed to do what they could to protect neighboring villages from the plague by allowing no one to come into or leave the village until the plague had run its course. The Eyam quarantine lasted for five months. When the plague had finally run its course, 260 people (or 75 % of the village) had died, but the quarantine had accomplished its intended purpose. The plague did not spread to any neighboring communities.

What is our Christian duty in light of the COVID-19 pandemic? I would suggest that it is to prevent the spread of the virus and the overtaxing of our health care system by willingly isolating ourselves for a time.

After thoughtfully considering information available from the Huron-Perth Public Health unit as well as listening to what other churches and institutions have decided to do, and following our discussion after church this Sunday morning (along with input from the many people who emailed their thoughts), the leadership of LMC has decided to cancel all events held at Listowel Mennonite Church including Sunday morning worship for the next two weeks, from March 16 to March 30. After that date, we will determine on a week by week basis whether to re-open or continue cancellations.
Nancy and Danielle, along with the help of various tech-savvy people, will work to provide a worship service each Sunday that can be accessed via telephone or computer. We encourage families to worship together from home; as well, those living in community settings could meet together in groups to worship. If you wish to make an offering donation, Mark Nolan requests that you send an e-transfer to  treasurerlmc@cyg.net .
Helping out your neighbours by getting groceries or calling people who live alone are ways that we can show the love of Christ to those around us. We serve an awesome God and we have a living hope in Christ Jesus. Let us cling to this sure steadfast anchor of the soul (Heb. 6:19) and encourage others to find refuge in God, our sure and present help in times of trouble (Ps 46).
 
Listowel Mennonite Church Leadership Team     

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Memo to Listowel Mennonite Church Congregation
 
Re: Public Health Precautions
March 13 2020
 
As most of us are well aware, the world is currently experiencing the widespread outbreak of a new Coronavirus being called “Covid-19”.  Cases continue to be identified in Canada as well, and health experts suspect that at some point there will be instances of local transmission in some of our communities. 
 
The virus itself is not especially severe, presenting in most cases like common influenza.  Many people who are infected recover just fine at home and may not even know they have Covid-19.  As with any viral infection, however, there is more significant risk for the elderly and those with other conditions and weakened immune systems.  A small percentage of cases have resulted in deaths, including here in Canada.
 
While the current risk in our community remains low, this is the time to begin taking reasonable precautions.  We want to safeguard the health of those who worship here, but we also have a responsibility to help mitigate the stress on the medical system that will occur if Covid-19 begins to spread in our area.  The staff at Listowel Mennonite Church have designed some practices and contingency plans to keep us safe as we worship.
 
The following are some important reminders and adjustments to our patterns that we can put in place right away:

• The most important thing is to stay home if you are sick.  Coughing, sneezing, runny nose or fever are all symptoms that we shouldn’t bring to church.  If you have been travelling out of country, please take note of the risk and be responsible upon your return.  Sermons are posted to the LMC website early in the week following as a way to keep connected with our worship (http://www.lmchurch.ca/resources.html).
• The other important precaution is to clean hands regularly.  Soap and water is great, as is hand sanitizer.  Sanitizer will be available around the church building. Ushers who pass out bulletins will clean their hands regularly.  We will also be paying particular attention in cleaning doorknobs, railings and other high-contact areas.
• When we do gather, we want to limit the amount of physical contact we have with other people.  This virus is not airborne, but transmits through touch and bodily fluids. Let’s try to find other friendly ways of greeting people besides shaking hands.
• Some of our worship rituals involve direct contact with each other or with common elements.  We will be adjusting some of our communion protocols on Palm Sunday, for instance, to minimize shared contact.  Given the present circumstances, however, it has been decided not to share in a footwashing/handwashing ritual during Lent this year. 

 
Beyond these immediate precautions, we will continue to monitor the situation and wait for further directives from officials should local transmission of Covid-19 develop in our community.  Should more extreme measures be required at that point, such as cancelling planned gatherings or meals, we will respond appropriately.
 
We also invite the congregation to pray, particularly for communities around the world where the virus has spread quickly and life has been severely disrupted.  We also pray for those who are grieving the loss of loved ones from Covid-19 and those working hard at containment, mitigation and treatment of the virus.
 
With confidence in the love and care of God,
LMC Leadership Team