Hello Bread of Life Family;
It has been a while since we shared an update from the council. With Pastor Stewart away this week I saw an opportunity to share with you a few updates that have been happening even during the COVID-19 time we find ourselves in. Council remains connected with our monthly meetings and I have to say that the level of engagement, thoughtfulness and passion each member brings to the meetings is humbling. It is a blessing to have such a committed group of people sharing a common vision to continue to do all we can to ensure we are staying present and relevant in the lives of our Bread of Life family. We have certainly taken the church experience to a whole new level and I don’t think we would have ever imagined the way that church is happening. It has week over week proven that church is all around us. Each and every one of us is delivering the message and the love of Christ as we interact with our families and our communities. The most tangible difference is Sunday morning and the experience that has evolved into. It was not in the call process when we first started down the path with Pastor Stewart. I am certain that the vision of our community and the mission of Bread of Life were discussed with him. The Reconciling In Christ designation and our history were pieces that were all likely well discussed. Also likely are that the new Pastor’s responsibilities of delivering Sunday worship via a webcam, laptop and a microphone were missed somewhere along the way. I am happy to say that he jumped in with both feet and embraced it. For one I have been so impressed week over week with the level of commitment he has shown to ensuring that our Bread of Life family are hearing the word of God and knowing that they are still connected. I cannot thank him enough for embracing it and setting a very high bar for other congregations to follow. Cheryl has continued to keep the day to day activities of our church moving smoothly along in the background. She has been that assuring voice on the end of the phone for people calling or responding to emails for questions on how people can still support Bread of Life and the family of Bread of Life. She has mastered also remote working with the assistance of Kelly Vall and for that we are grateful. Doug Hird has embraced the challenge of enrolling Bread of Life for the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy benefit program to help offset some of the impacts we have seen to our giving. For this we are grateful for his patience as he works through the government regulations. The council has had a number of discussions on what church will look like once we moved deeper into the Re-open Saskatchewan Plan. These discussions have been heartfelt and deeply thoughtful on the way that we can ensure the safety and health of all of our family. In partnership with the Living Spirit Council and our partners discussions continue. If I was to give you a visual representation of the discussion, I would say it is most like a very large set of Russian nesting dolls. When one question is asked another one and another one and yet another one present themselves. Some of the key questions outstanding are these;
- How do you determine which people can come in up to the maximum permitted?
- How do you arrange seating in the sanctuary to meet distancing rules?
- With a lack of being able to sing what will that look like?
- With a lack of being able to serve Communion, what will that look like?
- Dedicated entrances and exits, does this mean walking around the building after service to get back to your vehicle?
- No socializing in the Narthex after service.
- Continuous cleaning of public washrooms and the sanctuary space.
These are just a few of the things that would change as we ease back in. We sadly are still very early in this experience and very much trying to make the wisest decisions possible to keep each and every one of you safe and healthy. As we move further down the path we are committed to ensure that we are communicating with you and listening to you. We want to listen to your suggestions and your concerns. Until them I want to say thank you all for all you have done to be that face of Christ in our communities.
Respectfully and humbly
Brent Langenberger
Council Chair
