February 2022

Looking toward Lent and Easter | In-person worship

Coordinating Minister's Report | Maggie Enwright, Coordinating Minister

• Proposals will be coming from Worship Committee and from our Covid protocols group regarding resuming in-person activities. Youth groups, choirs, and Third Place participants are all keen to be meeting together again. Some of the challenges involved will be decisions/mechanics about checking vaccine passports (or not), and the necessity to have enough greeters and coordinators to provide welcome and guidance on Sunday mornings. There is a plan for Ash Wednesday, March 2, to provide individual booking of times for prayer and imposition of ashes, and then an evening service at 5:15 pm (protocols allowing).

Arts Committee | Heather Swallow, Chair

• Kathleen and Bella Harned/CYF have arranged for a February 25 Trivia night – thanks to Bella for all the work in putting it together. Remember to sign up!
• Several Arts members were able to attend Creative minds. Plans are in play for Lent and Easter in accordance with ministerial staff vision
• We are hoping Arts events will be able to take place in person soon, including the postponed coffeehouse and Arts on the Lawn on Wednesdays from July through Augus

Children Youth and Family Committee | Irene Griffiths, Chair

• Faith at Home kits for Lent, Holy Week and Easter (including maple syrup for the Zoom Mardi Gras celebration), will be delivered in the coming week.   The theme is “Beyond.”
• An intergenerational Trivia Night, hosted by Bella Harned and jointly sponsored by CYF and Arts, takes place online this Friday, February 25 from 6:30-7:30. All are welcome.  Find the link in the weekly newsletter, or contact Bella Harned at cyfcoordinator@pacificspirituc.com
• The Mardi Gras Pancake supper will take place online again this year.  All are invited to participate on Tuesday, March 1st from 6:00-6:30 on Zoom, with or without pancakes.  Find the link in the weekly newsletter, or contact Bella Harned at cyfcoordinator@pacificspirituc.com 

Finance Committee | Julie Poznanski, Chair

• No takeaways for the congregation for this month.

In-Reach Committee | Sally Ball, Chair

• No meeting and no report for this month.

Outreach Committee | Patricia Alexis, Chair

• March 13 is PIE day. (Public Intentional Explicit) There will be an Affirm service led by Pam Rocker.
• Play “Little Red Warrior and His Lawyer” is playing at the Cultch.
• PSUC used to belong as one of the churches in the “Seniors Working Group” which is folding. Thus PSUC has the opportunity to join WSH as an independent member. It would need a representative to attend quarterly meetings.

Ministry and Personnel Committee | Jacqueline Kelly, Chair

• Pacific Mountain Region is developing an online course, M&P 101 to provide training on the roles and responsibilities of Ministry & Personnel Committees. the M&P committees at several churches, including Pacific Spirit, have been asked if they would take the course and provide feedback to the REgion before the course is rolled out more broadly. Several members of M&P (and the coordinating Minister) have taken the course (or have plans to do so) this month.

Property Development | Gordon Esau, Chair

• No report for this month.

Property Oversight Committee | Mark Mikulec, Chair

• No report for this month

Spiritual Nurture Committee | Chris Epting, Chair

• Lenten Study called Lesser Evils will start March 2^nd.  Contact Johnathon at the office if you are interested in a copy of the Lenten book.
• Grief Workshop based on the book “The Wild Edge of the Sorrow” will be offered starting towards the end of June.  Watch for announcements.
• A New Climate for Christology: Kenosis, Climate Change, and Befriending Nature by Sallie McFague.  This book study will be led by Janey Cawley during Eastertide. Watch for upcoming announcement.

Trustees | Doug Smart, Chair

• Trustees are reviewing and amending the protocols for returning to in-person worship and gatherings.

Worship Committee | Merrilee Thompson, Chair

Creative Minds – Planning for Lent 

• Twenty six people met via Zoom to brainstorm ideas for Lenten Worship. People responded to three questions: What does Lent mean to you? What’s important for you to have present to feel like it's Lent?  How might Lenten worship be focussed around a theme or overarching idea?
• While Creative Minds creates opportunities for community building and spiritual nurture. Some committees send representatives and this helps worship connect to other areas of ministry. However, all congregants are invited to attend whenever Creative Minds is held.

Reconciliation

• The committee struggles with how worship services might serve the cause of reconciliation. We wonder if the land acknowledgement is sufficient. We plan to invite someone from the Outreach committee to and meet with us to brainstorm how we might address Reconciliation in worship services in ways that are authentic and honouring. 

In-person worship? 

• The worship committee is proposing a return to in-person services as of March 6, the first Sunday of Lent with the worship protocols we used in the fall reinstated and (hopefully) gradually loosened as the Covid situation improves. The issue has been referred to Council for a decision. Easter Sunday may be a ticketed event as was the plan for Christmas Eve.