“We tend to think, especially those of us who identify as liberal Christians, that newer is better…But that’s not what Jesus’ message is here this morning.”
An Angry Jesus
“We’re being invited to get constructively angry about practices within our community that are unjust.”
image: Alexander Smirnov (1947-), The Cleansing of the Temple
Let Me Be Your Servant
“Service has a special quality when it happens. We can feel it, can’t we?”
Centre 454 Update
| By Lorraine Tell, Centre 454 Liaison Greetings to our church family from our friends and colleagues at Centre 454. This is an update for our church family about what is new and what is needed in Centre 454. The pandemic continues to have an impact on Centre 454 in visible and less visible ways. One of the more visible ones are the restrictions in how many participants are able to be inside the centre due to the need for social spacing – this results in large groups of participants spending time in the courtyard area as they wait to enter the program and to eat the meals that are provided. The use of the sanctuary space for respite sleeping space is another visible aspect of the pandemic impact – this space is in high demand and very much appreciated by everyone who comes up to use it. From first hand experience, it is remarkable how quickly the participants fall asleep and how soundly they are able to rest in our space – I think that the Holy Spirit is at work as our neighbours seek rest and refuge here. Perhaps less visible to us is the impact of the pandemic on staffing – our staff is exhausted from the hard work of being on the front lines and we are having challenges recruiting and keeping staff. With staff shortages, there have been challenges with keeping the program open 7 days/week and/or with offering our expanded programs like the respite space. Please pray for our staff who are the foundation of the care and programs that are offered at Centre 454. Pray for resilience, for safety and for them to find joy amidst the challenges. Practical ways that we can help this month are as follows: |
- The weather is cold and wet and there many people waiting in our courtyard every day. Please consider donating a rain poncho (Dollarama has them for $3) or an umbrella that can be given out to participants.
- The centre provides essential clothing items such as socks and underwear every day – if you could make a financial donation via the website www.centre454.ca to offset the cost of these items OR if you have new items that you are able to donate, new items are always well received.
- Donated items can be brought to St. Albans / St-Bernard and placed in the donation bin located in the hallway in the front entrance of the church.