Resurrection Lutheran Church of Orleans
1325 Gaultois Avenue K1C 6G5 Orleans, ON, Canada

This week's readings for the 'Living our Faith' Bible Book Club are: January 31 Eccles 12:914 In February we read from the book of Jeremiah: February 1 Jer 1:13 February 2 Jer 1:44:4 ... February 3 Jer 4:57:15 February 4 Jer 7:169:16 February 5 Jer 9:1711:17 February 6 Jer 11:1813:11 See more

Here is January 24th's snapshot of how we continue to gather virtually for mediated worship as a way of loving, serving, caring for, and protecting our neighbours.

Winterlude (Feb. 5 to 21) is going virtual this year! On the plus side, you won't need to visit the capital to experience it. A perennial favourite, the ice sculpting competition will take place across 7 Canadian cities and everyone can vote for their top three picks. Check out the virtual shows and national museum tours that will be available on the official Winterlude website (link within article).

Here is the link to the Lutheran World Federation's survey. The questionnaire seeks participation from all member churches in preparation for the next Assembly to be held in Krakow, Poland. The goal of the process, entitled ‘We believe in the Holy Spirit’, is to listen for ways in which we express our shared Lutheran identity in a harmony of lived, contextual identities across our communion. Please note: contributions from individuals and churches will remain anonymous.

Citizens for Public Justice (CPJ) has made Living Justice: A Gospel Response To Poverty available as a free download through CPJ.CA! Living Justice, an Ecumenical Worship and Action Guide on Poverty and Justice in Canada, was co-edited by Karri Munn-Venn and Rev. Adam Snook.

"How does your Lutheran faith inform your life and your work? How do your beliefs shape family and community relationships? What does it mean to be Lutheran in your particular national and cultural context? Those questions are at the heart of a new survey that is being sent this week to member churches of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) as the next step of an ongoing study process on contemporary Lutheran identity." Your input is important. Please take a moment to review the article; a direct link to the survey will be posted tomorrow.

Lutheran youth are at work for our community! The confirmation class has organized a 'Mitten Tree'. Donations of toques, mittens, gloves, scarves, and even socks would be greatly appreciated. These items can be handmade or purchased and will be forwarded to local organizations for distribution. Items can be dropped off at RLC at 1325 Gaultois Ave. in Orléans on Monday, December 7th from 10 am until noon. Alternatively, if you would like to view the actual 'tree', Pastor Joel and the confirmands will hold a drive by drop off at St. Peter's (400 Sparks St.) on Sunday, December 6th at the front door 12 noon to 5pm.

Events for the YAs (Young Adults) in our midst.

End gender-based violence. "The call comes in a message from LWF General Secretary Rev. Dr Martin Junge to mark the start of the annual 16 Days of Activism to End Gender-Based Violence campaign. The global campaign runs from 25 November, the UN’s international day for the elimination of violence against women, to 10 December, celebrated each year as Human Rights Day."

These statistics come from Barna Group who partnered with Stadia to produce the State of the Digital Church Series.

Resurrection is holding Sunday Worship at 10:00 am on Zoom along with St. Peter's and St. John. Please contact the office prior to Sunday morning if you would like to join in with us. Already joining in? You can continue to use the same link and password each Sunday morning unless otherwise notified. You are also welcome to check out our additional online resources. Note: they are organized by region, so more than one time option is available for live streaming.

Thank you to Dom for the second installment in our confirmands' reformation video series.

Today we remember and honour those who have given their lives in service to our country. We invite you to add your own memory or picture in the comments below. Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD 1872 (Guelph, Ontario) - 1918 (Boulogne, France)

Copies of CLWR's 2020 Gifts from the Heart catalogue is now available in the church office. Leave a comment below if you need a hard copy, or view online.

How have your pastoral needs changed since April 2020? Barna polled Protestant church leaders on their congregants well being at the beginning of the pandemic, and again in August.

I thought that perhaps you might need to hear the words of The Keep Going Song. I know that I did.

We continue to work together to keep our churches safe.

Our piano is undergoing an upgrade. Doug Brierley is hard at work replacing the hammers on our 1928 Heintzman which was a gift from a longtime member.

Wednesday is Remembrance Day, when we honour those who fought for our country. We encourage you to add your own pictures and memories to our Wednesday post.

It's time for Canada Lutheran Magazine subscriptions. 8 issues per year for just $19.30 (taxes in). Deadline to order through RLC is November 18th.

Well, Thanksgiving sure looked a little different for some of us this year. But we need to do our part to rein in this virus again. So here are the latest reminders on what is and isn't allowed in Ottawa right now.

Members from two southwestern Ontario churches have lost their spiritual homes.

You can keep up to date with our National Church by subscribing to the weekly newsletter.

We missed posting this last week, but felt it couldn't be overlooked. Ben, Rebecca and Hank reverse trick or treating.

St. Peter's has a pic included in last week's collection of snapshots.

Today and every day.

Pastor Joel's Thanksgiving message.

Wishing all of you a safe and happy Thanksgiving. Whether you are connecting with your family and friends virtually or keeping them in your hearts, we can all take a moment to give thanks for our many blessings, even in this stressful time. We are thankful that we are able to worship online in order to keep the most vulnerable in our faith family safe. And we are looking forward to when we can all meet together again. Photo credit: Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash

Congratulations to the Martin Luther University College Fall 2020 grads!

Keeping our neighbours to the south in our prayers as they still await the results of their election. May the people find a way to come together for the good of their communities, regardless of the outcome.

How can "we set aside time from the challenging aspects of life in a pandemic, to make space for calming our hearts and minds and recovering our sense of gratitude."

The latest gift from Donamae for the sake of others.

Finding the meaning of thanksgiving.

Still lots of fall colour in our gardens, but the trees have been putting on a show.

"Our Ministry Together is a series of twelve short videos intended to highlight and celebrate areas of our common mission across the Eastern Synod. Each month we will spend time hearing from, seeing, and learning about our synodical ministries, many of which are funded through congregational benevolence."

CLWR is making important changes to the We Care program. "The need experienced by our global partners has never been greater or more urgent, and the COVID-19 pandemic is disproportionately affecting those who already face hunger and poverty, with millions more being pushed into extreme poverty. In this context, particularly with ongoing restrictions, it is clear to our Board, staff, and the leaders of our supporting churches, that shipping supplies from Canada is no longer an effective nor a responsible way for us to respond."