Congregational Email
Jan. 22, 2021
Dear Congregants,
I was part of a national info-session for clergy with our Chief Medical Officer Dr. Tam on Jan. 20. She acknowledged the important role that communities of faith play in helping our communities through this pandemic. She asked for our help in disseminating government facts about COVID and the vaccination program. Dr. Tam noted that those who receive their news primarily through social media have been found to be more doubtful about the safety and efficacy of the vaccine. She assured us of the rigorous testing of the vaccines.
No steps have been skipped in the vaccine approval process. What allowed the vaccines to be approved in record speed was that some steps were done simultaneously, rather than waiting for results to come in before moving to the next step. Also, data was analyzed as it came in, rather than waiting for all data before proceeding to its analysis. Lastly, investment in the manufacturing of vaccines was made during the testing, instead of waiting for the final results of the tests.
There are some populations who were not involved in the clinical trials and it is not recommended that they be vaccinated: children under 12, pregnant women and those with suppressed immune systems. For the rest of the population, the vaccines are considered safe. Common side-effects are moderate and short-lived, including pain at the site of injection, fever, tiredness, and swollen lymph nodes. As of Jan. 8, 338,423 doses have been administered and there have been only 24 adverse events, 10 of which were serious (.003%). Not all adverse events are related to the vaccine. Those in personal care homes have many medical conditions, so there are more likely to be other unrelated medical events. All adverse events are followed up with a causality assessment.
Dr. Tam noted that Canada has purchased enough vaccines to ensure that every Canadian can be be vaccinated by the end of this year, if they so choose. The federal government’s recommendation of the stages of the vaccination are as follows. Provinces and territories will decide how to enact them.
Stage 1: priority populations immediately
- residents & staff at shared living settings that provide care for seniors
- those 70 years of age & older, beginning with those 80 & over, then decreasing age limit by 5-year increments
- health care workers & personal support workers
- adults in Indigenous communities.
Stage 2: as more vaccines become available in April
- health care workers not included in initial roll-out
- residents & staff of other shared living settings (e.g. quarters for migrant workers, correctional facilities, homeless shelters)
- Essential workers—food, transportation, etc.
Stage 3: immunization of general population in summer
Dr. Tam noted that it is unknown if those who are vaccinated can still transmit COVID to others. For this reason, she encouraged those who have been vaccinated to still wear masks and maintain physical distance. She stressed that now is NOT the time to resume in-person gatherings.
The following link to a toolkit of resources provides much more detailed information about COVID and the vaccines:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OYBxF0sgXdQBFDmOe0AN8v2HivNB0Fco/view
Dr. Tam asked those of us in faith communities to help reduce fear and counter misinformation by being ambassadors of information from reliable sources. She also encouraged us to continue offering social and spiritual support for one another and especially for those isolated or struggling with mental health. It takes all of us to offer this crucial ministry to one another and to the wider community. It is particularly important to let those who can help to know about needs that arise.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me if you or someone else you know might appreciate extra support. If I can’t address the need, I can find the appropriate people who will be able to help. Now is not the time to tough it out silently. There is support available.
Blessings of healing and hope,
Loraine
Condolences
Our condolences to Don & Jane E. on the passing of Jane’s brother Edward B. from Biggar Sask. passed away on Jan. 14, 2021. We also extend our sympathy to Pat & Tim S. on the passing of Pat’s step-mother. As well, we extend condolences to Connie & Ken G. on the passing of Connie’s mother-in-law on Jan. 19.
Estate Planning Workshops
A series of 3 workshops on Estate Planning will be held on Wednesday, 7:00-8:30 pm February 3rd, February 10th and February 17th. The workshops will be held on Zoom and include informative presentations as well as question and answer sessions. Presenters include retired lawyer Eleanor W., Philanthropic Consultant and Retired United Church Minister Norm V. and Rev. Loraine McKenzie Shepherd.
Topics to be covered include Legal Aspects of Wills, Powers of Attorney and Health Care Directives, Organizing for Death, Charitable Giving as part of Estate Planning and the role of the Church in planning funerals—what the Church can do and what Funeral homes must do. Full details are on the Westworth Website, www.westworth.ca
To register please send an email with “Estate Planning” in the subject line to office@westworth.ca . Please include your name and phone number. You will be sent a Zoom link closer to the workshops.
Thriving Churches: Urban and Rural Successes, written by Loraine MacKenzie Shepherd and Tammy A. about their sabbaticals to thriving United Churches in 2019, has just been released by United Church Publishing House. It features Westworth in a few places. While Loraine visited urban churches across Canada, Tammy visited rural churches on the prairies. Together they wrote up their findings for this book. They also contacted all of the churches they visited in the spring of 2020 to see how the churches were doing during COVID lockdown and gained further insights into how they continued to thrive. Loraine also added a chapter comparing the attributes of intercultural churches with thriving churches. Proceeds from the book go to the Mission & Service Endowment Fund of The United Church of Canada Foundation. Tammy & Loraine are leading a 3-session webinar on the book Jan. 27, Feb 3 & 10 from 6:00-7:30 pm. To register, please click on the following link: https://www.united-in-learning.com/index.php/webinars/370-thriving-churches-during-covid-and-beyond
Heather’s Retirement
As many in the congregation are aware, our Office Administrator, Heather L. is retiring at the end of January after 14 years at Westworth. As Heather’s time with us is drawing to a close, the Ministry and Personnel Committee would like to thank Heather for her years of service and dedication to Westworth. Heather, we thank you for everything you’ve done over the years to keep things running smoothly and for all your service to families, congregants, renters, volunteers and your fellow staff members. We wish you and Warren a happy retirement and good health to enjoy it.
As we are not able to gather as we normally would at a time like this, the M&P Committee encourages the congregation to tune in to this Sunday’s service for some spoken and musical messages of goodbye and thanks to Heather.
Heather’s last day in the office will be Friday, January 29th.
Welcome to our new Office Administrator
The Ministry and Personnel Committee is also pleased to announce that our new Office Administrator is Tammy E. Tammy brings to Westworth a wealth of administrative experience and she is looking forward to putting that experience to work for Westworth in support of our work within the congregation and in the broader community. Tammy started working with Heather this week in order to become familiar with the office and Westworth’s operations ahead of Heather’s retirement. Welcome to the team Tammy, we’re very pleased to have you with us.
Sunday School News
This week’s Sunday school lesson on The Lord’s Prayer has been sent by e-mail, it includes all the age groups from N/K to G5/6, with the activity sheets. If you need a printed copy of the curriculum, please let me know at churchschool@westworth.ca.
The Sunday school teachers will be on Zoom this Sunday from 10.15am-10.40am to chat with you. Then join the online service with Loraine following Zoom Sunday school for Time with the Children
This week’s bible story is read by Julia, and The Lord’s Prayer is read by Danielle, your Sunday school teachers are on the Westworth Face Book page for you to view, there is also a link in the CE drop down menu on our web site.
There is also a video of visual only instructions on how to make an ORIGAMI dove
Zoom Sunday school Information:
Zoom Meeting is 743 937 1522
Pass code 042976
Maggie
Happy New Year from your Community Care Team.
Did you know that Nancy W., on behalf of Westworth’s Community Care team has sent out 171 cards and notes this year? That’s an average of one card every two days! While some were cards related to bereavements and illness, approximately 40% were cards of support for those experiencing the loneliness of lockdown restrictions. Thank-you Nancy for your generous gift of written encouragement in these challenging times.
Our team challenges all members of Westworth to take the time to write a note of thanks or encouragement to someone this coming week. It can be via Canada Post, email or text. Everyone appreciates an unexpected greeting in the month of January.
Spread Westworth’s care today!
New Members
Are you a member of Westworth? Some of you may think that you are, but if you haven’t formally joined, you may not be able to vote on certain matters or hold particular positions. You can check with the office to find out your membership status. At the upcoming Annual General Meeting, we will be receiving the resignation of a Trustee and electing a new one. Only full members of Westworth are eligible to vote. If you would like to formally become a member of Westworth, we will be having another virtual new member celebration during our worship service in a few weeks. Please let Loraine know by Feb. 1 if you are interested in joining with two others in a membership service.
Lenten Study
This Lent, which begins with Ash Wednesday on Feb. 17, we will be having another small group Lenten Study, similar to last year. We hope to have a few small groups who will read reflectively through the Gospel of Mark, which is the primary gospel we will follow during this year’s lectionary readings. The purpose of this study is to help you become more familiar with another gospel, consider reflective questions that help you in your personal spiritual journey, and get to know a few other people at Westworth. We anticipate that we will be forming virtual groups through Zoom this year. Please let Loraine know of your interest as soon as possible so that the office can prepare the workbooks for each of you. If you are able to contribute $10 for the cost of the workbook, that would be appreciated, but not necessary.
4th Annual Québec Mosque Shooting Commemoration
Online January 29, 5:30-6:00 pm. Register by emailing info@spcw.mb.ca and requesting a zoom link.
Outreach
- West Broadway Community Ministry:
Lunches and Pantry: Thank you to all of you who have given so generously to the Lunch and the Pantry programs at WBCM. Please remember that donations continue to be needed – particularly to the Pantry. Please make your cheque payable to Westworth United Church with WB Lunch or WB Pantry in the memo line.
- 1JustCity “Just a Warm Sleep” 2021: This winter, with your help, Just a Warm Sleep will be a haven for those in need. The need is perhaps the greatest our city has ever faced.
We’ve expanded our hours as so many of our guests have even fewer options to stay warm. We’ll now offer 12 hours of safety and warmth overnight (instead of 10), open from 8pm to 8am. We’ll also offer a meal at intake thanks to our partnerships with TransCanada Brewery and Fionn’s MacCools.
You’ve heard us say that the numbers of women have drastically increased, so this year we’re adding a second security guard from our partner Bear Paw Security, so we’ll always have a female and male guard to care for all our guests’ needs.
The space will get a COVID-19 deep clean three times a day.
Quick Facts:
For 30 people to be safe and warm this winter, STARTING EARLY on December 24th, we need you to make a donation of:
$150 to cover everything we don’t have funding for: smiling team members, PPE, TP, rent.
$300 to cover dinner, so everyone gets to go to bed full of nutritious food.
$450 to cover it all
