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Friday, July 24th
I hope you are all keeping safe and well.
As Chair of the Reopening Task Force I wanted to keep you up to date on our activities.
As you know Session approved the striking of a Reopening Task Force. The Terms of Reference of the Task Force are as follows:
The Reopening Task Force was approved by Session on Tuesday June 16th, 2020 to immediately begin work on reopening logistics and communication with a view to opening the facility after Labour Day and, mindful things may change, resuming worship in the sanctuary and all other matters related to the on-site life, work and witness of the congregation, exclusive of the care of the facilities and grounds and basic employee operations, on Sunday September 13, 2020.
The Task Force has now met three times via video conference call, with another call planned for Monday. On two occasions a few of us have met at the church to consider traffic flow and signage needs (all of us wearing masks and physical distancing of course!) and we had our first trial run through of live streaming this week. There will be another live streaming run through next week. Diane, Melvin and Michael met at the church to discuss how we will enjoy music, the choir and the Trinity House Band safely and following public health guidelines. We are reaching out to the various ministries to see how they can best function within our current restrictions.
Each time we meet we continue to consider and develop appropriate rules and protocols which will permit us to worship together again in a safe and healthy way. We want to reassure you that we will be following all provincial and local public heath requirements. In addition, Melvin is speaking with each of our tenants and keeping them up to date on our plans which will help them plan for their return to our building in September. While we authorized Montessori to commence operating their school again in late June they plan to reopen in September.
Over the next six weeks we will continue these efforts and we will communicate our progress to keep you well informed. We plan on providing a short video to the congregation prior to our reopening to give you all a good idea of what returning to worship in the sanctuary will look like. I am excited for that day to arrive!
As Chair of the Reopening Task Force I wanted to keep you up to date on our activities.
As you know Session approved the striking of a Reopening Task Force. The Terms of Reference of the Task Force are as follows:
The Reopening Task Force was approved by Session on Tuesday June 16th, 2020 to immediately begin work on reopening logistics and communication with a view to opening the facility after Labour Day and, mindful things may change, resuming worship in the sanctuary and all other matters related to the on-site life, work and witness of the congregation, exclusive of the care of the facilities and grounds and basic employee operations, on Sunday September 13, 2020.
The Task Force has now met three times via video conference call, with another call planned for Monday. On two occasions a few of us have met at the church to consider traffic flow and signage needs (all of us wearing masks and physical distancing of course!) and we had our first trial run through of live streaming this week. There will be another live streaming run through next week. Diane, Melvin and Michael met at the church to discuss how we will enjoy music, the choir and the Trinity House Band safely and following public health guidelines. We are reaching out to the various ministries to see how they can best function within our current restrictions.
Each time we meet we continue to consider and develop appropriate rules and protocols which will permit us to worship together again in a safe and healthy way. We want to reassure you that we will be following all provincial and local public heath requirements. In addition, Melvin is speaking with each of our tenants and keeping them up to date on our plans which will help them plan for their return to our building in September. While we authorized Montessori to commence operating their school again in late June they plan to reopen in September.
Over the next six weeks we will continue these efforts and we will communicate our progress to keep you well informed. We plan on providing a short video to the congregation prior to our reopening to give you all a good idea of what returning to worship in the sanctuary will look like. I am excited for that day to arrive!
I thought I would share with you the prayer I offered at the July 13th Reopening Task Force Meeting:
Dear and gracious God,
Thank you for bringing us together again tonight so that we may do your good work to gather your flock in the fall so we can pray and worship as one.
Hear us as we pray for this meeting and for the ultimate purpose of our work here tonight... the reopening of our building and resumption of our services together again.
Lord, when information comes from all sides, correct and not, help us to discern;
help us to reach out with our hearts, when we can't touch with our hands;
help us to be socially connected, when we have to be socially distant;
For the doctors, we pray,
for the nurses, we pray,
for the technicians and the janitors and the
aides and the caregivers, we pray,
for the researchers and theorists,
the epidemiologists and investigators,
for those who are sick,
and those who are grieving, we pray,
for all who are affected,
all around the world...
we pray for safety, for health, for wholeness.
We lift up to you the leaders and other members and adherents of Trinity Church, keep them safe and well all the days through.
In Jesus name we pray,
Amen
Blessings,
Linda Herron
Chair, Reopening Task Force
Dear and gracious God,
Thank you for bringing us together again tonight so that we may do your good work to gather your flock in the fall so we can pray and worship as one.
Hear us as we pray for this meeting and for the ultimate purpose of our work here tonight... the reopening of our building and resumption of our services together again.
Lord, when information comes from all sides, correct and not, help us to discern;
help us to reach out with our hearts, when we can't touch with our hands;
help us to be socially connected, when we have to be socially distant;
For the doctors, we pray,
for the nurses, we pray,
for the technicians and the janitors and the
aides and the caregivers, we pray,
for the researchers and theorists,
the epidemiologists and investigators,
for those who are sick,
and those who are grieving, we pray,
for all who are affected,
all around the world...
we pray for safety, for health, for wholeness.
We lift up to you the leaders and other members and adherents of Trinity Church, keep them safe and well all the days through.
In Jesus name we pray,
Amen
Blessings,
Linda Herron
Chair, Reopening Task Force
Prayer for June 23 2020 Reopening Task Force Meeting
The following prayer was offered by the chair of the reopening Task Force at its inaugural meeting at June 23rd.
Let us pray,
Dear and gracious God,
Thank you for bringing us together tonight so that we may determine the best way forward to bring your flock at Trinity back together in the fall. While we have managed well to stay connected in so many ways, we do long for the time when we will be together again in our sanctuary; when we can pray and worship as one.
Accept our thanksgiving for all the varied and unusual times of the past several months that your flock has survived this unrelenting virus; take our lives afresh into your keeping as we face the future; and fit us by your grace for whatever lies before us in the days to come.
Hear us as we pray for this meeting and for the ultimate purpose of our work here tonight…the reopening of our building and resumption of our services together again.
We lift up to you churches and their leaders faced with the challenges of social distancing: God, help them and us to creatively imagine how to shepherd their and our congregants during these changing times.
We lift up to you the members and adherents of Trinity Church, keep them safe and well all the days through.
In Jesus name we pray,
Amen
Dear and gracious God,
Thank you for bringing us together tonight so that we may determine the best way forward to bring your flock at Trinity back together in the fall. While we have managed well to stay connected in so many ways, we do long for the time when we will be together again in our sanctuary; when we can pray and worship as one.
Accept our thanksgiving for all the varied and unusual times of the past several months that your flock has survived this unrelenting virus; take our lives afresh into your keeping as we face the future; and fit us by your grace for whatever lies before us in the days to come.
Hear us as we pray for this meeting and for the ultimate purpose of our work here tonight…the reopening of our building and resumption of our services together again.
We lift up to you churches and their leaders faced with the challenges of social distancing: God, help them and us to creatively imagine how to shepherd their and our congregants during these changing times.
We lift up to you the members and adherents of Trinity Church, keep them safe and well all the days through.
In Jesus name we pray,
Amen
Wednesday, June 17th
Mindful that things may change,
Trinity to reopen after Labour Day
Trinity to reopen after Labour Day
Dear Trinity members,
In order to reduce the spread of the coronavirus three months ago, Trinity’s Session made the difficult but necessary decision to suspend all worship and other activities within our church building. It was Session’s pastoral duty to ensure its flock was safe.
Since then, great efforts have been made to keep the Trinity family connected through twice a week video Ministry Moments, Friday Trinity News emails, a virtual Spring Tea and many Zoom calls, phone calls, emails and cards.
On June 8th, 2020, the Ontario government announced they would permit churches to reopen in June at 30% capacity and permit day cares to reopen in June if they comply with applicable regulations. Shortly after this announcement, the Montessori School that rents space in our building submitted a request to reopen on June 22nd, 2020, along with a very detailed plan on how they would operate in compliance with applicable Provincial and Municipal regulations.
After much consideration and consultation with the Operations and other ministries, Session has determined that worship in the Sanctuary and all other matters related to the on-site life, work and witness of the congregation will commence at the earliest on Sunday, September 13th, 2020. These matters will be exclusive of the care of facilities and grounds and basic employee operations. The decision to reopen in September was taken for several reasons: Trinity essentially exists as two entities - congregation and a community centre. In addition to the Montessori School we have three other congregations and an Alcoholics Anonymous group that share our building. Session has determined that these other tenants will not be permitted to resume use of the building until at the earliest September 13th. Preparing the building for reopening for worship by Trinity and our tenant congregations will require a significant amount of effort to develop appropriate rules and protocols and the planning process has now commenced. The Session has struck a Reopening Task Force to work on reopening logistics and communications with a view to opening the building after Labour Day.
We are responsible for the cleaning of the building for these other tenant congregations and we need to ensure the proper procedures are in place before we can allow entry to the building. These procedures will include communication to all building users, rules for building use, signage, training for users of the building, enforcement and third party vendor access.
The Operations Ministry, with Session’s approval, will permit the Montessori School to begin operating on June 22nd, 2020. The School has already provided a very detailed set of policies and procedures which follow the guidelines of the various Government Ministries to which they are accountable. They use only a portion of our building; they do all their own cleaning and garbage removal; they have been a very responsible tenant; and, we look forward to a long term relationship with them. They also provide an important service to children and families as individuals are heading back to the workplace.
The model we have known for ministry and congregational life since our time of isolation and distancing began will continue throughout the summer months as we continue to be Christ's Church in the best and safest way we can.
We know that the past few months have been a difficult time for everyone. We long to see and greet each other in person and wish we could be worshiping God together again. However, the safety of our flock is our highest responsibility and it is an act of pastoral care that we take the necessary steps to ensure that we can all gather in a safe and healthy way before we worship together again in our sanctuary.
Sincerely,
Linda Herron
Chair, Reopening Task Force
In order to reduce the spread of the coronavirus three months ago, Trinity’s Session made the difficult but necessary decision to suspend all worship and other activities within our church building. It was Session’s pastoral duty to ensure its flock was safe.
Since then, great efforts have been made to keep the Trinity family connected through twice a week video Ministry Moments, Friday Trinity News emails, a virtual Spring Tea and many Zoom calls, phone calls, emails and cards.
On June 8th, 2020, the Ontario government announced they would permit churches to reopen in June at 30% capacity and permit day cares to reopen in June if they comply with applicable regulations. Shortly after this announcement, the Montessori School that rents space in our building submitted a request to reopen on June 22nd, 2020, along with a very detailed plan on how they would operate in compliance with applicable Provincial and Municipal regulations.
After much consideration and consultation with the Operations and other ministries, Session has determined that worship in the Sanctuary and all other matters related to the on-site life, work and witness of the congregation will commence at the earliest on Sunday, September 13th, 2020. These matters will be exclusive of the care of facilities and grounds and basic employee operations. The decision to reopen in September was taken for several reasons: Trinity essentially exists as two entities - congregation and a community centre. In addition to the Montessori School we have three other congregations and an Alcoholics Anonymous group that share our building. Session has determined that these other tenants will not be permitted to resume use of the building until at the earliest September 13th. Preparing the building for reopening for worship by Trinity and our tenant congregations will require a significant amount of effort to develop appropriate rules and protocols and the planning process has now commenced. The Session has struck a Reopening Task Force to work on reopening logistics and communications with a view to opening the building after Labour Day.
We are responsible for the cleaning of the building for these other tenant congregations and we need to ensure the proper procedures are in place before we can allow entry to the building. These procedures will include communication to all building users, rules for building use, signage, training for users of the building, enforcement and third party vendor access.
The Operations Ministry, with Session’s approval, will permit the Montessori School to begin operating on June 22nd, 2020. The School has already provided a very detailed set of policies and procedures which follow the guidelines of the various Government Ministries to which they are accountable. They use only a portion of our building; they do all their own cleaning and garbage removal; they have been a very responsible tenant; and, we look forward to a long term relationship with them. They also provide an important service to children and families as individuals are heading back to the workplace.
The model we have known for ministry and congregational life since our time of isolation and distancing began will continue throughout the summer months as we continue to be Christ's Church in the best and safest way we can.
We know that the past few months have been a difficult time for everyone. We long to see and greet each other in person and wish we could be worshiping God together again. However, the safety of our flock is our highest responsibility and it is an act of pastoral care that we take the necessary steps to ensure that we can all gather in a safe and healthy way before we worship together again in our sanctuary.
Sincerely,
Linda Herron
Chair, Reopening Task Force
Friday, June 12th
Restrictions for Churches
This week the provincial government changed, with conditions, some of the restrictions placed upon churches in March because of the coronavirus. Session will be meeting this coming Tuesday to consider these matters further.
This week the provincial government changed, with conditions, some of the restrictions placed upon churches in March because of the coronavirus. Session will be meeting this coming Tuesday to consider these matters further.
Friday, May 8th
Dear People of Trinity,
Session remains active as together we work through the effects of the coronavirus. Session responded by switching to virtual meetings, by video conference or calling in, and has met four times since the lockdown began on March 18th. Our five new elders have joined our meetings, although they can't be formally ordained until we can worship together again. We are seeking to stay in touch with you, while also focusing on pressing matters relating to our employees, our facilities and grounds and our finances. As shared earlier with the congregation, five of our eight employee positions have either been ended or placed on extended leave, while ministry and operational expenses have been reduced to as close to zero as possible. The Session's next regular meeting is Tuesday, May 19th, at which time we will review our economic sustainability plan, mindful of a loss of almost 50% in income, and our recovery plan for when Trinity returns to its ‘new normal.’ Thank you for your prayers and your continued offerings during these difficult times. Please feel free to be in touch with any member of Session. Thank you.
Session remains active as together we work through the effects of the coronavirus. Session responded by switching to virtual meetings, by video conference or calling in, and has met four times since the lockdown began on March 18th. Our five new elders have joined our meetings, although they can't be formally ordained until we can worship together again. We are seeking to stay in touch with you, while also focusing on pressing matters relating to our employees, our facilities and grounds and our finances. As shared earlier with the congregation, five of our eight employee positions have either been ended or placed on extended leave, while ministry and operational expenses have been reduced to as close to zero as possible. The Session's next regular meeting is Tuesday, May 19th, at which time we will review our economic sustainability plan, mindful of a loss of almost 50% in income, and our recovery plan for when Trinity returns to its ‘new normal.’ Thank you for your prayers and your continued offerings during these difficult times. Please feel free to be in touch with any member of Session. Thank you.
Friday, April 3rd
From the Session to the People of Trinity,
We wanted to give you an update on the impact of the coronavirus closure on Trinity, and our action plans to respond to this.
We are all struggling with the social distancing and isolation required of us. We have tried to respond with our new Ministry Moments, our ongoing Trinity News and connecting by phone. Our leadership teams are continuing to meet to develop plans for responding to the lockdown. Our Session and some of our Ministries have switched to virtual meetings by conference call or the internet.
As you might expect, the coronavirus lockdown is also having quite an adverse impact on our finances. Thank you so much to all of you who have responded by continuing your offerings. This is much appreciated. If you would like more information about this, please see the Donations section on our website - https://www.mytrinity.ca/donate
In addition, our Session has approved a plan to reduce expenses for everything from our facilities and grounds and our office, to spending by our Ministries. We will also be reducing the hours and incomes for some of our staff. We are so thankful for the wage subsidies from our government in minimizing the impact on our staff. We would like to thank all of our staff for their support during these difficult times.
One major challenge is that no one knows how long the coronavirus lockdown will last. In the interim, we will be looking at how we can improve the ways we connect with each other, even if we have to be apart. And we will complete a further reassessment of our operations next month as more information becomes available.
Thank you so much for your support. It's so hard to face the reality that we won't be together to celebrate Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter, with its joyful news of Christ's resurrection. We are so much looking forward to staying in touch and the great day when we can be together, once again.
We wanted to give you an update on the impact of the coronavirus closure on Trinity, and our action plans to respond to this.
We are all struggling with the social distancing and isolation required of us. We have tried to respond with our new Ministry Moments, our ongoing Trinity News and connecting by phone. Our leadership teams are continuing to meet to develop plans for responding to the lockdown. Our Session and some of our Ministries have switched to virtual meetings by conference call or the internet.
As you might expect, the coronavirus lockdown is also having quite an adverse impact on our finances. Thank you so much to all of you who have responded by continuing your offerings. This is much appreciated. If you would like more information about this, please see the Donations section on our website - https://www.mytrinity.ca/donate
In addition, our Session has approved a plan to reduce expenses for everything from our facilities and grounds and our office, to spending by our Ministries. We will also be reducing the hours and incomes for some of our staff. We are so thankful for the wage subsidies from our government in minimizing the impact on our staff. We would like to thank all of our staff for their support during these difficult times.
One major challenge is that no one knows how long the coronavirus lockdown will last. In the interim, we will be looking at how we can improve the ways we connect with each other, even if we have to be apart. And we will complete a further reassessment of our operations next month as more information becomes available.
Thank you so much for your support. It's so hard to face the reality that we won't be together to celebrate Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter, with its joyful news of Christ's resurrection. We are so much looking forward to staying in touch and the great day when we can be together, once again.
Thank you for your
continued generosity!
The coronavirus is continuing to impact us all in ways we could not have imagined just a few weeks ago. Who would have thought that we would not be able to meet for worship on Sundays as Trinity has been doing for over 65 years. And it looks like this may continue for some time to come.
As you might expect, this is having a very significant impact on our finances and I wanted ask for your help in this area.
We want to thank the many members of our congregation who are continuing their offerings even though we aren’t able to meet on Sundays. This is an enormous help.
As you might expect, this is having a very significant impact on our finances and I wanted ask for your help in this area.
We want to thank the many members of our congregation who are continuing their offerings even though we aren’t able to meet on Sundays. This is an enormous help.
Here's how you can help:
- OFFERING ENVELOPES
- E-Transfer
- Pre-Authorized Remittance (PAR)
- Tithe.ly
Tuesday, March 24
Hi Everyone,
This note comes to you this Tuesday evening to share that the difficult decision has been made especially through our Operations Ministry and Convener James Waddell to no longer have the church open for you to visit between 8 am and 8 pm on Wednesdays and 8 am and noon on Sundays. This decision was made in response to the directive of the Government of Ontario and public health authorities, effective 11:59 pm tonight, who have declared only essential services can remain open. A church building is not stated as such.
The building its now officially closed to all but those attending to its well being and to communicating from it. It is sad that we must do this, but we must.
This note comes to you this Tuesday evening to share that the difficult decision has been made especially through our Operations Ministry and Convener James Waddell to no longer have the church open for you to visit between 8 am and 8 pm on Wednesdays and 8 am and noon on Sundays. This decision was made in response to the directive of the Government of Ontario and public health authorities, effective 11:59 pm tonight, who have declared only essential services can remain open. A church building is not stated as such.
The building its now officially closed to all but those attending to its well being and to communicating from it. It is sad that we must do this, but we must.
The Bible passages grounding this third 'Moment' are:
Psalm 40:6-8
Sacrifice and offering you do not desire,
but you have given me an open ear.
Burnt offering and sin offering
you have not required.
Then I said, “Here I am;
in the scroll of the book it is written of me.
I delight to do your will, O my God;
your law is within my heart.”
Isaiah 1:16-17
Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean;
remove the evil of your doings
from before my eyes;
cease to do evil,
learn to do good;
seek justice,
rescue the oppressed,
defend the orphan,
plead for the widow.
Galatians 6:9-10
So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up.
So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all, and especially for those of the family of faith.
Psalm 40:6-8
Sacrifice and offering you do not desire,
but you have given me an open ear.
Burnt offering and sin offering
you have not required.
Then I said, “Here I am;
in the scroll of the book it is written of me.
I delight to do your will, O my God;
your law is within my heart.”
Isaiah 1:16-17
Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean;
remove the evil of your doings
from before my eyes;
cease to do evil,
learn to do good;
seek justice,
rescue the oppressed,
defend the orphan,
plead for the widow.
Galatians 6:9-10
So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up.
So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all, and especially for those of the family of faith.
Take care. In faith, hope and love, Kirk.
Additional information can be found at: https://www.toronto.ca/community-people/health-wellness-care/diseases-medications-vaccines/coronavirus/
Additional information can be found at: https://www.toronto.ca/community-people/health-wellness-care/diseases-medications-vaccines/coronavirus/