Christ is Risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia! 15 May 2020

A Blessed Season of Easter to you as we approach the Fifth Sunday of Easter

The image at the left is Brother Eric’s stained glass windowof the Holy Spirit dove located in the Church of Reconciliation at the Taizé Community in France. In this Sunday’s Gospel reading, John 14, the setting is again the Last Supper. After the meal, Jesus speaks to his disciples and promises to send the Holy Spirit to them. That promise extends to us, for we were sealed with the Holy Spirit at our baptism.

In the text, Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as an Advocate and a Comforter. In this time of Covid-19 pandemic, where have you experienced God’s Holy Spirit as an Advocate – “interceding with sighs too deep for words” (as St Paul describes in Romans 8) during the pandemic?

And Comforter? Where have you seen or encountered God’s Holy Spirit as a comforter in this time of pandemic?

Worship in the Home for this coming Sunday is attached with today’s EBlast. There you’ll encounter God’s Holy Spirit as both Advocate and Comforter in our guest preacher’s sermon. ELCIC National Bishop Susan Johnson is a guest in our homes this Sunday. Her sermon is printed within the order of worship. Later Sunday afternoon, a video presentation of her sermon will be available on the ELCIC web site – www.elcic.ca – if you’d prefer to see and hear her preach from her own home in Winnipeg.

Adult Forum in the Home for this coming Sunday is also attached. This week you’ll find a self-directed Bible study which explores some of the Holy Spirit texts in the Hebrew Scriptures and the New Testament.

Two weeks from Sunday on 31 May, the Church celebrates the gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. We are planning to begin Trillium’s Zoom worship that day. Watch for more details next week on how to access the Zoom worship on your computer or tablet. If you know of Trillium members who don’t have access to a computer (and thus aren’t reading any Eblasts) please contact them by phone and let them know that they can access the worship audio by telephone. Thank you to Trillium’s Tech Team – Sara Wahl, Michael Kuebler and Larry Miller – along with Director of Music, Lilla Hall, Laura Saunderson and Stephen Bergen who are working with me to bring Zoom worship to life for our congregational community on Pentecost.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 15:13

Pastor Stephen

Photo Directory Update

The Covid-19 pandemic interrupted our Photo Directory project. With Ontario’s state of emergency, the Photo Directory company, IPC (Institutional Promotions of Canada, located in Toronto), was deemed a non-essential business and closed.

Those who had their photos taken and placed orders for copies of those photos will need to wait – along with those still awaiting new photo appointments – until after the state of emergency concludes and IPC is able to re-open, resume print productions of photos, and re-schedule times to complete the remainder of to-be-scheduled photo sessions at Trillium.

5 or 6 other churches in Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge have joined us in this unexpected delay in the project. Thank you for your understanding and patience.

While we wait, if you are among the members who would not like to have your personal address, phone number and email included in the address book part of the directory, please contact Anne Marie Michels or Pastor Stephen as soon as possible. Thank you.

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Bridges Vacation Bible School Moves to Your Home

Bridges VBS coordinators are sad to announce that we will not be holding Bridges VBS live and in person this year. Due to ongoing concerns about Covid-19 and the closure of buildings at Martin Luther University College, we have made the tough decision to cancel plans for this July.

Instead, we are making plans to bring Bridges VBS to you, in your homes! We will provide videos and activities for you to enjoy at home.

While this was a difficult decision, we know that children’s health and safety are most important. We will be contacting anyone who has already registered to return your registration fees.

Thank you for your understanding. Please keep your eye on our website for updates on how you can be a part of Bridges VBS at Home!! https://bridgesvbs.weebly.com/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/bridgesvbs/

Love, hugs and peace to all of you from the Bridges VBS team.

Heidi, Mike and Stephanie

P.S. – Attached is video from the Bridges VBS coordinators ---- enjoy!!!!

New stewardship options also online

Have you heard it’s no longer going to be safe to pass offering plates from hand to hand in the new normal of Covid-19?

There are now four ways at Trillium to steer clear of the offering plates:

1. PAR (Pre-Arranged Remittances) is still be best way to set up a continuing offering contribution to the church. Are you already on PAR? Thank you! If not, it’s an easy process to get the form and set up the arrangement through the church office. This is the most efficient way to help Trillium’s treasurer in the accounting process.

1. Through our website – www.trilliumwaterloo.ca – you can make contributions through Canada Helps. Through this process, Canada Helps becomes the bookkeeper and will issue receipts for income tax purposes. So please note that Trillium’s treasurer will not issue those tax receipts for Canada Helps contributions.

2. E-transfers from your bank to Trillium’s bank account are also possible. But this is the most time-consuming process for Trillium’s treasurer as individual donations need to be recorded.

3. Cheques – Do you still own a cheque book? Youth: do you know what a cheque is? You can still write a cheque and mail it to the church or drop it through the mail slot by the side, triple office doors. But please do not enter the church to drop it off – please respect the state of emergency closing of the church building at this time.

However you choose to make your offering contributions to Trillium during these strange pandemic days, we are profoundly grateful to you for your faithful and generous support of our on-going congregational mission and ministries.

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Reduced Trillium Office Hours

During Ontario State of emergency, Trillium Office

Hours are:

Wednesday & Friday - 9 a.m. to 12 noonPrayers for a time of pandemic

For our situation in which our worship community is advised against gathering:

Gracious God, it is good for us to gather as your beloved in community. We treasure your presence with us in word and meal, song and prayer. Be with us in these days when gathering together as often as we would like is not possible. When we must be apart for reasons of safety, we trust that you surround us with your sheltering wings. Encourage us in connecting as we are able, reaching out to our neighbors in need and being persistent in prayer. We ask this in the name of Jesus, our constant companion. Amen.

God, our peace and our strength, we pray for our nation and the world as we face new uncertainties around coronavirus. Protect the most vulnerable among us, especially all who are currently sick or in isolation. Grant wisdom, patience, and clarity to health care workers, especially as their work caring for others puts them at great risk. Guide us as we consider how best to prepare and respond in our families, congregations, workplaces, and communities. Give us courage to face these days not with fear but with compassion, concern, and acts of service, trusting that you abide with us always; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

Photo courtesy of Larry Miller – Sanctuary at 7pm

The Lutheran World Federation has published Week 6 – May 17 – 23 in its daily prayer and devotions series Rejoice Now All the Earth! LWF Communion Prayer for the Easter Season 2020. https://www.lutheranworld.org/sites/default/files/2020/documents/20200517_-_easter_reflections_week_6_en.pdf

In the Midst of the Spread of Covid-19 We Pray Yesterday May 14th was a remarkable global, interfaith day of prayer. Here is a 4 ½ minute video prayer spoken in a multitude of languages with English text from yesterday’s United in Prayer appeal. Make it your own prayer today. https://vimeo.com/417667052?ct=t(EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_20190719_COPY_01)

And before the Easter Season draws to a close later this month, check out this Episcopal Church in the

USA Virtual Choir rendition of The Strife is O’er, the Battle Done (ELW 366) Let it also be a prayer of hope for you that one day the strife of this pandemic will be o’er. Kyrie eleison.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAyi64eagTI