25 April – 1 Peter 1 service

welcome

Everything changes in this age of pandemic.
As a province, we are under a “stay-at-home” order.
Currently, we are not meeting in-person, but we are meeting on-line.

It is so easy to get sucked into the criticisms, complaining, sarcasm, and apathy that seems to be the default of much of our world.

  • As followers of Jesus, we are called to be different and to live differently in this world.
  • As followers of Jesus, we are called to live lives that are empowered by God’s Spirit and so be signs and a foretaste of what the Jesus life is like.
  • Whenever new regulations are passed and new laws come down, we are reminded by Paul in Galatians 5 that there are some things against which there is no law. As followers of Jesus we exercise our freedom – our freedom to live out love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Those are the things against which there is no law.

This is what it looks like to live as one who is truly free.

We encourage you to take a few moments as you prepare to watch the video

  • settle in, be still, get your coffee or tea,
  • take 2 or 3 deep breaths… in and out breathe,
  • invite the Lord to make himself present with you as you watch – he is with you – it’s just that often we are not aware that he is,
  • prepare your heart to listen and receive.
  • Read Psalm 91 as you enter into our time together.

teaching

Here is the service for Sunday 25 April.
Pastor Mike’s message is from 1 Peter

The PowerPoint show and study notes can be found on our sermon page.

OCCkids is meeting online at @9:30am

There is also an OCCYouth zoom class lead by Neil & Barb Fox @9:15am

prayer

Join us tonight @ 6:30pm as we pray for one another, our city, our world.
zoom prayer https://zoom.us/j/99544541247?pwd=cU9idG1RNzB3bjdZS3RUdThOalQydz09
Meeting ID: 995 4454 1247
Passcode: 4LKzLR

LIFEGroup

Get connected to a LIFEGroup – it’s one of the best ways to grow in Christ.
The details are here.

ALPHA

You can get the details of ALPHA online here, We began on April 20, but you can still join this week.

giving

In this new way of being the church, we don’t practice giving by placing our offering in a basket as it is passed. OCCers are generous people. Thank you for your gifts.

  • Many give online – etransfer or paypal
  • Others mail or drop off cheques

You can find all the ways you can give here.

praying

I don’t know how many books and articles have been written on prayer.
I don’t know how many sermons have been preached on prayer

We don’t need to know how to pray, we just need to pray.

My prayers are a loving response to the One who loves us best, to the One who is love. He created us to pray. And when I forget this or my prayer life turns stale, I need only look to Scripture for encouragement, for a reminder of God’s love.

The Apostle Paul prayed a lot. I love his prayer for the Ephesians; here is just a small bit of it.  This is my prayer for you:

I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. Ephesians 3:16-17

praying the Prayer of St Francis of Assisi

A Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi

Lord, make me an
instrument of your peace!
Where there is hatred,
let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master,
grant that I may not
so much seek to be consoled
as to console;
to be understood
as to understand;
to be loved
as to love;
for it is in giving
that we receive;
it is in pardoning
that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying
that we are born to Eternal Life.

— St. Francis of Assisi

Reflection:

Behold — Where are the eyes of your heart drawn into this prayer?
Believe — How is your faith strengthened in this prayer?
Belong — Who are you recalling as you pray this prayer?
Become — What is God inviting you to receive and thereby become as you pray this prayer?

1 Peter introduction

welcome

Everything changes in this age of pandemic.
As a province, we are under a “stay-at-home” order.
This week we are able to gather in person (at 15% capacity). Next Sunday, we won’t meet in person. We will be limited to 10 people.

It is so easy to get sucked into the criticisms, complaining, sarcasm, and apathy that seems to be the default of much of our world.

  • As followers of Jesus, we are called to be and live differently in this world.
  • As followers of Jesus, we are called to live lives that are empowered by God’s Spirit and so show what the Jesus life is like.
  • Whenever new regulations are passed and new laws come down, we are reminded by Paul in Galatians 5 that there are some things against which there is no law.
  • As Christians, we need to exercise our freedom.

Our freedom to live out love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Those are the things against which there is no law.

This is what it looks like to live as one who is truly free.

We encourage you to take a few moments as you prepare to watch the video

  • settle in, be still, get your coffee or tea,
  • take 2 or 3 deep breaths… in and out breathe,
  • invite the Lord to make himself present with you as you watch – he is with you – it’s just that often we are not aware that he is,
  • prepare your heart to listen and receive.
  • Read Psalm 67 as you enter into our time together.

teaching

Here is the service for Sunday 18 April.
The Adams: Dan, Sue, Sophie & Casey are leading us in worship today.
Pastor Mike’s message is from 1 Peter

The PowerPoint show, study notes, and “I am” statements can be found on our sermon page.

OCCkids is meeting online at @9:30am

There is also an OCCYouth zoom class lead by Neil & Barb Fox @9:15am

prayer

Sunday nights @ 6:30pm
zoom prayer https://zoom.us/j/99544541247?pwd=cU9idG1RNzB3bjdZS3RUdThOalQydz09
Meeting ID: 995 4454 1247
Passcode: 4LKzLR

LIFEGroup

Get connected to a LIFEGroup – it’s one of the best ways to grow in Christ.
The details are here.

ALPHA

You can get the details of ALPHA online here, beginning April 20.

giving

In this new way of being the church, we don’t practice giving by placing our offering in a basket as it is passed. OCCers are generous people. Thank you for your gifts.

  • Some of you give when you attend a service (there is an offering box)
  • Many give online – etransfer or paypal
  • Others mail or drop off cheques

You can find all the ways you can give here.

New COVID-19 restructions

Today the province of Ontario announced that:

  • The emergency stay-at-home order for an additional 2 weeks.
  • Outdoor gatherings are restricted to only immediate family.
  • Only essential construction is allowed.
  • 25% capacity for businesses that are allowed to open.
  • Worship gathering are restricted to 10 people starting Monday.
  • Interprovincial traffic will be stopped, only goods can cross the border.

OCC services

OCC will be meeting in person, as well as the service being available online, this Sunday (18 April). All the times & links are posted on our home page.

Next Sunday (25 April) and until the order is lifted, we will only be meeting online.

After more than a year of this pandemic, we get new restrictions and new prohibitions.

  • We’re tired, exhausted, worn out.
  • We have suffered loss and disappointments over this past year, for some, it has been great loss.
  • All that many want is for things to go back to the way they were.
  • And each day that seems less and less likely.

I’d love to be able to say, that in 6 or 8 or 12 weeks, we will be able to get back to normal. But I don’t think that’s going to happen.

I am more and more convinced that longing for some past sense of normal is an incredible waste of time:

  • yes, we want to be able to connect with family and friends in person;
  • yes, we want to be able to eat out
  • yes, we want to be healthy
  • yes, we want to gather – for worship, weddings, funerals

But none of that is going to happen until after a high percentage of people are vaccinated.

 

But that isn’t why I’m writing this.

What I want us to know today is this:

Whatever new regulations are passed, when new laws come down, the Apostle Paul reminds us in Galatians 5 that there are some things against which there is no law. Today, we heard of some new restrictions.

We are also going to hear some people call for exercising our freedom by protesting, by refusing to obey the new regulations, which at this point is irresponsible and wrong.

As Christians, we need to exercise our freedom.

Our freedom to live out love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Those are the things against which there is no law.
This is what it looks like to live as one who is truly free.

This season presents us with many challenges but also many opportunities. We need to support each other in faithfully following Jesus, our God-given mission.

 

1st Quarter financial summary

Financial comparison IN (Offerings – Rental – CEWS) vs OUT (Expenses)

Months 1st Q 2020 1st Q 2021
Offering 58,213.47 44,536.42
Rental 1,600.00
CEWS 7,246.35
TOTAL 59,813.47 51,782.77
Expenses
60548.39 58511.84
IN over OUT -734.92 -6729.07

Changes once again

During the stay-at-home order and possibly longer OCCKids will not be meeting in person

April 11 – John 21

welcome

We celebrated the resurrection of Jesus last Sunday.
This week, as a province, we are under a “stay-at-home” order.
We are limited in how we can gather.

I remind us of what Paul said in Philippians 4: we are to think about those things that are… true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy.

It is so easy to get sucked into the criticisms, complaining, sarcasm, and apathy that seems to be the default of much of our world.

As followers of Jesus, we are called to be and live differently in this world.
As followers of Jesus, we are called to live lives that are empowered by God’s Spirit and so show what the Jesus life is like.

We encourage you to take a few moments as you prepare to watch the video

  • settle in, be still,
  • take 2 or 3 deep breaths… in and out breathe,
  • invite the Lord to make himself present with you as you watch – he is with you – it’s just that often we are not aware that he is,
  • prepare your heart to listen and receive.
  • Read John 21 as you enter into our time together.

teaching

Here is the service for Sunday 11 April.
Stan & Judi Coates are leading us in worship today.
Pastor Brent’s message is from John 21

The study notes and all the other messages in this series can be found on our sermon page.

OCCkids is meeting online at @9:00am

There is also an OCCYouth zoom class lead by Neil & Barb Fox @9:15am

prayer

Sunday nights @ 6:30pm
zoom prayer https://zoom.us/j/99544541247?pwd=cU9idG1RNzB3bjdZS3RUdThOalQydz09
Meeting ID: 995 4454 1247
Passcode: 4LKzLR

LIFEGroup

Get connected to a LIFEGroup – it’s one of the best ways to grow in Christ.
The details are here.

ALPHA

You can get the details of ALPHA online here, beginning Apil 20.

giving

In this new way of being the church, we don’t practice giving by placing our offering in a basket as it is passed. OCCers are generous people. Thank you for your gifts.

  • Some of you give when you attend a service (there is an offering box)
  • Many give online – etransfer or paypal
  • Others mail or drop off cheques

You can find all the ways you can give here.

ALPHA online

ALPHA online

The global pandemic has caused disruption and change. We’ve all felt the impact. People are facing big challenges and asking even bigger questions. ALPHA online is a way to connectlearndiscuss.

  • starting date: 20 April 2021
  • time: 7:00pm
  • where: online (here’s the link).

Plan on joining us…

  • if you want to know more about faith
  • if you have questions
  • if you are sharing with someone

We are hoping that we will be able to meet in person before we finish Alpha.

The first few sessions address the questions of:

  • Is There More To Life Than This?
  • Who Is Jesus?
  • Why Did Jesus Die?
  • How Can I Have Faith?

 

Easter Sunday 2021

He is Risen!
He is Risen, indeed!

Happy Easter

Events for Today

OCC is meeting in multiple ways today

ON-LINE
8:00am Our online service 
9:00am OOCKids on Zoom LINK
9:15am OCCHigh Zoom class LINK
IN-PERSON
9:00am Easter Sunday in the Auditorium
10:15am Easter Sunday in the Auditorium
10:15am OCCKids in Theatre 1
11:30am Easter Sunday in the Auditorium

welcome

As followers of Jesus,

  • we are called to live as people of the resurrection
  • we are called and empowered by God’s Spirit to live differently in this world.
  • we are called to see people through Jesus’ eyes.

We encourage you to take a few moments as you prepare to watch the service

  • settle in, be still,
  • take 2 or 3 deep breaths… in and out… breathe,
  • invite the Lord to make himself present with you as you watch – he is with you – it’s just that often we are not aware that he is,
  • prepare your heart to listen and receive.
  • read John 20:1-18 

teaching

Here is the service for Easter Sunday, 4 April.
Ray & Brenda, along with Emily, Alan & Aaron are leading us in worship today

Pastor Mike leads us in looking at the Resurrection through the eyes of Mary of Magdala

giving

In this new way of being the church, we don’t practice giving by placing our offering in a basket as it is passed. OCCers are generous people. Thank you for your gifts.

  • Some of you give when you attend a service (there is an offering box)
  • Many give online – etransfer or paypal
  • Others mail or drop off cheques

You can find all the ways you can give here.