I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Author: occwebsite
1 Peter 4:12-13
Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you. Instead, be very glad—for these trials make you partners with Christ in his suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing his glory when it is revealed to all the world.
Psalm 89:34-37
No, I will not break my covenant;
I will not take back a single word I said.
I have sworn an oath to David,
and in my holiness I cannot lie:
His dynasty will go on forever;
his kingdom will endure as the sun.
It will be as eternal as the moon,
my faithful witness in the sky!” Selah
Psalm 46:1-11
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns. The nations rage, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts. The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah
Come, behold the works of the LORD, how he has brought desolations on the earth. He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the chariots with fire. “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah
OCC & COVID-19
Here is an update on how OCC will be responding to concerns around COVID-19 in the immediate future.
Dear OCC,
As I am sure you are aware of, the COVID19 outbreak has now been labelled as a pandemic by the World Health Organization. You’ve heard that many sporting, entertainment and other gatherings have been cancelled. Currently (13 March), there is only one presumptive case of COVID-19 in Simcoe County. We have many talented and dedicated people working in our health care system. While the risk in our area is currently very low, we want to be wise and do what we can to prevent the spread of COVID-19 (and other illness) when we gather for worship and other events. Here are some “best practices” that should help to flatten the curve of infection:
- Please stay home if you are feeling sick or your children are feeling sick (and let us know so we can pray for you). The audio of Sunday morning will be posted later in the day on Sunday.
- Please wash your hands frequently and vigorously.
- When you greet people, please respect anyone’s decision not to shake hands. Bumping elbows, waving or even a wide smile and firm nod will do very nicely in the interim.
- Please keep in frequent contact with older congregants and neighbours by text, phone, email or social media to ensure their safety and well being. Some nursing homes are suspending visits until the outbreak has calmed down.
Additionally, out of caution, here’s what we plan to do for the next few weeks, or until the public health concern has passed:
- We will be wiping down the door handles with antiseptic wipes before and after services.
- We have removed the cloth hand towels from the women’s washroom.
- We have decided to cancel the Men’s (14 March) and Women’s (28 March) Breakfasts for this month. As well we will not be serving coffee before the morning service.
- Instead of passing the baskets for the offering, we will place baskets at the doors of the auditorium for you to place your offerings in on your way out of the auditorium. There is also the possibility of giving your offering online at https://occweb.org/online-giving/
We believe these measures are appropriately cautious in this time of uncertainty. Anxiety about these developments in the world is natural and human. We love our community and want to ensure its thriving for the sake of our life together and for all our neighbours in our spread-out-all-over-Orillia-and-area church. We live in a fallen world and all creation is groaning and we ourselves are groaning as we wait for the adoption of the children of God and for the redemption that is ours through Christ.
Christians have generally been at their best when everyone else around them is consumed with panic. We are faith people and love people and serve others even when it costs us people. Let’s be those people now when it counts.
Our prayer is that this disease will run out of steam soon and become nothing more than a trivia question, like several other diseases in the past.
If you have any questions or concerns about our preparations or changes in practice, please let us know.
In Christ,
pastor Mike
For up-to-date information follow the Government of Canada public health site:
https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/coronavirus-disease-covid-19.html
Simcoe Muskoka Public Health site:
http://www.simcoemuskokahealth.org/Promos/Novel-Coronavirus
Normal
What is normal?
(other than a setting on the dryer)- What is the normal Christian life?
- What is to mark the life of one who calls themself a Christian, a follower of Jesus, a disciple?
During the rest of lent (that period leading up to Easter) we are going to be exploring what is normal, in the sense of normative, for those who call themselves Christians.
- Commitment to Jesus
- Life in the Holy Spirit
- Listening to & responding to Gospel Teachings
- Being Brothers & Sisters
- Serving others
ONE – March
Our ONE for the month of March
is Toilet Paper for Green Haven Women’s Shelter
ONE – Feb
This month we are collecting manual can openers for the Lighthouse
21 Days of Prayer
On 19 January 2020 we are going to enter into guided prayer for 21 days.
Why start on 19 January rather than on 1 January?
- For many people, 1 January is still holiday time and so to begin something new is not on their agenda.
- The 19th of January is the date when many people who made New Years Resolution, stop keeping their resolution.
- So we are going to start on 19 January.
What is this about?
- It’s about prayer. Bring ourselves, OCC, our friends and family, our City, our Nation and our world before God who cares about all these things – more than we do.
- It’s guided in that each day there is a suggestion of what to pray for. You can pray for more than that. But it’s a starting point for prayer.
How do I pray?
- It’s simple – you talk to God. You tell him what’s on your heart.
- It’s hard – you listen to God. You are still long enough to listen to his heart.
What do I need?
Pick up a 21 Days of Prayer sheet
- Printed copies are available at OCC
- Or you can download one here: 21 Days of Prayer
I Will Look Up
Our closing song on Sunday was “I Will Look Up”
As you are praying this week… physically move your body (or at least your head) into these positions:
up – down – back – ahead.
Because of Jesus. Lord of all.
I will look up for there is none above You
I will bow down to tell You that I need You
Jesus Lord of allI will look back and see that You are faithful
I look ahead believing You are able
Jesus Lord of all