The Knox Connexions Newsletter

---

This is a special edition of the Knox Connexions Newsletter

Grace and peace to you, sisters, brothers, and others. How are you? 

These are difficult times. There’s a lot of uncertainty. People are changing plans. Parents are keeping children home. Appointments are being cancelled. Many of the activities that we enjoy doing are no longer available. Seniors are isolated in our care homes and senior residences. In all of this, we affirm:  “We are not alone!”

Please keep in touch and let us know how we can travel together through this challenging time. 

Here’s what you need to know about programming at Knox.

Suspension of Worship Service

There will be no Sunday morning worship service at Knox through Sunday, 12 April. We will evaluate this decision at the beginning of April. 

Our hope is that we can provide a virtual worship service online. We’re still working on the hardware we need to make this happen along with the best platform to use. We anticipate that videos will be uploaded to our new Youtube page and possibly we’ll be able to live stream an abbreviated service on Sunday morning at 10:30 am. Go to The Knox Konnexion on Youtube at:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkSYmhIYagMxAaqG5b0Wruw/featured?view_as=subscriber and click to button to subscribe. You’ll also see a link on the left to the United Church of Canada Youtube channel. 

Cancellation of Fundraisers — Donations to Knox

The Stewardship Committee has cancelled its event scheduled for 9 May. We anticipate that the Spring Concert and Rummage Sale will not be taking place, at least on the scheduled dates. Cancellations of rentals will also mean a loss of income. Many congregations are facing this reality and we’re having a conversation at the national and regional level about creative options. We’ll keep you posted.

If you are not on PAR or contributing to Knox by cheque you may want to consider making your contribution through our Canada Helps page. Go to:  https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/118986447RR0001-knox-united-church/ to make a donation. You can use your credit card. If you want to sign up for PAR (Pre-authorized remittance) please speak with Sharon in the office.

Office Hours and Communication

For the time being the office hours at Knox remain:  Monday - Thursday 9 am - Noon and 1:30 pm - 4 pm and Friday 9 am - Noon. You can communicate with us by email or by phone. If you wish to talk to Rev. Craig he can make arrangements to speak with you by phone or through FaceTime or Zoom. Unfortunately, our website for Knox is under construction but we hope to have a new site ready by mid-April

Knox Building Closure

All rentals in the building will cease on Friday, 20 March, until further notice. Activity in the building will be limited. If you need to make arrangements for a virtual meeting of your group or committee please speak with Craig to make arrangements. The Council used Zoom for our meeting last evening and it worked quite well.

Staying Connected through Facebook

If you’ve never checked out our Facebook page now is a good time. Go to:  https://www.facebook.com/knoxuccbrandon/ and like our page to follow the action.

MORE RESOURCES FROM THE UCC AND OTHER LINKS

Moderator:  God Is with Us

Moderator Richard Bott's letter to communities of faith reminds us that God is with us through COVID-19. https://www.united-church.ca/news/moderator-god-us 

Virtual Camp for Children Grades 1-6 and Grades 7+ with the UCC’s Go Project

Virtual Kids Camp @ 11 am CST
Grades 1- 6

Each weekday for the foreseeable future, GO in partnership with our friends at Living Presence Ministry will host an hour of camp. Storytelling, special guests, crafts, games and more!

Virtual Youth Drop-In @ 2 pm EST
Grades 7+

Each weekday for the foreseeable future, GO in partnership with our friends across the country will host an hour of teen-drop in virtual space. Conversation, devotion, stories, and community.

For more information and to participate in the Zoom meetings go to:  https://thegoproject.ca/virtual-camp/ 

Weekly Faith Formation Resources for All Ages

Illustrated Ministry is offering free faith formation resources for all ages. This is the group the creates the colouring pages we’ve used at some of our multigenerational activities. Follow this link to sign-up for resources by email:  https://www.illustratedministry.com/flattenthecurve?ck_subscriber_id=280793365 

PIE Day Virtual Gathering Tonight, Wednesday, 18 March on Zoom at 7 pm

PIE Day on March 14 was postponed for most, so we’re gathering at a social distance- but not a spiritual distance! Bring your pie, and hear and discuss some perspectives from diverse ministries on being Public, Intentional, and Explicit in our celebration of LGBTQIA+ and Two Spirit communities. Resource people: Rev Sarah Bruer and others TBA; plus all gathered. Go to:  https://united-church.zoom.us/j/773609565?fbclid=IwAR1lRgBfdquou7QaCTaY8uwZCh_xNhimTCSIX0ye2zrNT-YjELbCudATzH8 

New website for the Prairie to Pine Region of the UCC

Check out the new website for the region at:  https://prairietopinerc.ca