Our Response TO COVID-19

As you know, the way we respond to the current COVID-19 infections is changing at a rapid pace... and at the same time, slowing life down substantially for most of us!

On Monday evening, March 15, our Elders met, and together we have come up with the following plan of action:

1) Until further notice, and in keeping with Alberta Health’s guidelines, all SBC events and gatherings are postponed. This includes Small Group meetings at the church, GriefShare, Alpha, Dinner Club, all Southside Chapter House meetings (AA and AlAnon), and all Worship Services.

2) We are encouraging “social distancing” (that phrase that everyone is using these days) as this is the best way to slow the spread of this outbreak. If you are even a little bit unsure, stay home! We strongly recommend you follow the on-going guidelines that the Provincial government and Alberta Health Services are giving.

3) To help facilitate staying in contact, Pastor Pam and Pastor Eric are making use of Facebook Live and ZOOM. On Sunday mornings, at 10:30 am, we will be on Facebook Live with a sermon, some encouragement, and a time of prayer. 

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Starting March 22 on Tuesdays and Thursdays, at 2:00 pm, Pastor Pam and Pastor Eric will take turns streaming a live greeting, a devotional thought, and a prayer time, either on ZOOM. For the ZOOM meeting link, go to our calendar.

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To take part in our Sunday Live stream go to Facebook.com/strathconabaptist. You do not have to have a Facebook account to watch. Either login to Facebook (if you have an account), or click “Not Now” at the bottom of the login page. 

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During a live stream, you are able to comment and react, and see who else is watching. And if you miss the Live broadcast, Facebook archives the video for you to watch at another time. While this certainly is not the same as getting together, during these days, we feel this might become a good “meeting place” for us.

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You don't have to have a ZOOM account to join a meeting. Joining the meeting will automatically download the required software, and will enable you to participate in face-to-face video chat with everyone else. You can also join the meeting by telephone. All of the information is on our calendar.

4) The church office will be officially closed and we will be working from home, though the pastors will be in the office sporadically. Our church phone extensions have been forwarded to our cell phones, so you are still able to reach us.

Church Phone: 780-439-3654

Pastor Pam: Extension 803

Pastor Eric: Extension 804

5) Aaron’s outreach work on Whyte Avenue will continue, based out of the church building. Our homeless neighbours are particularly vulnerable and unsupported during this crisis, so please be in prayer for them, and for Aaron. If you want to encourage, support, or possibly join Aaron, contact him by email.

6) This time is going to be particularly difficult for people who don’t have a lot of connections. How about taking some time each week to give a quick phone call to someone from the church (or from work, or your neighbours) and just see how they are doing? Ask if they need anything, let them know you are praying for them and that you are available. Pastor Pam and Pastor Eric, along with the Elders, are going to be making an effort to stay connected with people during this time, but don’t wait to hear from us: if you want to talk or if you need something, please get in touch! If you need someone to pick up groceries or run errands for you, please call!

7) Just a gentle reminder that the church’s financial needs don’t stop just because we aren’t meeting. Cheques dropped off at the church, or mailed, will be deposited on a regular basis—please don’t drop off cash at the church. We can receive on-line donations on our Donate page. As well, we are set up for Interac E-transfers from your on-line banking app. Send the E-transfer to . We are working on having these automatically accepted, but in the mean time, use "donation" as the answer to the security question.
 

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As this continues to unfold, we will make every effort to keep our whole SBC family informed. To ensure that you receive email updates click here to subscribe to our email list. We will also be keeping this website and our Facebook page up to date. 

Please don’t hesitate to reach out to Pastor Pam, or Pastor Eric, or any of the Elders, with your questions, your prayer requests, if you need help with something, or even if you just need someone to talk with.

We are on this journey together!

Grace & peace,
Pastor Pam and Pastor Eric