Eastern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada

Member church of the Lutheran World Federation

Adam Snook

All The Colors of Christmas

Posted: | Filed Under: Spotlight

We are pleased to share a very special project with you today, that we hope will be useful to you as we enter into these final days of Advent and prepare for the season of Christmas.

All The Colors of Christmas is a book that my assistants and I have enjoyed reading and sharing with those we love over these past few weeks. At a time when so very much is unfamiliar to us, this book reminds us of the unchanging promise that comes to us anew each Christmas.

We have so enjoyed this book, that we reached out to the publisher who has granted us permission to record a reading of this story and reproduce it’s artwork for use in mediated worship across the Eastern Synod and ELCIC.

This video is now available on our YouTube Channel, across our Social Media platforms, and will be available to download through the BOX Resource Library for Worship Leaders.

Please feel free to use this video in your mediated worship services, share with your congregations, use it as a bedtime story with your loved ones. Perhaps it might even be used in place of a sermon on the First Sunday of Christmas!

Blessings to you, dear friends. Please know that I, and my assistants, continue to hold you in prayer. May God bless you and keep you as you prepare to experience the good news with joy and gladness!

Bishop Michael

Ordination Information (Sherry Coman & Jordan Smith)

Posted: | Filed Under: Uncategorised

Watch The Ordination Service

The Ordination of Sherry Coman & Jordan Smith will be held on Monday, December 14, 2020 at 2pm.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, Bishop Michael Pryse cordially invites you to gather virtually for the mediated Ordination Worship Service which will be livestreamed on the Eastern Synod Facebook Page.

A Worship Guide can be downloaded HERE.

Clergy who would like to show their collegial support are invited to take a photo of themselves in red vestments, and post it in the comments on our facebook page. These photos will be collected, and provided to Sherry and Jordan as a keepsake! Alternatively, they can be emailed to ctubbs@elcic.ca or ezehr@elcic.ca.

Please continue to pray for Sherry and Jordan, and the ministries to which they have been called.

Third Sunday of Advent

Posted: | Filed Under: Uncategorised

Today we celebrate the Second Sunday of Advent.

Many of us across the Eastern Synod are unable to gather in our usual ways to mark this season of hope-filled anticipation.

But we are united, in the one body of Christ . No matter where we find ourselves this morning – God is with us!

And so, whether you’re gathering for in-person or mediated worship – we invite you to pause with your siblings in ministry across the Synod (the church, and the world) as we join our hearts together and continue our Advent journey!

+ Response (Rev. Dr. Elaine Boone)

Today we light the candle of joy. This year we have prayed for joy. This year we have prayed in joy: That water became cleaner and the air fresher. That new life has begun. That in dark we re-discovered what is important. Today we pray with joy. We know God is with us in moments of joy and sadness. We know God is with us.

+ Advent Candle Lighting (Advent 3)

Lead Us Towards Christ was composed by Trevor Hicks Compositions, and is recorded and shared with permission.

+ Readings (Advent 3)

Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11; Luke 1:46b-55; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24; John 1:6-8, 19-28

+ Prayer (Evangelical Lutheran Worship)

Stir up the wills of your faithful people, Lord God, and open our ears to the words of your prophets, that, anointed by your Spirit, we may testify to your light; through Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen

Second Sunday of Advent

Posted: | Filed Under: Uncategorised

Today we celebrate the Second Sunday of Advent.

Many of us across the Eastern Synod are unable to gather in our usual ways to mark this season of hope-filled anticipation.

But we are united, in the one body of Christ. No matter where we find ourselves this morning – God is with us!

And so, whether you’re gathering for in-person or mediated worship – we invite you to pause with your siblings in ministry across the Synod (the church, and the world) as we join our hearts together and we continue our Advent journey!

+ Response (Rev. Dr. Elaine Boone)

Today we light the candle of peace. This year we have prayed for peace. This year we have prayed in peace: That people will find common ground. That nations will stop harming their citizens. That the doomsday clock will go backward, not forward. Today we pray with peace! We know God is with us in moments of peace and unrest. We know God is with us.

+ Advent Candle Lighting (Advent 2)

Lead Us Towards Christ was composed by Trevor Hicks Compositions, and is recorded and shared with permission.

+ Readings (Advent 2)

Isaiah 40:1-11; Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13; 2 Peter 3:8-15a; Mark 1:1-8

+ Prayer (Rev. Doug Reble)

Eternal God, who comes to us again and again through the marvels of nature, in the person of Jesus, through the voice of conscience, and through your Spirit that dwells within us. Make us receptive during these days of Advent to your still, small voice that calls us from childishness to childlikeness, from fear to faith, from greed to generosity, and from a life that is self-centered to one that is centered in you, the Ground of our Being. For we want our lives to reflect the spirit of the one whose birth will soon be celebrated. In Christ’s name. Amen.

Guidelines to Hold Congregational Annual E-Meetings

Posted: | Filed Under: COVID

The 2020 COVID-19 pandemic has forced congregations to consider alternatives to in person meetings when holding annual and congregational meetings. Whether holding an in person meeting, an electronic meeting, or no meeting at all, this document outlines a number of guidelines and things to consider as congregations plan for those events. At the same time, it also does not pretend to be a “how-to” process of holding a congregational meeting; as each congregation has its own traditions and practices, there is no “one size fits all.”

An electronic meeting may also be referred to as an online, virtual, or e-meeting. A meeting that is held where members are present both in person and by electronic means is known as a hybrid meeting.

Our congregations exist in four provinces, and include those incorporated federally or provincially, and those not incorporated. In addition, each province has its own public health and governmental authorities related to pandemic and emergency situations. Each congregation needs to keep abreast of the pandemic regulations in its own region, so that, for example, it knows the limits for how many people may gather indoors/outdoors for a meeting, while at the same time keeping in mind the space needed for physical distancing (among a number of other factors to consider).

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