Eastern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada

Member church of the Lutheran World Federation

COVID

Eastern Synod Office Vaccination Policy

Posted: | Filed Under: COVID

Effective November 1, 2021, all employees, contractors, volunteers and visitors to the Eastern Synod Office will be required to provide proof of full vaccination against COVID-19. 

Paper, electronic or QR versions of government issued proof of vaccination will be accepted.

This policy is aligned with the employer’s general duty under the Occupational Health and Safety Act to take every reasonable precaution to protect its workers (broadly defined) and the responsibility to assess the workplace for risks, including that of COVID-19 transmission.

This policy is applied in accordance with the Ontario Human Rights Code, Occupational Health and Safety Act and any other applicable legislation.

The Synod Office Team has now returned to in-office working patterns.
We welcome guests and visitors by appointment only.
We appreciate your ongoing willingness to contact the Synod Office prior to visiting.

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Best Practices for the Safe Resumption of In-Person Worship

Posted: | Filed Under: COVID, News, Spotlight

Dear Colleagues,

Grace and peace be with you!

Attached, please find a document outlining my office’s recommended Best Practices for the Safe Resumption of In-Person Worship. We have created this document in response to the many inquiries we have received these past few weeks from rostered ministers and congregational leaders who are contemplating a resumption of in-person worship.

I recognize that some will receive these recommendations as being unduly restrictive or not restrictive enough. This is understandable given the broad geographical expanse of our synod. I do believe, however, that they are appropriate and responsible.

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COVID-19 Update (Ontario)

Posted: | Filed Under: COVID

Dear Siblings in Ministry, 

As anticipated, Premier Ford and the Medical Officer of Health have announced revised gathering limits for Places of Worship in Step Three of Ontario’s Roadmap to Reopen. 

Effective Friday, July 16 at 12:01am, Places of Worship in the province of Ontario will be permitted to gather for the purposes of religious services, rites or ceremonies including wedding and funeral services at a capacity that permits physical distancing of 2 meters.

This means that the calculations communicated to you in Bishop Pryse’s pastoral letter last week no longer apply to Places of Worship in Step 3. 

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A COVID-19 Update (July 6, 2021)

Posted: | Filed Under: COVID, Spotlight, Uncategorised

Dear colleagues,

In some ways, these early days of July have left me feeling the same as I felt last summer. Once again, many of our congregations are in the process of discerning how, when and if they should plan to resume in-person worship; and what exactly such a resumption ought to look like. Undoubtedly, we engage these questions with a healthy dose of both uncertainty and optimism as we watch case numbers across the territory of our Eastern Synod continue to drop.

First and foremost, allow me to express my deepest gratitude to our Rostered Leaders, Lay Leaders, Musicians, Volunteers and congregations for your continued and faithful commitment to the health, safety, and wellbeing of your neighbours. This has been, is, and will continue to be an act of love and service. I am so proud of our church, and the resilience, creativity and faithfulness with which each of you have navigated this long period of pandemic.

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Pastoral Letter – March 2021

Posted: | Filed Under: COVID, From the Bishop's Desk, Uncategorised

Dear friends in Christ,

Grace and peace be to you from God our father and from our Lord and savior Jesus Christ!

In recent weeks many of us have been contemplating how and when our congregations might return to in-person worship. Some of us have already begun to physically gather. Others are contemplating a return during Holy Week. And many of us are, as yet, unsure as to when we might be able to return to our sanctuaries.

It seems timely, therefore, to reiterate some of the basic principles that I have shared with you in previous communications.

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Worship Resources for Holy Week & Easter

Posted: | Filed Under: COVID, News, Uncategorised

Friends in Christ,

Once again, the Task Force for the Resumption of In-Person Worship has been collaborating with worship leaders across the Eastern Synod to develop resources to support your ministry during Holy Week and the Season of Easter.

Today, we are pleased to share another robust collection with you!

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