We are excited to announce that David Eckmier has accepted a one year contract for the position of Children’s Ministry Coordinator!
He will be joining our staff team immediately. Join us in welcoming David into this role!
We’re participating in the Ride for Refuge on Saturday, September 23.
If you’d like to join our team of walkers or riders you can register here.
If you’re not participating in the Ride, we’d love for you to join us in the Courtyard at 11:30 to cheer on the finishers and enjoy a light lunch with us. You can register your attendance at our lunch here.
Please note, if you are participating in the ride you do NOT need to register for lunch!
It’s All About Jesus
Jesus in John
When all is said and done, at the centre of the Christian faith stands Jesus. He was a profound teacher. He was a miracle worker. He was compassionate, insightful, and wise beyond his years. But Jesus is not just someone from the past for us to reflect on. The four accounts of his life that open the New Testament were written so that we can know him more today!
As we head into the Summer of 2021, our Pastoral Team is making plans to help our Elevation community balance the limitations of pandemic life with some creative opportunities to start connecting in person. Take a look at the schedule below and mark your calendars!
Everything here is subject to change based on local guidelines and provincial restrictions, and more details will be provided in our regular weekly email updates.
July 4 – Long Weekend (no online service—connect with your Neighbours! group, either virtually or in-person)
July 11 – Elevation Livestream and Neighbours! groups
July 18 – Elevation Livestream (plus outdoor Communion at 22 Willow @ 11:30) – No Neighbours! groups
July 25 – Elevation Livestream and Neighbours! groups
August 1 – Long Weekend (no online service or Neighbours! groups —distanced in-person bring-your-own-picnic at 22 Willow 11:30-1:00)
August 8 – Elevation Livestream and Neighbours! groups
August 15 – Elevation Livestream (plus outdoor Communion at 22 Willow @ 11:30) – No Neighbours! groups
August 22 – Elevation Livestream and Neighbours! groups
August 29 – Elevation Livestream and Neighbours! groups
September 5 – Long Weekend (no online service or Neighbours! groups —distanced in-person bring-your-own-picnic at 22 Willow 11:30-1:00)
Our tentative plan is to offer in-person worship alongside our Livestream starting on Sunday, September 12. More details to come!
Many of the provincial and regional COVID protocols and guidelines have been lifted, as well as Trillium’s policies around these restrictions. As the Elevation community, we are striving to create a safe and welcoming environment for all. The following guidelines articulate how we will move forward together:
* Please note that these practices are based on the current provincial and regional guidelines, and are subject to change should those guidelines shift again in the coming weeks or months.
We welcome you to join us Sunday mornings at 9am, as we gather together in-person at 22 Willow St. Waterloo (also home to Trillium Lutheran Church).
Our Sunday morning gatherings typically include a time of worship through song, prayer, sharing in communion, scripture reading and a short sermon. Following our time in the Sanctuary, we then have an opportunity to gather around tables in the gym for a time of discussion with one another around the morning’s theme. Children up to grade 5 are dismissed part way through the service and can be picked up from their classrooms after the discussion time at 10:30am.
Over the summer months, we will be moving our gatherings outside for the long weekends (July 3rd, July 31st and September 4th). Stay tuned for details around location and times.
Many of the provincial and regional COVID protocols and guidelines have been lifted, as well as Trillium’s policies around these restrictions. In following these guidelines, we will be moving forward with these practices in place:
*Please note that these practices are based on the current provincial and regional guidelines, and are subject to change should those guidelines shift again in the coming weeks or months.
We know that KidsQuest is an important part of our return to in-person gathering at 22 Willow. Beginning Sunday May 1st, our kids programming will be in full swing! We’ll be dismissing our kids (up to grade 5) to their KidsQuest program in the second half of the service and parents can pick them up at the end of discussion groups. The nursery will also be open and staffed during this time. We are continuing to encourage our kids (5+) to wear masks indoors during the KidsQuest programming, especially as it will be difficult to ensure physical distancing in these spaces. Parents, although a formal COVID screening will not happen for KidsQuest, we ask you to monitor your children for any symptoms of covid-19 and thank you for keeping them out of programming if they are showing symptoms. We look forward to connecting with some of our youngest Elevation members again!
It is absolutely incumbent on every follower of Christ to know the stories of injustice and pain that their closest neighbors continue to endure. And beyond just Christians, there is a responsibility for every person to know the story of the land they are privileged to call home.
Resources to Educate
At the end of 2011, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada submitted a report on the
history, purpose, operation, and supervision of the residential school system, the effect and
consequences of the system, and its ongoing legacy. The publication of this report can be found here.
In 2015 the Truth and Reconciliation Commission released a call to action to redress the legacy of residential schools and advance the process of Canadian reconciliation. The publication of these 94 calls to action can be found here. Although all of these calls to action are incredibly important, some of the most applicable for our context are in the section titled “Church apologies and Reconciliation” (58-61).
A website has been formed to monitor the progress of the journey towards reconciliation, based on these 94 calls to action. You can follow along in this journey here.
There has been a National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls in Canada. You can find the Executive Summary of the Final Report of this Inquiry here.
The University of Alberta offers a free course on Indigenous History in Canada. This course has 12 lessons and can be completed at your own pace. You can find more information and register for this course here.
The First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada has created a guide to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada in a format that is written especially for children. You can access this guide here.