Letter to St. Peter Congregation

Dear People of St. Peter,

As your church council, we want to inform you of necessary changes to our church lives resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Please share this information with those you may know that don’t have access to email.

As you are likely aware, our Provincial Health leaders have instructed that as of March 17, 2020, mass gatherings are to be limited to no more than 50 attendees, inclusive of places of worship, funerals and weddings. As Albertans, we have been advised that each of us must take all appropriate steps to socially distance ourselves from others during our day-to-day lives, in order to reduce the risks to all of us.

In alignment with this, we have suspended our Sunday morning church services and all other church activities and external bookings. The duration of this is unknown and we will keep you informed as things transpire. We recognize that this will have a significant impact on our church life and the potential for each of us to feel disconnected.

To help us stay connected, we are going to try some alternative methods for Pastor Jonathon to deliver a message on a weekly basis. This will likely evolve with time as we figure out the most effective method to reach each of you. We will start by sending out an email with Pastor’s sermon either as a recording or as a word document, and by mail for those who do not have access to email. We will also be posting Pastor’s sermons on our St. Peter website.

 Pastor Jonathon will be working more from home but will continue to be available by phone or email if you need to contact him. He will be checking the answering machine at the church so please leave a message if you need to connect with him.

Although our church life is changing, we know that many of our church expenses will continue and the need for offerings will also continue. Please consider submitting your regular giving by mail to: St. Peter Lutheran Church, 5712-48 Ave Stettler, AB T0C 2L1.

 As unsettling a time as this is for all of us, we know that God is in control and will show us opportunities for us to share God’s love and promises with those around us and our community that may be struggling.

 Yours in Christ, Nancy Aspenes; Council Chairman