For further info about upcoming events at First CRC of Toronto, visit our Facebook page "Life At First CRC".  Check us out at www.facebook.com/LifeatFirst.  This is a place where special events at First CRC, reflections and other postings relevant to our community cah be shared with one another.

PLEASE NOTE: The church building is closed for the duration of the COVID -19 crisis. 
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Update from Pastor Thyra

Thursday, April 9, 2020

Hello First Church!

I do hope that you are all well, holding up, in this challenging time.  We find ourselves in the middle of Holy Week, in the middle of a pandemic, trying to figure out what it all means for us and how to move forward.  I have again been so encouraged by all of you. I do hope that you feel the same way. This week I heard someone say: “We’re not socially distancing, we’re physically distancing.  Socially we need each other even more in these times!” I couldn’t agree more. We are the church in extraordinary circumstances and I'm encouraged by the extraordinary things that are happening here.

GOOD FRIDAY: I am looking forward to celebrating Good Friday tomorrow, and I hope you’ll all be able to join.  We’ll start at 7:30 on a zoom call. After a couple minutes of welcome and instruction we will dive into our Good Friday liturgy (it’s attached here, and I’ll send it again tomorrow so you can follow along!).  Thanks to everyone who has agreed to help out. There will be lots of voices involved as we mark this important day together.

Time: Friday, 7:30pm

Place: Zoom (link to connect will come to you in your email inbox shortly before 7:30 Friday)

What you need: A stone for each member of the family and one candle per family

EASTER SUNDAY: On Sunday morning we will again send out an audio service in an email ready for you to listen to at 10:30am.  My hope is that we can altogether listen to that service at once. At 11:30 we will have a Zoom call which will be an extension of that service.  We will begin that call by celebrating communion together through zoom. I’ll attach the Easter Communion Liturgy to the Sunday morning email and we’ll walk through it together.  When it is time to take the elements, I hope you can have some bread and juice or wine ready at your homes.

Time: 10:30am audio service, 11:30am zoom call

Place: email or bridge app with an audio service link, zoom call (link to connect will come in the 10:30am email Sunday morning)

What you need: bread (or crackers), juice (or wine), and flowers (on clothes, in hand, made of paper).

I’m also attaching a lovely Reflection written by Lucy Van Wyk.  It might just be the perfect thing for struggling in the middle of a pandemic, in the middle of Holy Week.  Thank you to Lucy for sharing.

If you have any questions or concerns about any of the above please don't hesitate to reach out!

I look forward to seeing all of your lovely faces on my computer screen over the next few days.  Wishing you joy in unexpected places this week. In blooming flowers, the smell of rain, a laugh with friends or family, a bird song through your window.

Praying for each of you.

God bless you and keep you!

-Thyra

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