January 10th, 2021

Welcome to 2021,
the year of our Lord!

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ,
the new creation has come:
The old has gone, the new is here”
2 Corinthians 5:17

A new year is here and I’m sure some (if not all) of us are praying it is significantly better than 2020.  Regardless of what 2021 brings, we can take comfort in knowing that God is with us through every high and every low.  His son’s sacrifice means we have hope of a new creation.  May the Lord bless you and keep you this year.

Member Assistance

With the lockdown in place, you may find yourself in a situation where you need additional assistance.  The Deacons wish to remind you that we are here to assist.  If you or someone in your neighbourhood is in quarantine, or needs help getting groceries or prescriptions, please let us know!  Simply contact your neighbourhood deacon, email deacons@mountainviewcrc.org or contact jendejonge@hotmail.com.  We trust that God will continue to guide us and keep us safe and healthy through this difficult time.

Refugee Family

As you may recall from our December congregational meeting, we provided a brief update as to the status of the refugee family that Mountainview is sponsoring through World Renew.

To provide a refresher as to the process thus far, in July 2018 we were approached about sponsoring another Karen family, the Tooe family. They are relatives of the previous family we sponsored, and are also friends of our co-sponsor, Semula Horlings. The family consists of the mother, four sons, and three daughters. The family fled Burma, where the military attacked and burned various sites in addition to unspeakable crimes committed against the women.  The Tooe family has been living in Mae La Oon Thailand Refugee Camp. In September 2018, the Deaconate agreed to pursue sponsorship of the family.  We were originally anticipating their arrival in February or March of 2020, however, the pandemic prevented the move to Canada from happening.

There has been absolutely no progress in this sponsorship, which should come as no surprise to any of us, with where we stand today with the global pandemic.

Their interviews were completed in March of 2020, the application is firmly in place, and all that is needed are the medicals and security checks.  When government/Immigration Canada restrictions are lifted and international travel can occur once again, we hope that the process can continue.

Further updates will be provided as more information is known.  We look forward to welcoming this family and pray that this will happen soon, given all this family has and continues to endure in their current circumstances.  

Stay tuned for our next Deacons’ Corner on February 7, 2021