April 24th, 2020
Welcome to another week, and another Deacons’ Corner! Our new way of life has been in place for over a month now. You may find as time goes on that this is getting tougher. Loneliness, anxiety, sadness, and boredom may be some of the things you are feeling during this time of self-isolation and physical distancing. Please know you are not alone in this!
In Romans 8:38 we read,
“For I am convinced
that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,neither the present nor the future,
nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation,
will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
We hope that you feel God’s love through this tough time and remember that not even a global pandemic can separate us from His love.
There are many ways to spread joy and God’s love during this time, and we encourage that you serve (if able) and allow yourself to be served. This can be done in the simplest of ways - double up your meal prep and bring your second portion to a family down the street, create a jar of blessings to remind yourself and your family of what you can be thankful for even in the midst of a pandemic, make a donation to a local organization who is in need, or simply call someone who may feel extra isolated. If you have any other suggestions on ways to help or bring joy to others, or if you yourself require any assistance, please feel free to let us know by e-mailing deacons@mountainviewcrc.org.
Grimsby Benevolent Fund
Mountainview is happy to partner with the Grimsby Benevolent Fund (GBF) and have recently received an update from their Executive Director, Stacy Elia. She has advised that the GBF is faithfully serving our community, having had over 750 visits in the month of March alone! As their retail store cannot be open, their revenues are down, and as such, they are relying more and more on donations.
The GBF has a campaign currently called “FEED Hope”. Stacy is asking that we encourage our members and the community to donate their loose change in support of this campaign. This is a great way to make a difference and can be a fun way to get your children involved. If boredom sets in, or working from home has been difficult and you need an activity to occupy your child(ren) while you make that Zoom call, have your child decorate a can, jar or container and fill with your loose change. This jar of monetary blessings can then be dropped off at the GBF during business hours to bless others.
As a reminder, there are other ways to support the GBF as outlined previously, including donating online by visiting their website, or by mailing a cheque to:
40 Elm Street; PO Box 231; Grimsby, ON, L3M 4G3
Food donation bins can be found at all local grocery stores or outside of the GBF retail building from Monday - Friday.
Thank you once again for your willingness to partner with us in our support of this organization.
Faithful Giving
We understand that in these difficult times, not everyone is in a position to give any offerings for the church budget and/or the organizations that our church supports through our offerings. If you have been blessed and are able to give to assist in meeting our monthly budget obligations, here are some of the ways you can do so:
E-transfer directed to treasurer@mountainviewcrc.org with the word “Budget” in the message field, and/or the name of the organization to which you’d like to direct your donation.
PAR - an amount of your choosing can be automatically withdrawn from your bank account on a monthly basis.
Mail - please mail any cheques to the church address: 290 Main Street East, Grimsby, ON, L3M 1P8
Bridge App - this app has a donation function to make a donation by credit card.
Our weekly offering schedule can be accessed on our website under Weekly Update > Offerings. You can mail cheques to the Church for these organizations (place a note in the memo section), or look into that organization’s online giving options.
Technology Concerns
We recognize that many of our members might not have access to our e-mail blast, or to the technology to view our services online. We would be happy to make arrangements to deliver a DVD copy of our service to anyone who has this need. This would be done safely and in keeping with our government’s guidelines on social distancing.
If you know of someone who may require a DVD copy or any of the information from our newsletter, please e-mail deacons@mountainviewcrc.org and we will ensure that arrangements are made to keep your loved one connected!