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    OUR IN-PERSON WORSHIP SERVICES ARE SUSPENDED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE. 

    WE WILL HAVE OUR SERVICE STREAMING ON SUNDAY MORNING AT 10AM ON OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL 

    ALL OTHER CHURCH FELLOWSHIP ACTIVITIES ARE ALSO SUSPENDED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.

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    See our Services Live and recorded on our YouTube page here https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_U3hp7Aqns_YteoqK06-Ag


    Hello Congregation: 

    I hope you are safe and well. I was just speaking with my grandchildren on the telephone and asking how they were doing. All three of them were animated and describing some very constructive activities. I was pleased to hear that. That said - they are definitely looking forward to resuming normal life. This is a difficult time for people of all ages. Prayer is a gift for us to communicate with our loving God who gives comfort, strength and peace in difficult times such as this.

    We are blessed to have the technology to provide worship services online.  I want to thank all of you for your encouraging responses on the worship services. We are thankful for the work done by our staff and the technical support by Lliam Buckley to make this happen. As children of God, the worship service is an important way for us to stay connected as a body of Christ. The OPC staff is also diligently working in providing ministry and connection with the congregation in other creative ways. 

    If you know of anyone who does not have access online and would like a copy of the sermons sent to them by mail, please be in touch with Kathy MacDonald our office administrator at: (519) 471-2290 Ext. 221. Or email Kathy at kmacdonald@oakridge.london.on.ca.

    Wilma Boyce, our pastoral care coordinator has coordinated with our pastoral care connectors and other volunteers from the congregation in calling you and asking if there is anything anyone needs.  Please feel free to call the church (we pick up our message remotely) if you need anything or you know of anyone else in need, or you wish to chat. We are here to help and support one another. This pandemic is a problem and our potential for connection is limited, but we are richly blessed with the resource of the telephone, email and social media to communicate. Thanks be to God!

    This Sunday is Palm Sunday. This is a Sunday when the children, teachers, and others from the congregation, wave around Palm branches. Next week is Holy week, as we make our way to the cross. The day when Jesus died, Good Friday, will also be a time of worship of which we can participate online as well (www.oakridgechurch.ca). Then on Easter Sunday, April 12th, the high point of the church year, we celebrate Jesus’ resurrection and what that means. We will also celebrate communion in this Easter service. If you like, you can prepare the elements of bread and wine (grape juice) and when I lead you in the celebration of communion in the online service we can eat and drink the elements together! In preparation, I will also announce the communion in the online service this Sunday.

    In terms of financial giving to OPC during the church closure, the giving portal was not working early in the week, but it is working well now (on the home page please see the ‘Donate’ button). We are in the process of setting up an additional mechanism on the website for giving. More details to follow. In-person services are suspended until further notice.

    Here are notes from the session meeting held last Monday, March 30, 2020.

    1. Session met on Monday, March 30, using Zoom video-conferencing software for the first time. It worked remarkably well, with most of us being able to overcome the technical hurdles. We will be meeting in this fashion for the foreseeable future.

    2. The Session – Staff visioning retreat planned for late May will almost certainly be postponed, possibly to sometime next fall.

    3. The Annual Meeting scheduled for Sunday afternoon April 5 is officially postponed until sometime in May. If, as now seems likely, we are unable to safely hold it then or in the very near future afterwards, we will cancel the meeting for this year and hold it by e-mail. Fuller details will follow.

    4. Sunday donations, while noticeably less than normal, are increasing each week, and for this we give thanks. Please continue your efforts in this regard.

    5. The Finance and Technology Team are working hard to deal with our current financial difficulties.  In addition to the financial concerns around Covid-19, the YMCA ESL (English Second Language) program will discontinue at OPC after June 30, 2020.  The YMCA has provided our largest rental income and we are thankful for that. However, the implications are that OPC will lose ½ of expected income from the YMCA in the second half of this year.  The Session and Finance team have been working diligently on this. Further details will appear in a special edition of the Oak Leaf which will be sent out to you by April 9. 

    6. Dave Buckley’s last Sunday with us as Music Director will be June 28.

    7. Staff is working hard to continue their duties, mostly working from home and using the internet.

    8. Currently, we have 366 Total Families, 411 Total members, and 164 Total Adherents.

    With faith in Christ,

    Blessings.

    Pastor Ed
    Lead Minister
    (519) 471-2290 Ext. 222 
    ehoekstra@oakridge.london.on.ca
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    Important message from Rev. Ed

     

    Hello Congregation, 

    Greetings to all of you at this unusual time in our community and in the world. However, life does not stop, but we move forward with confident faith in Christ who will provide what we need. We are approaching the 5th Sunday of Lent where we gather, though not physically but definitely still connected on-line for all ages as a body of Christ (see the church website:  www.oakridgechurch.ca. I am so grateful that we have the technology to make this happen. Thanks be to our loving and faithful God!
     
    Our church building will remain closed until further notice. At this time the government directive is for two weeks. It will be re-evaluated when we get closer to that deadline.
     
    Though the building is closed for the time being, the congregation is reaching out through telephone calls, texts, the church website and social media. Much is happening in terms of making connections and offering support to one another. We give thanks for the love and friendship which has become even more apparent in OPC congregation.

    Please note that every Sunday, you will find the worship service on the website. 
    Just click the link on the OPC homepage and you will be directed to the YouTube video. Please check the website regularly for updates. The worship service for this coming Sunday will be posted on the website at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday, March 29th.
    (Last Sunday's message is available on the website to watch. To get to the website go to:  www.oakridgechurch.ca

    If you would like to call to talk; or you need help with groceries or help with something else, please do not hesitate to make contact with myself (Rev. Ed) at (519) 471-2290 ext. 222 or Wilma Boyce (Pastoral Care staff member) at (519) 471-2290 ext. 225. All the OPC staff have access to their church telephone messages from their home. Please feel free to call.
     
    We have a number of congregants making calls and helping those who need assistance during this time of the coronavirus pandemic. As the body of Christ, we are helping one another by praying for one another; communicating with each other and offering help where needed.

    If you have any comments or concerns, please do not hesitate to call (see telephone number above) or email Rev. Ed at: ehoekstra@oakridge.london.on.ca

    The Lord is my light and my salvation;
        whom shall I fear?
    The Lord is the stronghold of my life;
        of whom shall I be afraid? Psalm 27: 1

    Peace in Christ.
    Rev. Ed Hoekstra, 
    Lead Minister,
    Oakridge Presbyterian Church
    519-471-2290 ext 222 

     

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    Welcome!

     

    We want to share the Good News about Christ.  To show a desire for faith to come alive in reaching out in the name of Christ to the local community, the greater London community and to the world.

    We would love you to join us.

    God Bless you.

    OPC Corona virus (Covid 19) announcement:

    Some of you may have further questions about Oakridge Presbyterian Church's response to the coronavirus (Covid 19). We will provide updates as a notification here on our website about the actions we are taking to keep our congregants, staff and guests informed.

     

    a) OPC has a policy to guide us in circumstances such as the current serious situation regarding the corona virus and this policy has been reviewed and updated by two of our members with experience in these matters

    b) One of the core actions in this policy is that OPC has established a short term action-oriented committee to ensure OPC folks are informed, prevention measures are in place and we are prepared to be of assistance to our members and our community in the event this epidemic becomes more widespread.

    c) this Emergency Response Committee has been finalized and has already met to continue this work. The committee will report back to the congregation regularly and through our website.


    The risk remains low, yet it is important that the congregation is aware of the steps taken by the session and staff towards prevention.

    Pastor Ed's Blog

    Donations

    We have a number of available ways to support what we do here at OPC.  Click below to donate online.
     

    Contact Us

    970 Oxford St. W.
    London ON N6H 1V4
    Phone: (519) 471 2290

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