Covid taught the importance of communication

 

As more time passed we were determined to get creative in worship so sometimes the monkey mail was simple with a request of the people

Happy Monday to you all

We have had great feed back on the service and that it is uplifting BUT we have  not included the words for the hymns.  Never fear that will be rectified for this weeks service, (not a recorded service this week though) and we will endeavour to include the words for the recorded pieces as well.

Doug has a request.  If you are willing please submit a picture of you sitting, eating doing and activity (your choice) and submit it for inclusion at the end of the service that we record.  By submitting a picture you are agreeing to a media release for its inclusion.  If you have concerns we simply ask that you not send anything in.

The pictures need to be submitted to Doug by Friday May 1, by email. We are looking forward to "seeing you at the service"  as we continue to get creative in the ways we connect with one another.

Have a wonderful day and lets get those pictures emailed!!!

Then I realized that the mailings had become much more chatty in style and people enjoyed hearing about my somewhat boring daily events! Yes they included practical information about the service for that Sunday (occasionally) but for the most part it was a reminder of the “regular” bits of life too.

Hi Everyone
I had expected to have the news letter to you but I am still awaiting reports, so this is a not so gentle nudge to the Parish executive to get those reports done and emailed.

It is Saturday May 2, and 27 years ago it was a very different kind of day as my ordination to the diaconate took place with 7 others. We were lined up like we were on an assembly line and three bishops hovering over us, staffs in hand ready to hook us back if we decided to make a run for it! And yes I am sure I have pictures of the event somewhere!!

This was not a week that we recorded at the church but we do have a few treats in the service for you.
The Reverend Tim Sale created a beautiful reflective offering for all of us and the link is right at the beginning of the service for you to enjoy and let set the tone for you, or you can use it separately.

Our Sermon this week is by the Reverend Canon Mary Lysecki and I do hope you enjoy Mary's words to all of us.
The blog has been published so you can now access this week's service kjlaldin.blogspot.com

An Invitation to all of you as well, if someone would like to contribute to the service with the prayers or a reflection I am happy to use the material. There are an incredible number of creative and thoughtful people in the congregation and I am happy to have you share your gifts  with all of us. Your prayers etc have to be typed and emailed to me though so there is a catch!

And to our young people, I realize in the midst of all of this you may very well feel overlooked and ignored and for that I apologize. I would like you to write me either by email or snail mail and let me know how you are doing. If you would like to include a drawing, something you have written or just a picture of you then I would love to have it and "see"you. If it is artwork of some kind I will use them to jazz up these boring old emails from me. If you plan to use snail mail you have the option of using the office address or you can let me know and I will send you my home address.

I hope you are all well, thank you to those who have called to check how I am doing, I thought that was so sweet. If you haven't thought of it don't feel bad, we are doing fine.

And today's artwork above was by children in a neighbourhood driveway that Aslan and I saw on one of our many walks

Enjoy your weekend, stay safe

Karen

The Birth of our Monkey Mail

 

In 2020 with the advent of Covid, I foolishly thought that within a few weeks it would all be over.  I was newly arrived at my current congregation of St. Paul Fort Garry.  Little did any of us know just how long the pandemic would last, how the shutdown would affect everyone and how we would get through the whole thing with a community still intact and connected during that time.

A conversation with a friend introduced me to the mail chimp.  It would import the parish contact list from an excel file, bonus to not have to type in every name and address.  This made working from home easier to bear. Now add to the dimension that I could never remember the name of the forum, jokingly referred to it as the monkey mail and the moniker stuck.  The monkey mail continues long after the relative safety and return to some semblance of normal life.

During this period my blog did not get added to on a regular basis, in fact it was rarely added to at all.  A period when many people thought, especially clergy, would have lots of time on their hands became a period of being even busier.  So I am now going to attempt to compile the pieces that I wrote to the parish during that time and hopefully you will be as entertained as they were on occasion.

My first few mailings were pretty dismal.  They were very basic to let people know that we were going to use this forum and where people could find services to utilize at home in the comfort and safety of their bubble.  Remember I thought this would be ending quickly.  But the days turned into weeks, months and years! 

That first Holy week the music director, her father and I safely distanced and pre recorded a service for the people of the congregation to share in at home, the message they received:

Happy Easter!
In Newfoundland we'd say "We t'ree be'n at it ag'in"  so here is the link to the Easter Sunday Service, don't forget if you want to prepare a paschal candle (1 Candle, 5 Nails or push pins) then we sort of show you  how in  the service but it is definitely explained in the blog.  

We included a video link here and I am not sure if it is still working

Again the video has been embedded in the blog so that you can also participate in the service but if you just want to sit and listen that is perfectly fine too.  Oh, the address just in case you have forgotten where to find said blog is kjlaldin.blogspot.com.  (Before all this started I had to look that address up every time, but now my fingers just go to the keys!)

And in case you are interested in knowing there really has been only the three of us in the building, Rachel is not just musically talented but shoots all the video and then Doug compiles it into what you receive.  They both do an awesome job with the finished product.

So, with no further a do, have a blessed Easter renewed with the hope and the joy of the Resurrection, and let your candles shine so that they reflect that hope in the world.

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Some of the weekly mailings were simply items about finances, the kitchen renovation (yes we did a campaign to renovate the kitchen at this time), the constant care calling committee updates, tree pruning and such practical things that continued because apparently trees and lawns still needed care and did not get a covid memo to stop growing.

And then other weeks the mailing opened up to this:

It's been two weeks since my... last email, almost seems like the beginning of a confession.  Yes. it has indeed been that long. 

Doug, Rachel and I have made a kind of commitment to have a service recorded for you every two weeks. The bishop offers a live service every Sunday Morning.  (The information for the link was included in the news to know.)  As with previous services you have the option of going on to the blog that I write and having the written service in front of you as you watch from home in a comfy chair.  So without further ado everything can be found on the blog at kjlaldin.blogspot.com or it you prefer just the youtube link it is
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qp_WZ2BbTk8&feature=youtu.be

Happy Watching and "WE T' REE" hope that you enjoy this worship experience
and a word of caution the executive of the parish plan to use this medium to send you an update later this week about the parish, so you won't go so long in hearing from me (and missing me too much)

And before I forget, a big thank you to those who send us notes about the services. We are happy to hear from you and know that not only are you doing ok but that this is helping you with your worship time.

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And so the monkey mail was born and definitely grew in the congregation as we learned to be creative in worship, learned new ways in how we did worship, and learned how to  keep people connected to community.