Chown Memorial & Chinese United Church May 28, 2020
3519 Cambie Street
Vancouver, BC
V5Z 2W9
Dear Members of the Body of Christ – Chown Memorial & Chinese United Church;
You are being reached out to during this time of Covid-19, to make sure you know you are in our thoughts and prayers.
This letter comes from your elected governing body of CMCUC.
We want to be sure you know ‘where we are” in coping with this crisis.
We also want you to learn how we are working on future plans for how to “be church,” together.
While we are in isolation from our church, we hope you are reaching out to us, especially our ministers, the Rev. Everest Kao and Rev. Judith Stark. Please let Tony Sheir in the church office know if you would like someone to contact you.
Each of us copes and struggles in our own ways….yet we ask ourselves to remember that the Holy Spirit is always with us, to guide and to strengthen us. Thanks be to God!
As you may know, our Board consists of the Chair, Dr. Elisa Yu, the Board Secretary, Kitty Lam Woo, along with Board Members David Kan, Cordelia Ho, Alexandra Choi, Kitty Chow, Peter Liu, Carrie Ye, Kenneth Kong, the Rev. Everest Kao, and the Rev. Judith Stark.
Patsy Seto is our Congregational Chair.
As a faith community of the United Church of Canada, we are functioning within the jurisdiction of the Regional Council. We fall within the territory of the Pacific Mountain Region (PMR) (headquartered in Burnaby.)
By closing our building and worshipping online, we are following the safety recommendations of PHASE ONE of the BC Ministry of Health.
We will enter Phase Two, when the Covid-19 Safety Measures for churches are considered adequate, in accordance with the BC Ministry of Health. This will be announced to us by the Pacific Mountain Region (PMR.)
We are keeping on top of the situation by numerous means, including having one of our clergy members attending weekly PMR Zoom update meetings.
If you are wondering why churches are having to obey stricter guidelines than many other organizations, see this statement below, published in a recent article of Christianity Today:
“The church is a high-risk setting for Covid-19 Transmission (spreading)”
Dr. Daniel Chin, MD, MPH – Global Health Expert, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
In carrying out our duties as your CMCUC Board, you will want to know of the work we have been doing on your behalf.
These volunteer tasks have been performed for the greater good of our church and its congregations – the 11:30am service and Cambie Village Church, as well as our Family Ministry, small group ministries, staff and tenants/renters.
Because our Offering revenues have dropped, we have been working hard to support CMCUC’s financial wellbeing, by:
- Requesting that monthly building costs, such as heat and cleaning be reduced;
- Approving the Property Committee (negotiated) concession with Cambie Montessori Children Centre, asking for a temporary 40% rent reduction…classes should return to normal in the Fall, after which the 40% deferred rent will begin being repaid;
- Reducing CMCUC staffing costs, by applying for both the Federal Government “temporary” wage subsidy of 10%, and the “emergency” wage subsidy of 75%;
- Balancing employee hours to prevent overtime costs;
- Applying for Covid-19 interest-free loan from the Pacific Mountain Region (United Church of Canada) of $10,000;
- Applying for an interest-free $40,000 loan guaranteed by the Federal Government of Canada (with a forgivable $10,000.) This loan is not yet approved – and needs church board and members to contact federal MPs frequently and insistently to promote approval for churches;
- Is working towards forming a small Congregational Safety Team to get ready for: “Stage 2 of United Church of Canada” congregations, to ensure there will be:
- frequent and appropriate cleanliness protocols and actions,
- contamination avoidance protocols and actions, and;
- ongoing tenant/renter monitoring for Covid-19 Safety Measures once it is safe to begin the next Stages of Covid-19 Recommendations;
- Organizing easier and simpler ways for CMCUC members and adherents to increase donations during these difficult times.
We will continue to keep you informed.
In the meanwhile, if you have questions, concerns or ideas to help your church, please contact the leaders of your Board, Dr. Elisa Yu, Chair, Kitty Lam Woo, Board Secretary, or Patsy Seto, Congregational Chair.
You are always in our prayers, as we continue to worship together online, from the safety of our homes.
Please continue to stay well, and to pray for our church and its beloved members.
May the Peace of Christ be with you!
Elisa Yu Patricia Seto
Dr. Elisa Yu Patricia Seto
Board Chair Congregational Chair
慈恩紀念華人協和聯合教會 May 28, 2020
3519 Cambie Street
Vancouver, BC
V5Z 2W9
各位慈恩紀念華人協和聯合教會親愛的會眾：
在新冠狀病毒的這段時間，要與您保持聯繫，以確保您知道自己在我們的思念和祈禱中。
這封信來自您推選的慈恩紀念華人協和聯合教會管理架構。
我們希望確保您在應對這場危機時知道「我們處境應對」。
我們還希望您了解我們如何共同製定「教會」的未來計劃。
當我們與教會隔離時，我們希望您與我們聯繫，特別是我們的牧師高一峯牧師和Judith Stark牧師。如果您希望有人與您聯繫，請告知教堂辦公室的佘雪明弟兄(Tony Sheir)。
我們每個人都以自己的方式應對和奮鬥。但是，我們要記住，聖靈常常與我們同在，引導和增添我們的力量。感謝上帝！
如您所知，我們堂會主席于桂琴醫生、書記胡林潔怡、董事會成員簡潤威、何麗姚、黎倩儀、鄒潔玉、廖勝群、葉柒英、江俊樺、高一峯牧師和Judith Stark牧師。
我們教友大會主席司徒翠霞:
作為加拿大聯合教會的信實的群體，我們在聯合教會議會的管轄範圍內運作，我們屬於太平洋山區（PMR）（總部位於本那比）的地區。我們暫停在敎堂建築物聚會，改為在線直播崇拜，我們遵循卑詩省衛生部第一階段的安全建議。
我們將進入第二階段，根據卑詩省衛生部的指引，我們現時針對新冠狀病毒教堂安全措施就，是合乎摽準的。更新資訊將由太平洋山區（PMR。）向我們宣布。我們通過多種方式掌握最新情況，包括讓我們其中的神職人員，參加每週的PMR 視像會議。
如果您想知道為什麼教堂必須比其他許多組織遵守更嚴格的準則,請參閱下面發表在《今日基督教》最近一篇文章中的以下聲明：
“ 教堂是新冠狀病毒傳遞（傳播）的高風險場所 “
醫學博士，MPH-比爾和梅琳達·蓋茨基金會全球衛生專家。
在履行作為慈恩紀念華人協和聯合教會堂會的職責時，您希望了解我們代表您所做的工作。這些義務的委員，為了我們的教會及其教會的更大利益–午堂11:30的主日崇拜和甘比村早堂主日崇拜，以及我們的家庭事工、小組事工、職工和租客/住戶。
由於我們的奉獻收捐下降，我們一直在努力支持慈恩紀念華人協和聯合教會財務狀況的健康運作，應對是：
1.減少每月的教堂建築物的支出費用，例如暖氣和清潔費用；
2.批准教會物業管理委員會與蒙特梭利學前教育中心達成的協議（協商），暫時減少40％的租金…課程應在秋季恢復正常，此後將開始償還40％的遲延租金；
3.通過申請聯邦政府10％的「臨時」工資補貼和75％的「緊急」工資補貼，降低慈恩紀念華人協和聯合教會的支出；
4.調整平衡員工工作時間，以消除超時工作支出；
5.向太平洋山區（加拿大聯合教會）申請新冠狀病毒無息貸款10,000元；
6.申請由加拿大聯邦政府擔保的免息40,000加元貸款（其中免還10,000加元）。該貸款尚未獲得批准-需要堂會及成員，繼續常常、堅持聯繫聯邦國會議員表達意願，以促進政府批準對教會的貸款；
7.正在努力組建一個教會安全專責小組，為「加拿大聯合教會第二階段」的教會應對做好準備，以確保：
- 經常且適當的清潔規程和措施，
- 避免污染的協議和措施；以及
- 一旦可以安全地開始下一階段的時候，對教會的租客/用戶，實行新冠狀病毒安全措施，進行持續有效的監控；
8 在這些困難時期，為慈恩紀念華人協和聯合教會會眾和參加者，提供更簡單的方法來接受及增加捐款。
我們將繼續為您提資訊更新。
同時，如果您有任何疑問，疑慮或想法可以幫助您的教會,請聯繫堂會主席于桂琴醫生（Elisa Yu）、書記胡林潔怡、 或教友大會主席：司徒翠霞。
當我們現在因著家庭安全的的緣故，繼續一起在綱上直播崇拜敬拜聚會時，您常常在我們的禱告紀念中。
請繼續保持安康，並為我們的教會及各被深愛的成員不住祈禱。
願基督的平安與你同在！
|
Dr. Elisa Yu |
Patricia Seto |
|
堂會主席：于桂琴醫生 |
教友大會主席：司徒翠霞 |
慈恩紀念華人協和聯合教會