Dear Hillside Family,
The following is a brief update from the deacons and elders as we begin to emerge from the pandemic.
1. Evening services: Given the persistent local public health concerns we have decided to postpone restarting evening services for the time being. We will revisit this in May.
2. Mask Mandate change March 21, 2022: The official mask mandate in Ontario ends as of March 21st. We are still encouraging people to wear their mask at services when walking around or singing to help protect the vulnerable in our midst at least until local case counts of COVID-19 start to drop in our region.
3. Coffee & Tea: We are happy to start to serve coffee and tea between services. We still to need to comply with the current regulations around serving food. Although we are all like sheep and tend to wander, we should stay stationary when our masks are off to drink and be cognisant of social distancing principles. This restriction will likely be lifted by the end of April.
4. Small Group studies: We all miss the opportunity to get together and encourage one another as he have historically done with church dinners. We are however allowed to meet in homes with groups under 50 in number. To provide an opportunity to encourage one another we are anticipating hosting a series of 5 home based bible studies this spring. This would provide an opportunity for several families to gather together around God’s word and encourage one another. The proposal would be for everyone to read a chapter from First John each session and spend sometime in prayer together. Collectively as an assembly we would encourage everyone to read First John over the same time period whether attending or not. This will obviously also provide an opportunity for connection, encouragement and fellowship. If you are interested in attending please email Cora or sign up on the list outside the church office. More information to follow as we determine how many people are comfortable with this option.
In His Service
Hillside Elders and Deacons