Hopefully, you are enjoying a bit of a cooler week after the last several days of a heat wave here in Southern Ontario.  There were a few days where I can say I felt cooler being in Florida last November (and it was hot) than being here last week!

I wanted to take this time to give you an update of what has been going on here at HMC the last little bit, and what you can look forward to.

The summer holidays continue!

As the summer rolls on, more of our staff will be using up their yearly vacation time.

Just a reminder that regardless of which pastor may be away, the pastoral care line is always on and will be answered.  If you have an urgent need and are in need of a pastor, you can always call 519-379-1752.

For the next two weeks:

Pastor Amos will be away from July 18th through to Aug 2nd

Pastor Kristina will be away from July 20th through to Aug 2nd

Pastor Lyndsay will be gone from July 20th through Aug 18th.

I (Pastor Dave) will be in the office and can be reached for any concerns of a pastoral nature.  Marie and Alanna will also both be working.

‘Flat Jesus’

A couple weeks ago, you should have received our summer mailing with the Flat Jesus weekly family activity.  It has been great to see so many of our families taking the challenges every week and posting pictures of you doing those challenges!  Keep the pictures coming, and keep sharing Jesus with our community!

If you have not received this mailing, please contact the church office as we may not have your address, and we would be happy to send one your way.

Summer video surprise!

Every Wednesday at 7pm, make sure you go to our facebook page for a surprise video each week.  The first two Wednesdays have been great, and we have many more great videos in store for you this summer.  Check it out!

SummerSlam is here, and will be back!!!

What is summer without SummerSlam at HMC?  Even a pandemic can’t stop it.  This year we are going digital with summer slam.  Go to summerslam.online for information and to register.  The first week of SummerSlam is just wrapping up, but for those of you who missed it, or you want to do SummerSlam a second time around (and trust me, you might just want to), we are running it again in August (10-14th).  Sign up online.

Missions Highlight

Every two weeks, we want to highlight a different missionary for you to be praying for.

This week we highlight our very own Wes and Brenda Dyck.   Wes and Brenda serve with Ethnos and the Durham location, teaching and preparing future missionaries and their families for going into missions around the world.

They are requesting prayer for the upcoming fall semester.  As some of you are aware, for the first year in many, Ethnos did not have new students entering the program this last year.  This upcoming fall, there is a lot of interest, and there have been many who signed up.  Yet with the reality of COVID, some plans may have been changed.  Many of the students come here from the USA and may not be able to attend due to the border shutdown.  As well, how the training is delivered may have to change to suit some of the unique needs that are present.

Thanks for your prayer support, and I know they would always welcome a phone call or an email to reach out!

Giving update

Thanks to everyone who has been helping HMC by giving, even during this shut down.  We are thankful and amazed how God continues to provide for us.

As I mentioned in my last update, with summer coming, giving levels traditionally drop, and the present situation has not helped.  June was the tightest month on record since COVID hit. While up to this point, we have been able to pay our bills, we are meeting our bills because ministry is not costing what it normally does.

In order for us to continue to fund the ministry that we are doing (and that so many of you have reached out to us to tell us that you have appreciated), would you please consider, as you are able and God leads, to give to the ministry here at HMC?

As mentioned in the past email, we do have the ability to accept giving by E-transfer.

Please send your e-transfer to bookkeeper@hanovermissionary.com

If you have any questions, feel free to contact Cory Bezeau at the same address.  He can help you with any questions you have.

When is HMC going to re-open?

First of all, thank you to all of those who responded and gave feedback through email or by phone to the surveys that were sent out a couple weeks ago.  I personally appreciated being able to find out where you are at as we contemplate future in person ministry at HMC.

With much of Ontario presently being in stage 3, our province has begun to open up on many various fronts.  More freedom has been given around gatherings in our province, and with that has come the question “when will it be safe to re-open our doors for Sunday gatherings?”

We are aware that there are many in our congregation who can not connect to our digital online Sunday services or activities.  We are also aware that there are many who can not watch the services on Wightman Channel 6.  We are also aware of the effect on mental and emotional health that not being able to connect in person has had for some.

This is why, in addition to our HMCdigital platform that we will continue to offer and expand upon, we are looking at re-opening our building specifically for Sunday worship gatherings starting August 2nd, 2020.  Keep your eyes open for details coming up.  And for those of you who do not have email access, we will be calling you in the days ahead.

We know that an in person gathering will not be for everyone at this time, nor can we physically have everyone attend.  Please know that we are not pressuring anyone to return, and we give you the complete freedom to decide when you think it is safe for you and your family to return in person to HMC without any sense of guilt or shame.  We will continue to provide the option to live stream the Sunday gatherings.  We will still maintain a strong online presence, and plan to do so even as things return to normal in our province.

As you come to the Sunday gatherings here at HMC, know that there are strict guidelines from the health region that we are requiring anyone coming into our building to follow.  We are frequently checking the latest updates from our health region to ensure that we are on the forefront of keeping people safe.  As we gather together, your safety is of our utmost concern.  And at any point where the health unit recommends that we close, we are willing to do so.

Thanks for reading!

Thanks for reading and keeping in touch with what is going on at HMC.

Know that we miss you all and pray for you.  If you need anything, please do not hesitate to reach out.

See you again in two weeks for our next update!

On behalf of everyone here,

Pastor Dave