Canada West Mission Centre Statement #6 On Novel Corona Virus (COVID-19)

The common first question after “Hello” has become much more heartfelt and honestly intended than had been traditional before our COVID-19 social distancing: “How are you doing?” We are truly interested in the answer to that question. We want assurance that our friends and family are, in fact, staying safe and being well. They wish to know the same of us. Yet we also want to be able to express our support if the answer to the question is the expression of some kind of health issue or personal concern that has arisen in the lives of those we love.
 
There are families and individuals in Canada West Mission Centre, and elsewhere in the church, who have been directly touched by COVID-19 in the form of illness or job loss. I know of people who continue to struggle with various medical, physical, and personal issues not at all related to the pandemic. And in the unstoppable cycle of life, there are families among us who mourn the loss of loved ones. All of these persons and families are worthy of our prayers of love and support.
 
So: What have you done to keep your outlook positive in recent weeks? What good news do you seek out to assure yourself that humanity is good and that we will all get through this together? What miracle or beauty in the natural world around you gives you hope and assurance and perhaps even inspiration? What books have you read? What friends have you reached out to by phone or electronically? And, yes, what social media connections have been beneficial for you? What images, stories, or anecdotes have kept you smiling, if not outright laughing? Please email some answers to me (steve@communityofchrist.ca ), and I may share them in the future.
 
Let me offer a few “good things” for you to consider and to look forward to in the next few days.
 
Community of Christ President, Steve Veazey has provided the latest in his weekly messages to the church. Go to the church’s website at www.cofchrist.org and you will see the message displayed on the front page, or follow this link.
 
Also watch for the broadcast of an Easter Service from Community of Christ World Headquarters on Sunday beginning at 2 p.m. Central Daylight Time. To provide opportunities for interaction from home, the service will be broadcast on the church's Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram feeds. Viewers will be invited to share in the comments on Facebook and Instagram or by using #CofChristEaster on Twitter at several points during the worship. The broadcast also will be available at www.CofChrist.org/live-webcast and the church's YouTube channel.
 
Let me suggest a “non-church” option that I think is positive and uplifting in a more secular way. Go to the YouTube site and search for “Some Good News John Krasinski” or follow this link.
 
May God bless you with health or healing and with God’s good and uplifting Spirit.

Steve Thompson 
Canada West Mission Centre President
steve@communityofchrist.ca