The fall 2020 edition of All Saints by the Lake Anglican Parish’s newsletter, The Anchor, was published on the eve of Canada’s Thanksgiving weekend as the country goes through the second wave of the pandemic.
Our church was reopened for in-person services under restricted conditions for three weeks, only to have to go back to virtual services for at least another month.
It seems that the light at the end of the tunnel is flickering feebly. As summer fades to fall, it is easy to think that dark days are ahead of us.
As its name implies, the quarterly newsletter offers parishioners a safe space to affirm one another, share stories, information, and pictures, providing a core ‘anchor’ of our communication for those able and unable to attend church.
Reading the stories in this edition, it is clear that our parishioners are living with an attitude of gratitude, speaking from a place of thankful appreciation for the many blessings we are seeing in the midst of a horrendous pandemic.
Notice I said, ‘in the midst of a horrendous pandemic.’
Even though the theme of this edition is thanksgiving, and we’ve focused on counting our blessings, none of us is in denial. We’re saying that parenting is hard in the pandemic, holding back hugs is difficult, shutting down church and skipping our social events is tough.
It is noteworthy that this thanksgiving-themed edition is the biggest ever, with 34 pages, more than 15 contributors and several testimonials from our fellow parishioners! We are people celebrating our blessings during a time of crisis, hopeful despite an uncertain future. This is a clear sign that the Holy Spirit is moving within us and among us. We will pull through stronger, by the grace of God.
Let us continue to encourage one another and all who we meet, sharing our stories and truly giving thanks to our loving God, who is our eternal hope.
Christ in us, is the hope of glory. That’s why glory matters.
Glory Matters 