The Week of April 12-18

Letter from Anne

Hello dear Southpoint community near and far,

I write to you today with the firm conviction that beauty, goodness, joy, creativity, abundance, justice, love, connection, and fecundity are in endless supply deep in the heart of God, and therefore are endlessly being poured into God’s Creation, which includes you! Jesus embodied this presence and power for us while he walked on earth, and now is the source, the headwaters, for this Life.

Today, may you see how ripples of these qualities are moving around you in Creation. May you see how ripples of these qualities are moving out from you into Creation. (By ‘creation’ I mean everything: nature AND humans. We are part of creation, not separate from it.) Darkness and light, suffering and joy, mourning and dancing, dying and rising co-exist within us as we enlarge our heart to this power and presence. This is what Jesus modeled for us, and what he offers us through his resurrection.

In this Southpoint News you will hear ways that we can be in relationship with one another, even from a distance. As we connect with others in our lives, we make room for these qualities to move between us. Perhaps this is why Jesus said “whenever two are more are gathered, I am with them”; this flow of giving and receiving is made more possible when we are together. It manifests and multiplies in community.

Think of it this way: it is the difference between playing a game all by yourself and playing a game with five of your most favourite people in the world, with snacks and drinks you each bring to the celebration! Jason and his men’s Virtually Bad Movie Night are another great example of this. The fun is amplified through their togetherness. We are committed to figuring out ways we can be together, no matter how long this lasts.

At our Zoom “Family Meeting on Tuesday”, I explained that I am delaying my sabbatical for now, with a possible start time of end of May or end of June if things continue to stay calm in British Columbia. For now, I am committed to figuring out how we can adapt the way we gather and care for one another during this time.
Much love to each of you, and peace to those important to you.

– Anne
 

Good Seed Sunday Sign-up *

We’re spreading out our Good Seed Sunday planting this year! You are invited to come and plant onion seedlings from Monday April 20 through Saturday April 25. Follow the link to sign up in for your time slot. Link

There will be enough room to physically-distance well for a family and a single person during each hour portion. Angela suggests that there not be two families at the same time as it is so hard for kids to be physically distant when right beside each other.

* The playground and the other A Rocha facilities will be off-limits during your time at Brooksdale.

 

Praying with SoulCollage®

Join by Zoom:
Friday, 1 May, 10:30 am – 12:00 pm
and / or
Monday, 11 May, 7:00 – 8:30 pm

God delights to come to us in so many ways. Collage making – and reflecting on those images – has become one of the ways I listen to myself and to God. I invite you to join me for this unique path to prayer. Following a brief introduction, each person will create their own collage card (25 min.) and then be guided through a time of reflection and prayer. One of the gifts of SoulCollage is its simplicity and playfulness while giving opportunity for deep connection with oneself and with God.
All you need is a journal, scissors, a glue stick – and an open heart. All other materials will be provided in individual kits that contain images, backgrounds, mat boards and plastic sleeves. Each individual kit will cost $5.00 and contains more than enough materials for five sessions/cards. The materials will be safely packaged and then set aside for two weeks before you receive them.

Please contact Maryanne Balzer (email) to reserve a spot and order a kit.
Deadline is two days before event date. The zoom link will be provided the day before the event.
Anyone 13 yrs. or older is welcome!

 

 

Life Together at Southpoint

At Southpoint, our life together is sustained by three core practices: Worship, Connection, and Care. We believe that as we participate in these practices, God grows love in us and flows love through us, allowing us to love God, people, and creation.

Here are ways we can continue these core practices during Covid-19:

 

Worship

Zoom Church, 10:00 am
Each Sunday on the 1, 2, 3, & 5th Sundays of the month

We will continue gathering on Sunday mornings for a simplified Zoom worship. We are learning as we go, so we welcome your feedback  and suggestions. If you would like to be a part of these worship times but are not a “regular”, please contact Karin, our administrator (email).

Fourth Sunday Fun
On the fourth Sunday, we enjoy ALL INs or an ALL OUTs as a community. From now until the end of summer, our fourth Sundays will be ALL OUTS. We will  meet via Zoom with our Gathering Groups (we’re exploring ways to make these meaningful and fun.) Or, we will find a safe way of working as households on a project. For April’s fourth Sunday Fun, see our Good Seed Sunday announcement (above).

 

Connect

Men’s Virtually Bad Movie Night

Tuesdays @ 8:00 pm.
If interested, Contact Jason Goode (email)
You’ll need the new Chrome extension: Netflix Party

Pen Pals

There are a few people who have expressed interested in participating in a Southpoint pen pal group. If you (or your child) would like to be involved in this, please contact Angela (email) by end of this week.

Book club

There is strong interest in a book club and we might have enough people for two: a fiction and a nonfiction club. If you are interested, please contact Anne by the end of this week (email).

Circles

For folk interested in deeper, more intentional conversation without advice-giving or ‘fixing each other’. If there is enough interest, we will form two small groups: one for males, one for females.

Each group would gather weekly or biweekly to reflect on these questions, recommended by Gareth Higgens, of the Movie & Meaning Festival:
What is good in your life??     …joy, happiness, contentment
What is difficult in your life??     …bringing you pain, stress, heaviness
How is your sense of purpose showing up in your life??     …work, avocation, connection to or contributing to the needs of the world
How can we help each other??     …what might you need from the group

Interested? Contact Anne (email).

 

Care

Gathering Groups

Gathering Groups provide neighbourly care, prayer, and support, as well as a group to meet up with for our ALL OUTS. At Southpoint, everyone is placed in a Gathering Group, although the choice to participate is left up to the individual. During this season, we are encouraging Gathering Groups to stay in touch and be aware of each other’s needs. If you have a struggle, or an idea for ways to connect, please contact your gathering group. If you are in need of a group, or don’t know what group you are in, please contact Angela (email).

Prayer Chain

If you have a confidential prayer need, please contact John Hardy (email).

Drop-In Prayer 

Starting next week, we’ll be offering weekly regularly scheduled  “drop-in” times for prayer support via phone/facetime. In the meantime, if you would like someone to talk to or someone to pray with, please don’t hesitate to contact Anne by email or text (778-878-4352) and she’ll be in touch.