Rembering Kurland Front (Kruzemes cietoksna piemiņai)

 

May 2nd Zoom Worship Service

 
 

 

White Tablecloth Day and Day of the Restoration of Latvian Independence.

 

  

 


 

Happy Earth Day!


  Pastors Dag and Ģirts have prepared this short Earth Day video
(Reflections, prayer and song). Enjoy!

 

April 4, Sunday, EASTER MORNING WORSHIP

 
Good Friday Worship service:
 

 

 Thursday, April 1, 6:00 pm – MAUNDAY THURSDAY WORSHIP with Communion.

 

 

 

 

March 21 "ZOOM" Service led by pastor Ģirts Grietins and Dag Demandt

 

"The Northern Maiden"

Zoom Worship Service Feb 21.

Remembering those lost to fire in Toronto

Organ music performed by Rev. Dr. Anita Gaide

LATVIEŠU ĒRĢELNIEKU ĢILDES ĀMERIKĀ DEVUMS

 
 ASH WEDNESDAY WORSHIP
with Communion on February 17, 6 pm
(LIVE-STREAMED to YOUTUBE)
 
 
 
 
Worship service on February 7 praying for the victims of the fire in Toronto:
 
 
 

"And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away." Rev 21:4

 Let us pray and support the victims of the fire in Toronto: Jana Jansons, Kai Jansons, Amanda Freimanis and Matthew Zdybal as well as survivors Arija Celeste Jansons who lost her son, Jade Jacobis and their families.

Fundraiser for Arija Jansons

 

(Svetbridis for this Sunday was recorded before the sad news, but it shows Jesus friendly approach to everyone)

 

Avotins

With our deepest sorrow we inform you of the passing of

Aina Avotins

Aina Avotins was born on June 27, 1926 and passed away on January 1, 2021

(more information about her life and service in Latvian: https://www.stjohnslatvian.ca/latviesu/sakums)

Funeral Service will be held on January 9, 2021 at 10:30 am.

You can watch the recording of the funeral here:

 Epiphany Worship (Dean emer. Ivars Gaide, rev. dr. Anita Gaide)

 

Blessed New Year!

 

 

 

Merry Christmas!

Watch our Christmas Family Worship Service:

 

In Christmas Jesus comes to us as a child.

What are the questions we ask our God as his children and what questions Jesus asks us?

 

3. Adventa dievkalpojums / 3rd Advent service - 13 dec 2020 live

Celebrating prāv. emer. Ilze Kuplēns-Ewart

Service from St. John's

 

 

Let us pray and celebrate Advent:

Due to the current situation with the Covid pandemic, The Church Council has decided to suspend In-Person Worship. Let us enjoy our video services.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now you can see our Church service from different angles (thanks to Beate Augustane and Davis Maksins)

Our Latvian worship service from Harvest festival in church.

Enjoy!

We are thankful to everyone who joined our worship service in Saulaine:

 

 

Worship service for this Sunday is from Kristus Darzs:

 

Worship in Latvian and English about Miracles

 

Worship in Latvian

Join our Sunday Worship in Latvian and English:

 

Let us worship, reflect and pray (in Latvian):

Commemorating June 1941 deportations:

Introduction to Apologetics.

The Problem of Evil. (In Latvian)

 

Pentecost Worship services online

 

Here you can see Pentecost reflection and prayer from pastor Grietins in Latvian:

 

You are also invited to join our online worhsip services with LELBĀL and St. Andrews in Latvian.

(For more information see the Latvian homepage https://www.stjohnslatvian.ca/latviesu/sakums)

 

Listen to the second installment of pastor Girts Grietins podcast about Apologetics. How do we find our way among different religions and beliefs?

 

 Introduction to Christian Apologetics (in English)

The New Name

(reflections on the Book of Revelation, in Latvian) 

Have a blessed Easter !

 

Holly Week meditation with pastor Ģirts Grietiņš.

 

 Let us join Palm Sunday's video worship service presented by pastors and musicians of Canada.

 

Take a look at this Sunday's new video

 

_______________________________________________________________

You are welcome to listen to pastor Ģirts Grietiņš audio reading from C.S. Lewis "Mere Christianity" (in Latvian).

 

 

 

More...


St. John's Latvian Lutheran Cross

 

 

View our Photo Gallery.

 

Do you miss church services? Do you want to see familiar faces, enjoy the camaraderie of friends, keep in touch with current church issues? Why not zoom to St. John's spirituality and faith discussion group in English on Sundays?

   What is it? It is more than a forum for bandying Christian challenges about. We enjoy a social half hour and switch to discussing church news and sharing details of upcoming events, developments at Kristus Darzs, Saulaine, and the Padome.
  Our discussion format has volunteers taking turns reading aloud from the selected passage. Then anyone who wishes may comment or ask questions. No one is required or challenged to speak. We are grateful to Pastor Grietiņš for his guidance, authoritative and gentle. The rest of us are all beginners, learning together. It is a safe and welcoming place, and we love having new members join. We have participants from both congregations and guests.
  We find that the group goes some distance toward filling the gap opened by this severe lockdown. Do join us for a virtual cup of coffee and a chat on Sundays. Technical support is available from Laura Johnson for anyone needing help accessing through Zoom. To join write to larryandinta@gmail.com

Everyone is invited to join our Zoom Bible discussion group on Sundays. To participate please write to Larry Gifford larryandinta@gmail.com

 

Resuming Indoor Worship for St. John’s Ev. and St. Andrew’s Lutheran Latvian Congregations.

We are delighted to be able to offer the opportunity after many long months to meet together to worship at 200 Balmoral Ave. However, given the realities of our current situation with Covid-19, there are new practices that we are required to adopt.

Please read the following carefully. This are based on directions from the Eastern Synod.[1]

Please note: we will aim to live-stream worship to ensure that our vulnerable members are able to participate in worship in the safety of their own homes.

Please contact the church office for details on how to do so.

Before you come:

  • Let our administrator know you will be attending before the end of the working week.
  • Do not come if you answer “yes” to any of the screening questions below.
  • Bring a mask to wear at all times during worship. We will have spare non-medical masks available if you forget.
  • Pray for God’s blessing on our worship and the safety of all.

Before, and after the service:

  • All worshippers are asked to pre-register to ensure we do not go over the limit set by the Province of Ontario of 30% of the seating capacity of the sanctuary. In addition, having your name and contact information gives us a list to pass on to Public Health for contact tracing should this be necessary.
  • All worshippers are asked to wear a non-medical face mask during your time with us.
  • All worshippers, except those needing to use the elevator, should use the entrance at the back of the sanctuary.
  • Please ensure you keep the 2m distance should there be people ahead of you waiting to come in through the main door.
  • All worshippers will be screened on arrival. However, we ask that you self-screen before you leave home. Please do not come if you answer “yes” to any of these questions:
    • are you experiencing any of the following: fever, cough, difficulty breathing, sore throat, trouble swallowing, runny nose, loss of taste or smell, not feeling well, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea? have you been diagnosed, or suspected of having Covid-19?
    • have you been in contact with anyone who is sick or has confirmed Covid-19 in the past 14 days?
    • have you travelled internationally in the past 14 days?
    • have you been in contact with someone who has travelled internationally in the past 14 days?[2] ‘
  • Hand sanitizer will be available inside the entrance.
  • Once you enter the sanctuary, please follow the instructions provided by the greeters. Please understand that is unlikely you will be able to sit in your usual spot, and that seating will be designated as per PH regulations in order to safeguard all those attending. Rows roped off must remain as such.
  • Hymn books will no longer be provided, but please bring your own from home to use, and take it back afterwards, if you wish. All parts of the service will be projected onto the wall at the front of the church near the reading stand, and bulletins will be available as well.
  • At the end of worship, please follow the stewards instructions on when to leave, and from through which exit.
  • Sadly, COVID-19 restrictions do not allow us to provide refreshments before or after the service. However, we hope to offer a “virtual” coffee hour for all. Please do join us!

During worship

  • Please ensure you are seated only with those who are part of your social “bubble”, otherwise respect the 2m physical distance between yourself and others
  • Children must remain with their family unit during worship.
  • Singing is not allowed. This applies both to the hymns and the liturgy.

Please remain in your seat unless you are coming up to receive communion.

 

 

 

 

Good Friday reflection by pastor Ģirts Grietins

 

Christian apologist and pastor Timothy Keller talks about “costly forgiveness”.

Why did Jesus have to die? Couldn’t God just forgive us? This is what many ask, but now we can see that no one “just” forgives,

if the evil is serious. Forgiveness means bearing the cost instead of making the wrongdoer do it, so you can reach out in love to

seek your enemy’s renewal and change.

Forgiveness means absorbing the debt of the sin yourself. Everyone who forgives great evil goes through a death into

resurrection, and experiences nails, blood, sweat, and tears.

Should it surprise us, then, that when God determined to forgive us rather than punish us for all the ways we have wronged him

and one another, that he went to the Cross in the person of Jesus Christ and died there? As German theologian Dietrich

Bonhoeffer says, everyone who forgives someone bears the other ’s sins.

On the Cross we see God doing visibly and cosmically what every human being must do to forgive someone, though on an

infinitely greater scale. Human  forgiveness works this way because we unavoidably reflect the image of our Creator. That is why

we should not be surprised that if we  sense that the only way to triumph over evil is to go through  the suffering of forgiveness,

that this would be far more true of God, whose just passion to defeat evil and loving desire to forgive others are both infinitely

greater than ours.

It is crucial at this point to remember that the Christian faith has always understood that Jesus Christ is God. God did not, then,

inflict pain on someone else, but rather on the Cross absorbed the pain, violence, and evil of the world into himself. Therefore

the God of the Bible is not like the primitive deities who demanded our blood for their wrath to be appeased. Rather, this is a God

who becomes human and offers his own lifeblood in order to honor moral justice and merciful love so that someday he can

destroy all evil without destroying us.

That is why He has died for us.

News

 

 

St. John's needs a new roof!

You have the opportunity to purchase select paintings from St. John's inventory of art and support the roof fund. Paintings and prices can be viewed on the walls of the lower hall. Please contact the church office if you are interested, 416-921-3327.

COVID-19

Guidelines concerning coronavirus.

At our service:
Greeters will not be offering to shake hands. A friendly smile and acknowledgement greeting will continue to be given!

Please refrain from shaking hands during the sharing of the peace. The words alone or a nod can convey the message.

People experiencing cold or flu-like symptoms, especially a fever, should stay home and avoid contact with others until symptoms cease.

Communion:
Communion assistants will continue to wash their hands thoroughly with soap and water before preparing items for communion and afterwards as well as the communion vessels.

Our pastor will bless the common cup. There will be no intinction of wafers (dipping into the wine). Communion wine will be offered to the congregation only in the individual cups at the moment.

(On leaving the altar, those receiving communion are asked to place their empty cup in one of the plastic-lined containers provided by the greeters.)

General Information:
We will follow local health guidelines in our worship and meeting spaces with additional cleaning and disinfection of surfaces including door handles, railings, switches, etc.

Our Ladies’ Auxiliary will continue to prepare refreshments for Fellowship following the service, using disposable cups and plates (unless the water for the new dish washer is proven hot enough to sanitize our dishes).

(PS Since we will be generating more garbage, please put disposable cups one into the other and pile up used paper plates. Remember each city disposal service is offered every two weeks!)