Feed your spirit

Peace, Friends,

As we head into the summer months, it is our privilege to share with you the broadcast from Sunday, June 27, 2021, an inspirational hymn fest filled with wonderful hymns that have stood the test of time…or perhaps we could say have stood with us in good times and challenging times. This musical feast is offered by guest musician Brandon Leis, and our own Peter Nikiforuk. The broadcast includes prayers including requests from across the country and our recent Eastern Synod Assembly, readings, a message, a blessing of the bicycles and other wheeled things, and the celebration of Holy Communion.  

Brandon Leis is a versatile and passionate conductor, performer, educator, workshop facilitator and church musician. He is a regular tenor soloist with regionally and nationally acclaimed orchestras and choral societies, specializing in opera/oratorio, musical theatre and concert arias. 

Brandon is currently a lecturer and voice instructor in the Faculty of Music at Wilfrid Laurier University, where he has taught since 2009. As the first graduate of the Masters in Community Music program he recently helped to develop the new undergraduate Community Music program in which he now also teaches. Brandon is also the director of music at Stirling Avenue Mennonite Church in Kitchener and succeeded Peter Nikiforuk as Artistic Director of Menno Singers in 2017. 

We offer these worship elements for you to use this day or at your convenience; the timeline is listed below so you can jump to the pieces that are helpful for you. Hymn numbers are for Evangelical Lutheran Worship.

Blessing to you as you feed your spirit.

00:00  BROADCAST INTRO

00:35  OPENING

04:22  MUSIC 1        838 Beautiful Saviour 

08:00  GREETING & OPENING PRAYER

08:29  MUSIC 2        856 How Great Thou Art (vss 1 & 2)

10:57  BLESSING OF THE BICYCLES & WHEELED THINGS

13:48  MUSIC 3        597 My Hope is Built on Nothing Less

16:53  READING      Lamentations 3:22-33

17:57  MUSIC 4        785 When Peace Like a River (vss 1,2 & 4)

21:00  READING      Psalm 30

22:30  MUSIC 5        733 Great Is Thy Faithfulness

25:38  GOSPEL       Mark 5:21-43

28:31  MUSIC 6        Shall We Gather at the River (arr. Aaron Copland)

31:29  TEACHING

References: Jake Owensby (Looking for God in Messy Places); Jeff Chu (speaker at Eastern Synod Assembly 2021); William Willimon (ministrymatters); Nadia Bolz Weber (patheos.org); Liturgical Conference (James Wilde and Hilary Hayden, eds.); Leonard Sweet (Preach the Story); futurist Alvin Toffler (via Stanfordmag.org)

41:38  MUSIC 7        638 Blessed Assurance

44:30  PRAYERS

Including from Bishop Michael Pryse/Eastern Synod Assembly on Residential Schools

48:19  MUSIC 8        612 Healer of Our Every Ill (vss 1,2,4)

51:05  EUCHARIST

This communion liturgy has been inspired, crafted, and adapted from a variety of sources and authors, and spans several denominations and continents, in particular, that of Richard Giles (Creating Uncommon Worship). See also: Bread and Wine Online (pmphillips); Louisiana Conference of the United Methodist Church: Eucharistic Prayer for the Global Pandemic (Rev Lane Cotton, Rev Juan Huertas); Scattered and Gathered (Simon Woodman); Evangelical Lutheran Worship; St. Bride’s Holy Communion (Miranda Threllfall-Holmes); Online Communion for Palm Sunday (Rev Maren C. Tirabassi). Post-Communion prayer crafted by Andrew Nunn (adapted).

54:42  MUSIC 9        543 Go My Children, with My Blessing (vs 1&3)

56:57  THANK YOU & EXTRO

NEED TECH SUPPORT?

There’s a new program called enTECH@home that provides phone- and email-based tech support to anyone who may need a bit of technology help. This service is entirely free, and run by University of Waterloo student volunteers. 

“We are happy to provide support to anyone who contacts us – this service is available to you no matter where you live or how old you are. We are happy to provide support to community members living in retirement homes and long-term care homes.”

Services are currently only offered in English. We are looking into providing support in other languages.

Common issues include:

• Problems with video calling
• Setting up an email account
• How to use YouTube
• Joining online religious services
• Other technology issues

A volunteer will make two attempts to contact you, after which we would ask you to reconnect with us and provide your updated availability. (http://www.entech.club, accessed Feb18,21)

Details are in enTECH’s graphic below.