Response to the COVID-19 PANDEMIC

At the recommendation of public health authorities and the direction of the Bishop of Toronto, all public worship and gatherings at St John’s are cancelled/suspended until further notice.

Sunday worship is being conducted online. Please visit our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/StJohnsPtbo) for more information. You do not need a Facebook account to view our page or watch the worship live stream at 10:00 Sunday mornings.  The order of service is available to download here.

The clergy are working from home and are endeavouring to be available for pastoral and sacramental care. Please email (preferred) or call the church (705-745-7624) to make arrangements. 

Parishioners are encouraged to check the parish Facebook page on a regular basis for updates and to read all parish emails, including the weekly Online Grapevine, which will continue to be sent every Friday morning, and special letters/updates from the Rector. A list of resources for use at home is being compiled on this page of the website.

During this time of pandemic, the ministry of St John’s continues.  As you are able, given your own circumstances, we encourage our parishioners to continue their financial contributions to the parish and invite those who support the work we do in the community to consider making a donation.  Please visit the Donate page for information on how to make a gift to St John’s.

This is an extraordinary time for all of us. As Christian people, we are called to remain calm and to trust in the presence and care of God. As good citizens we are called to follow the direction of the public health authorities and our elected leaders. Above all, we are called to pray for this situation, for those who have contracted the virus, those who care for them and who are seeking a cure, for those who are isolated or afraid because of the social distancing we are being asked to practice, and for any whose lives are disrupted in any way by the response to the spread of the coronavirus. We are called by Christ to be his Body, which has always meant gathering for prayer, worship, and fellowship. In this time of being unable to do those things in person, let us take every opportunity to use other means at our disposal to reinforce the strength of our community, and maybe even find new ways of being the Body of Christ.