Worship Cancelled for Holy Trinity Pembroke - Sunday October 23rd

Dear Friends in Christ across the Parish of the Valley,

I regret to inform you that, with the agreement of the churchwardens, worship has been cancelled at Holy Trinity Pembroke on Sunday October 23rd at both 8am and 10am. This cancellation of worship is due a pre-scheduled power outage on that day between 6am and 2pm by Ottawa River Power Corporation, our local electricity provider. Unfortunately, without electricity, we are unable to heat and light the building, and therefore it is not safe for us to gather. 

Holy Trinity was only informed of this upcoming power outage via a letter taped to the church's front door late in the day on Thursday, October 13th. Yesterday afternoon I spoke with Justin Allen, the President and CEO of Ottawa River Power, and I shared with him how disappointed I was that the needs of local faith communities were not taken into careful consideration when planning this outage, which is intended to help upgrade the city's power grid before winter. Mr. Allen admitted that the needs of local churches were not considered when planning for this work, and he apologized to me for not proactively consulting with local faith communities in the City of Pembroke prior to selecting this time. Mr. Allen committed to consulting with local faith leaders in the future if ever there is a need for a similar planned outage on a Sunday morning. In addition to Holy Trinity, Calvin United Church's services on October 23rd have also been cancelled.

Your clergy team invite all members of Holy Trinity Pembroke to please consider worshipping at other Parish of the Valley churches this coming Sunday. Nearby times and locations include:

9am at St. Thomas' Rankin (with Rev. Rick & Rev. Claire)

9:30am at St. George's South Alice (with Rev. Matthew, Jennifer Cross & Lorna Sibley)

11am at St. Paul's Cobden (with Rev. Rick & Rev. Claire)

11:15am at All Saints Petawawa (with Rev. Matthew, Jennifer Cross & Lorna Sibley)

All members of the parish are also invited to gather at 2pm, at the Church of the Epiphany Barry's Bay, for an afternoon of Praise and Gospel Music featuring the Intermittents.

Please help to share the news of this cancellation with fellow parishioners by telephone and word of mouth. Signs announcing the cancellation will also be posted on Holy Trinity's doors. 

Thank you all for your patience and understanding. We look forward to Sunday worship resuming at Holy Trinity Pembroke on October 30th, just in time for the PWRDF Halloween Pumpkin Auction!

Yours faithfully in Christ,

Matthew+

The Rev. Matthew Brown, Incumbent