Session resources, etc.

This page will be used from time to time to circulate information to the session of Parkwood church.

• Acts and Proceedings of the General Assembly, 1990 to the current year
• other resources from the General Assembly Office
• resources for elders
• Official Documents
• all resources

  direct downloads:

  • Acts & Proceedings, 2025  ·   Statistical & Financial Report, 2025
  • Book of Forms, 2025
  • Board of Managers Handbook, Spring 2019
  • Treasurer's Handbook, Nov. 2022

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resources on re-opening, etc., 2020
• from Parkwood:
    Jun. 11/20 Letter re: reopening... In response to the recent announcement by the Government of Ontario that churches are permitted to open their facilities with a restriction of 30 percent of capacity, Pastor James and Dennis Featherstone, as clerk of Session have prepared a letter for Parkwood folk. Read it here.
  Summary: (1) the suspension of in-person gatherings for worship will continue, at the very least into mid-July; (2) we will continue to livestream worship at this time, and will plan to do so for an indefinite period even after we are able to re-open the building for public gatherings; (3) a safe, feasible, and well-communicated plan for future in-person gatherings is to be worked out by the session in consultation with the various ministry teams at Parkwood.
  
  • Mar. 27/21, from the FM Team: Procedures for Occupancy of Parkwood during the Covid 19 Emergency
  
  
• from the Presbytery of Ottawa:
  • Working Group on in-person gatherings, report to Presbytery, Jun.16/20 (first report)

• from the Presbyterian Church in Canada:
  • Session Resource on Re-Opening Church Buildings also available for downloading - link to pdf is at bottom of page
  • Information & Resources to Help Congregations During COVID-19 including links to provincial guidelines
  • Best Practices for Online Worship

• Ontario:
  • provincial government:  On June 8, 2020 the Premier announced that "...all places of worship in Ontario will also be permitted to open with physical distancing in place and attendance limited to no more than 30 per cent of the building capacity to ensure the safety of worshippers."
    • Workplace Health & Safety for Places of Worship during COVID-19
    • COVID-19 Advice: Religious Services, Rites or Ceremonies (Ministry of Health, updated Aug. 21/20)
    • COVID-19 response framework: keeping Ontario safe and open - the most current public health and workplace safety measures for each zone under the colour-coded response framework.
    • COVID-19 Transmission from Singing and Playing Wind Instruments -- What We Know So Far (Public Health Ontario, Nov. 18/20)
    • Singing and Playing Wind Instruments -- Environmental Scan Related to COVID-19 (Public Health Ontario, Jan 1/21)
    • (effective Apr. 17/21): enhanced public health measures and enforcement comes into effect, including limiting numbers attending religious services held indoors or outdoors to 10 persons. The declaration of emergency and province-wide Stay-at-Home order have been extended until June 2, 2021.
    • (May 20/21) Three-Step Roadmap to Safely Reopen the Province
    • (June 11/21) re-opening info: phase 1 (orange): Religious services, rites and ceremonies indoors at 15% capacity and outdoors with capacity limited to permit physical distancing of 2 metres.
    • (June 30/21) re-opening info: phase 2 (blue): Religious services, rites and ceremonies indoors at 25% capacity and outdoors with capacity limited to permit physical distancing of 2 metres (outdoor capacity limited to the number of people that can maintain a physical distance of two metres).
    • (effective July 16/21) re-opening info: phase 3 (green) capacity indoors limited to (1) the number (of persons) that can maintain a physical distance of at least two metres from every other person in the room and (2) all persons attending must comply with public health guidance on physical distancing; outdoors, (2) is the only restriction that applies (see restrictions on religious services). Religious services, rites and ceremonies indoors at 25% capacity and outdoors with capacity limited to permit physical distancing of 2 metres (outdoor capacity limited to the number of people that can maintain a physical distance of two metres)
    • (effective Mar. 1, 2022): (announcement on ontario.ca) (text file also available):
      If public health and health care indicators continue to improve, the following public health and workplace safety measures will come into effect on March 1, 2022.
       capacity limits lifted in all indoor public settings
       proof of vaccination requirements lifted, with businesses being allowed to implement them voluntarily
       other protective measures, such as mask/face covering requirements and active/passive screening of patrons, will be in place
       public health units can deploy local and regional responses based on local health indicators
      
• Ottawa Public Health:
  • mandating the use of masks in many indoor public spaces (effective July 7, 2020)
  • instruction to business owners and operators (webpage, continually updated)
  • COVID-19 Guidance for Places of Worship (14-dec-21, #3 under "On this page")
    3rd paragraph: "The government of Ontario now allows certain settings, including Places of Worship, to lift capacity limits and physical distancing requirements if they choose to Opt-in to requiring proof of vaccination. All other public health measures (e.g., masking and screening) continue to apply."

• article from the Church Times (UK) referencing some rigorous research from Germany re: singing (4 Jun 2020): Singing might not be so great a risk, after all

• from the Center for Disease Control (US): Considerations for Communities of Faith (upd Feb. 19/21)

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resources on livestreaming, 2020

• from the Presbyterian Church in Canada:
  • Introduction to Live Streaming for Churches put together by the Ministry and AV Staff at the Family Church of Heritage Green, Stoney Creek ON
• from the web, (with some recommendations re cameras, encoders, computer requirements, upload speeds):
  • How to live stream: a beginner’s survival guide, from Epiphan Video, manufacturer of video products including video encoders
  • How to Live Stream like a Pro – Beginner’s Guide, from Uscreen.tv, source of online livestreaming platform
  • The Ultimate Beginners Guide to Live Streaming, frim Ileane Smith, podcaster (primarily geared to livestreaming for podcasters using a computer)

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resources on human sexuality, 2019, General Assembly 2021, etc.
• an extract of the representative elder's report to the June 24 session meeting summarizing events at the 2019 General Assembly re: human sexuality, including the report of the Special Committee of former moderators that was presented to GA2019 and the communication from the Clerks of Assembly containing the remits that issued from GA2019.
• a "Letter to Evangelicals" circulated on June 26 under the signatures of a number of church leaders, including some former moderators and leadership from both the Renewal Fellowship and PSALT, addressing the issue of sexuality and the outcome in that regard from the recent General Assembly.
• a Response to the 2019 Remits - a media release dated July 26 from the board of the Renewal Fellowship offered to members of the Fellowship as they ponder and reflect on the remits. That response is also avaliable on their website in pdf format here. (Parkwood is a member of the Renewal Fellowship)
• a Statement on the 2019 GA Remits from the Presbytery of Eastern Han Ca, shared at the A Place to Stand conference held at Vaughan Community Church on Sept. 28, 2019. Five people from Parkwood attended, including Pastor Hurd and Gord Walford. An excellent, comprehensive summary of the issues.
• Two legal opinions regarding the impact of adopting the remits have been circulating around the Presbyteries. They were funded privately by a respected Vancouver lawyer, elder and leader in the Presbyterian church. Read more...
• Interested in up-to-date results of the voting on Remits B & C? Read more.... The Presbytery of Ottawa at a special meeting held Feb. 18 at Parkwood voted to approve Remit B (22 approve/12 disapprove) and to disapprove Remit C (17 disapprove, 16 approve, 1 abstention). The text of the remits is available here.

  documents from Parkwood:

• 2016:   The Session Statement on Human Sexuality from pp 12 & 13 of the June 2016 issue of the Pulse newsletter
  
  
• 2019:   A Pastoral Letter dated June 25/19 issued the congregation of Parkwood church summarizing the decisions of the 2019 General Assembly with regard to human sexuality, expressing session's concern, restating our position on marriage and encouraging prayer for the church and those involved i decision-making.

• 2021:   A special congregational meeting was held May 1/21 to update the congregation on proposals to be brought before the upcoming General Assembly with regard to the definition of marriage and session's position. More info can be found in the Apr. 15 e-letter.; the minutes of that meeting are available here. Following the 2021 General Assembly a special session meeting was held to discuss the decisions made at the G.A. and the implications for Parkwood. Following that meeting an important communication from the session was sent out with the June 25/21 e-letter. It is available here.

  other:

• elders and ministers of four Ottawa-area Presbyterian churches have been meeting periodically to discuss the dilemma of remaining in the PCC and the various options available, as well as keeping the group up on what their congregations have been doing in this area
  
  
• A group of like-minded folk calling themselves "Living Stones, a movement of Reformed Churches in Canada" has been formed consisting of present and former members of the PCC who are considering or have decided to leave the denomination given it's stance on scripture and in particular it's stance on marriage. For more information see Gord.