Submitted by Rev. Sheryl Spencer
This is a funny time. Are we out of the pandemic, or are we not? We proceed gingerly, tenderly, with caution, and for those of us whose work is about bringing people together, it’s all about whether we’re planning an in-person event, or online, or hybrid…
My dad passed away about a month ago, and I was so glad that we could have an in-person funeral (but with an online component) and a reception following. It was what he would have wanted. During the scariest days of the pandemic, I presided at funerals where only nine people, plus me, could attend, and no-one could hug, and following the service, there was an awkward heaviness and sense of dismissal as everyone just left for their homes. At one point in the pandemic, I was asked what I missed the most, and my reply was, “funeral sandwiches,” because people sharing food is such an important part of the healing process.
This is all to say how delighted I am that Tobermory United Church will once again be hosting a community pancake supper on Shrove Tuesday, February 21 from 5-7pm at the Tobermory Community Centre. It’s breakfast and supper all mixed together, with pancakes, sausages, baked beans, veggies, fruit, coffee, tea and lemonade, and the best part is, it’s by donation. Shrove Tuesday is all about the celebration before the six weeks of Lent begin, and truly, when so many celebrations have been diminished in the past years, it will be a festive time for one and all to gather at the community centre.
Despite the fact that we can gather once again, it’s possible that we’ll be ‘unpacking’ the pandemic and its effects for some time. To that end, my colleague, Pastor Janaki Bandara of the Anglican Parish of the Bruce Peninsula, has created a Lenten study that provides a means to reflect on the experiences that we may have encountered during the pandemic: anxiety, isolation, loss or distress, but also concurrent signs of reassurance and hope. Janaki and I will co-lead the six-week series, which will happen Thursdays at 2:00 pm starting March 2 and which can be accessed in-person at Tobermory United Church, or via Zoom.
And so we go, making our way out of the pandemic, keeping each other safe, walking each other home, the best we can, under the circumstances…
Rev. Sheryl Spencer is minister at Tobermory United Church.
