(Click here for a printable PDF of this letter)

February 12, 2021

Dear Ministry Personnel, Pastoral Charge Supervisors, and Lay Leaders,

Greetings on this cold, cold day.  I pray that this letter finds you doing the best you can given the on-going situation in our world.  Today, I reach out to you as leaders in your communities of faith.  Many of you are likely aware that the Saskatchewan Government and the Saskatchewan Health Authority have released information about the next stage of the COVID-19 vaccination program.  As leaders in our churches, and in our communities, we have a role in making sure that the people we minister to and with have helpful, concise and trustworthy information regarding the vaccine and its roll out.

The Faith Leaders Working Group requested that the Business Response Team provide some basic, clear information that we can share with our congregations.  We are sharing this information with you, so that you might share it with your congregation by posting in your building, sharing it in newsletters and making it available through email and on websites.  One of the most important things we can do is to be a calm voice that helps to ease vaccine anxiety and resistance.  The reality is that until the majority of our population is vaccinated, we won’t be able to gather in worship and as a community in the ways we are used to and yearn for.

I invite you to check out the vaccination plan that is located at the Saskatchewan Health Authority website here.

There are two PDFs that the Business Response team provided through the Ministry of Health – the COVID-19 Vaccine Science Fact Sheet, and the COVID-19 Vaccine Safety Fact Sheet.  Both of these are available to download and share here.  More importantly, if you have questions please feel free to contact me (lsrcexecutive@gmail.com) or be in touch with Tracy Murton (tmurton@united-church.ca) .

I deeply appreciate all that you have done to keep your communities of faith safe and healthy during this pandemic time.  Know that you are not alone, we are right there with you.

Blessings and peace,

Tricia Gerhard

Chair, Living Skies Regional Council Executive