Council Updates: October 2022

Advent 2021 (Nov. 28 - Dec. 19)

is the season leading up to Easter, and they are two separate church seasons, just as Advent and Christmas are separate. While Lent is not popular in the secular world, it is actually one of the most important times of year for Christians. 

What is Lent? When does it start? What is “fasting” during Lent?

 leading up to Easter. The forty days of Lent represents the time Jesus spent in the wilderness, enduring the temptation of Satan.

 is a celebration and a time of great anticipation, 

Lent is traditionally understood to be a time of penitence (repentance) as Christians reflect on the suffering and death of Jesus.

From its start on Ash Wednesday until its conclusion on Easter Sunday, Lent has been a traditional time for solemn reflection as we identify with Jesus’ suffering and death. Just as we carefully prepare for events in our personal lives, such as a wedding, or birthday; 

a commencement Lent invites us to make our minds and hearts ready for remembering Jesus’ life, death and resurrection.

Because Lent follows the liturgical calendar, the exact date that Lent falls each year changes. Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, which is always held 

Sundays) before Easter Sunday. Ash Wednesday this year falls on 

These days, Christians around the world observe Lent in different ways. Many from more orthodox and traditional denominations will still observe the fast strictly, beginning with the wearing of ashes on Ash Wednesday and abstinence of meat, fish, eggs and fats until Easter Sunday.

Others will choose to give up just one item for Lent, more commonly a ‘luxury’ such as chocolate, meat or alcohol. It is also becoming increasingly common for people to give up other things in order to refocus their faith during this time; such as TV, going to the gym, even social media.

Many Christians also use Lent to study their Bibles and pray more intensively, making use of the many devotional books and courses now available. Others use simple daily reflections and acts of generosity as a way of putting others first during preparations for Easter.

Sundays during Lent are very important to Christians around the world. Where the Monday-to-Saturday of each of the six weeks are concerned with fasting and abstinence, the Sundays are a celebration symbolic of Christ’s resurrection. Instead of fasting, Christians hold feasts in remembrance of Christ’s sacrifice.

Why is Ash Wednesday called Ash Wednesday?

 begins Lent. The day gets its name from the traditional blessing of the ashes taken after the burning of Palm branches (or crosses made from Palm leaves) from the previous year’s Palm Sunday celebrations. In some churches the ashes are used to draw a cross on the head of people to mark the beginning of their Lent fast.

 – the last week of Lent leading up to Easter. On 

 Christians everywhere remember Jesus’ triumphant arrival in Jerusalem. Church services will often include a procession of palm branches, symbolic of the ones laid at Jesus’ feet as he rode into the city. Palm crosses will also be distributed on this day, to be kept until the following year’s Ash Wednesday as a reminder of the death and resurrection of Jesus.

As Holy Week draws to a close and Easter approaches, we have 

 commemorating Judas Iscariot’s intent to betray Jesus; 

, commemorating the Last Supper Jesus shared with his disciples in which he predicts his betrayal by the following denial by Peter; and 

, the day on which Christians around the world remember Jesus’ crucifixion and burial.

With Good Friday over, Christians look forward to 

, the day on which Jesus rose from his tomb.

Looking for interesting resources to accompany you this Lenten Season?  This year we suggest any of the following:

 - This has become somewhat of a recent tradition for us to step through this Lent calendar.  Sign up via email to receive daily devotional reflections featuring a satisfying mix of prayers, prose, music and visual art, to step through Jesus' journey to the cross through Lent and eventually Easter.

 - These thematic short film sessions on Lent are artfully put together and are also nice to step through individually, or with your family, or as a group that you can round up together. 

Some suggestions on what to give up (“fasting”) for Lent

 are for you (and your family, if they’re interested!).  There are many things that you can give up for Lent as an expression of our desire to invite Jesus into our lives, especially during these next 6 weeks, as we reflect on the unfathomable love and sacrifice He displayed on the cross for all of humanity.

This is also a great time to spread love, goodness, and kindness to the world, and be a reflection of Jesus where we are.  It can go beyond “not eating ice cream” or “not having candy”..

I encourage you to reflect on how Lent can be meaningful to you.  The following ideas are only suggestions, so feel free to tailor them to what suits you! Plus, you are not limited to doing just one thing...why not try a few? :)

1. Don’t buy anything that you don’t NEED.

If you can live without it, you don’t need it.  Give it up for Lent.  Put the money that you would have spent into a jar.  You will be surprised at how quickly you build up your savings.

  Once you see how much you saved after the 40 days, split it into two groups: saving & donating.  Don’t spend it.  You worked too hard!

2. Declutter & Simplify 40 things for 40 days

Every day, you walk around your house and collect 40 things to donate or throw away… every day, until Lent ends.

 Try donating, because you are helping others.

Give up gossiping and negative talk for Lent. That means you cannot do any gossiping.  None!

If someone says something negative about another person, either say something nice or don’t say anything at all.  You would think this is going to be SO easy, but when you can’t say anything negative about anyone else, you realize how often it happens, sadly.

4. Work out daily to take care of the body God gave you

Spend this time focusing on taking care of the body that God gave you.  For Lent, commit to doing some kind of workout every single day.  You can go on a walk or join a gym, or even workout at home.

 Team up with a workout buddy! It’s more fun and also helps to keep each other motivated!

5. Don’t Snack on Junk Food After Dinner

This one can be hard for many, but it can provide a glimpse of how Jesus struggled when he was hungry.

 Remove temptation! If you know seeing it will make you crave it, put it away (or tell someone to hide it!). Prep ahead of time healthy alternatives for when the craving hits!

If you normally have artificial sugar in some form at least once a day, this is a tough one!  Sugary foods are so common that we don’t even think about it half the time (e.g. baked goods, desserts, bubble teas, specialty coffees, soft drinks, even fruit juice--if you’re willing to go that far!).

Plan ahead...if you know you need a sugar-hit in the afternoon to get you through the rest of the day, make sure you have a healthy substitute ready!

7. Say 3 Nice Things to Your Family Members Daily

You may think this is easy, but try to say things that aren’t the normal “Thanks,” or “You look nice,” or “Good job.”   Try to do 3 out-of-the-box things during Lent this year.

Try, “Thanks for letting me use your phone/laptop”, or “I appreciate you cooking dinner for us”, or “Thanks for helping me put away the dishes”, or “I love how you always help the kids,” or “I love how you work hard on your homework, even when it is tough tonight.  You are a hard worker.”

Try to make easy meals or search for doable recipes online. Perhaps you want to challenge yourself with harder dishes! With Covid restrictions in place, this is a safe alternative to dining out!

 After you go through it once, start over again… this will give you an arsenal of 40+ days worth of meals!

9. Replace 30 Minutes of TV/Screen Time with 30 Extra Minutes of Devotion/Prayer

Read a devotional or bible story on your own, with a friend or with your family. Have a discussion together about it!

 Try journaling down your thoughts and any prayers that come to mind! This is a great way to keep a record of your spiritual journey, and have concrete evidence of how the Lord has been walking with you!

10. Reach Out to Give Encouragement to Someone Daily

We all know someone, whether a friend, family member, relative or coworker, who could use some encouragement. Why not make it a daily mission to bring joy to others? Send a kind word through email, text message or even a care package to show you’re thinking of them.

Make a list of people you want to reach out to. If you run out of people, you can always reach out to the same person more than once! Plus, it means more to follow up with people too!

“Even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.” Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love,  and he relents from sending calamity.”

May your Lenten journey be a meaningful time spent with Jesus!

 from your friends at New Life Chinese Lutheran Church

A Guide to Lent

Thank you to all brothers and sisters for attending the Annual Congregational Meeting on November 15. All 3 voting motions have been passed.

Because there was no eligible nomination for the 2020 Auditor, the Church Council has decided to proceed with hiring a professional.

NLCLC Annual Congregation Meeting - Voting Results

As we begin Holy Week, let us set our minds on the passion of our Lord Jesus Christ and be filled with the wonder of his great sacrifice for us. Living in the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic serves as an appropriate reminder that we were once also living in the shadow of sin and death. 

Perhaps the current circumstances can deepen our appreciation of God’s wondrous love for us. Here is a set of devotions for Holy Week that Augsburg Fortress has graciously made available for public use:

Devotions for Holy Week

Anxiety is a normal reaction to uncertainty and things that may harm us. The situation with COVID-19 makes for a very uncertain future. People worry about their own health and the health of loved ones, the state of school or work, their finances, and if and when they will be able to resume their daily routines and social norms.

While anxiety is a normal and expected reaction to the pandemic, too much anxiety can be harmful. Feeling stressed and fearful every day affects your health and well-being very quickly. For some people, anxiety and fear can lead to panic while for others, it can cause denial or refusing to believe the severity of the situation.

When you feel anxious and uncertain about the future, it’s easy to feel hopeless. The COVID-19 situation may seem out of your control, but that isn’t entirely true.

1. Be kind to yourself and practice self-care.

Even people who don’t usually struggle with anxiety are experiencing more worry and anxiety now. Just because we’re Christians doesn’t mean we’re immune to these feelings or that we don’t struggle with them. So don’t be hard on yourself if you’re experiencing more anxiety than usual.

Build self-care into your day, even (and especially) as activities change and routines are disrupted. Eat as well as possible, exercise regularly, get enough sleep, and make time for hobbies. All the things you do to take care of yourself will help manage your stress. And by taking good care of yourself, you’ll be better prepared to take care of others. Some self-care ideas include:

Read about something other than the virus

Start a digital detox (leave your phone alone for a while)

You can explore self-management strategies for anxiety from Anxiety Canada at 

You can also take the Bounce Back Online, a self-directed course from the Canadian Mental Health Association to help people manage low mood, stress, and anxiety. The online version is available for free. No referral needed. Visit 

2. Remember you are resilient; be careful with the “what ifs”.

In stressful situations, people often underestimate how well they will be able to cope but people are resilient and have coping skills they use every day.

Think of difficult or challenging situations you have encountered that you were able to manage. Even if things weren’t perfect, what did you do to cope with the situation?

Remind yourself that you can handle stress and that if you feel you need support, you can reach out to family, friends, colleagues or professionals.

Remember our collective resources -from excellent health care and public health response systems to strong and resilient communities. Try to replace catastrophic thoughts with something like, “This is definitely a difficult time, but we will get through it together.”

Don’t underestimate what you are able to do when faced with challenges.

Challenge your worries and anxious thoughts. Negative thoughts aren’t necessarily true and instead, are beliefs we’ve grown used to. Check out the following exercise to challenge your worries and anxious thoughts (

CAMH Challenging worries and anxious thoughts

3. Limit the news & unplug from social media. Make sure the news you get is factual.

Using reliable sources of information will ensure that what you do learn is fact, and not fear-based.

It’s also important to find a good balance in your use of technology. While it can be helpful, technology can have a real impact on well-being. If you do watch or read the news, try to limit how often you do:

Commit to only checking in a couple times a day.

Set a regular time when you check the news everyday. Standardizing the times you check will help to both think less about it and to reduce fighting with yourself to check.

Disable news alerts on your phone so that you get updates when you want them.

https://www.heretohelp.bc.ca/wellness-module/wellness-module-10-staying-mentally-healthy-with-technology

 (Staying Mentally Healthy with Technology by the Canadian Mental Health Association of B.C.).

Some people find it helpful to talk through anxiety-provoking situations like COVID-19, but others may find that conversations make their anxiety worse. If you need to limit conversations, it’s okay to tell family, friends, and co-workers that you can’t participate. You can also change the subject or just don’t bring it up. Just make sure you don’t ignore all news and important messages -the goal is to take in information you need and cut down on the excess, not ignore the situation all together.

Stay connected with family and friends. Isolating yourself from others, such as staying home from school or working from home for longer periods of time, can affect your mood. Find ways to connect with people you care about in other ways. If you can’t see someone in person, you can still reach out by phone, text, or video call. If you live alone, consider a plan to check in regularly (just not face-to-face) with a friend, family member, or neighbour.

Help others if you can. Ask friends, family members, or neighbours if they need anything, such as groceries or other household needs. Simply checking in can make a big difference.

Maintaining a sense of calm, especially when talking to children, will go a long way toward easing their fears and uncertainty. Provide age-appropriate, factual information and give them the opportunity to ask questions and share how they are feeling. For specific tips about how to talk to your children about COVID-19 and its impact check out the following from The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (

Talking to children about COVID-19 and its impact

7. Avoid substance use -including smoking, vaping and alcohol

Sometimes people use substances, including smoking or vaping, to cope with stress, anxiety and depression. This may appear to help reduce stress initially, but in the long run it can make things worse as the brain and body develops tolerance to the numbing effects of these substances. In those at risk, this can lead to addiction or relapse to those who are in recovery.

People feel anxious about the future at the best of times. Most of us have never encountered a pandemic like this before. It’s okay if you need help. If you are having trouble managing your mental health, contact your healthcare provider and encourage those you love to do the same.

Here are some signs you or someone you know might benefit from extra help and support:

You can’t think of anything other than COVID-19

Your anxiety interferes in your daily life -for example, you have a hard time going to work or being in public spaces even when the risk is very low.

You isolate yourself from others when it isn’t necessary

You feel hopeless or angry about the situation

You have a hard time eating or sleeping well

You experience physical symptoms like frequent headaches or an upset stomach

Consider tele-health or e-health services, online support, and online or app-based self-management tools. You can learn more and find resources at 

Managing COVID-19 Stress, Anxiety and Depression

 Your doctor’s office may also offer tele-health or e-health services. If you need ore information about local services or you just need someone supportive to talk to, call the BC Mental Health Support Line at 310-6789 (no area code) at any time.

The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health also has a variety of tools to help you better understand your stress levels. The surveys below, when taken together, tell you how much stress you are experiencing, if it appears to be getting excessive, and your coping capacity. These tools are for educational purposes only and are not for diagnosing mental illness but they can be helpful in informing your discussions with your healthcare provider, counsellor, or someone you trust. For people already diagnosed with a mental illness, many of your symptoms might overlap with or be worsened by your feelings about the pandemic. If possible, reach out to your healthcare provider to make sure you are not experiencing a relapse, and adjust any treatment as required.

COVID-19 and Anxiety (Canadian Mental Health Association, BC Division)

https://www.heretohelp.bc.ca/infosheet/covid-19-and-anxiety

What to do if you’re anxious or worried about coronavirus (COVID-19) (Anxiety Canada)

https://www.anxietycanada.com/articles/what-to-do-if-you-are-anxious-or-worried-about-coronavirus-covid-19/

Managing COVID-19 Stress, Anxiety, & Depression (B.C. Government)

https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/health/managing-your-health/mental-health-substance-use/managing-covid-stress

Mental Health and the COVID-19 Pandemic (Centre for Addiction and Mental Health)

http://www.camh.ca/en/health-info/mental-health-and-covid-19

Be Mindful of Your Mental Health

Expanded Call Line To Help Seniors During COVID-19 Pandemic

B.C. seniors’ advocate Isobel Mackenzie has announced the expansion of 

, a province-wide information and referral service that connects seniors needing help during the coronavirus pandemic with volunteers or services in their community willing to help with things like picking up and delivering groceries or medications. Previously only available in Metro Vancouver and on Vancouver Island, the service now covers the entire province. This is what she said:

“If you are a senior living at home, or the family member of a senior who needs help getting groceries, getting medications and staying connected, call 211 or visit the website and we’ll try to match you up with a volunteer or some kind of service in your community. You can now call it from anywhere in the province, and you will reach a live operator.”

The service is available seven days a week during daytime hours and is available free of charge for all seniors 65 and over.

People who wish to help seniors with tasks that require leaving the home or wanting to comfort an isolated senior with virtual visits can volunteer either by calling the 211 phone line or visiting the bc211 website. Note, all bc211 volunteers will need to undergo criminal record checks, which the attorney general’s office has pledged to expedite during the COVID-19 crisis.

https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2020HLTH0109-000570

Expanded Call Line for Seniors

COVID-19 Updates #2

This Sanctuary service will also be accessible via Google Meet as usual (

, as we need to wait until Cantonese Service at church finishes at 11:30am.

Each individual should choose to attend in whichever way they are comfortable, we are all in different places but want to worship together, however that may look like.  Let's also try our best to respect each others' ranging comfort levels in the sanctuary when it comes to physical distancing and contact.

Please be prepared to do the following on Sunday morning:

 before coming (if sick, you should stay home).

Although physical distancing is not required, please respect the wishes of those who are taking physical distancing measures.

There will be sanitation procedures in the sanctuary before ervice.  There will be a wipedown of high-contact surfaces, such as the 

tops of pews, door knobs/handles, light switches,

.  We will keep open as many doors and windows as possible, as well as turning on the ceiling fans, for maximum air circulation.

Next Service:
5th Sunday in Lent.

Sunday, Mar. 26th 18:45pm

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NLCLC Annual Congregation Meeting - Voting Results

by Church Council

Devotions for Holy Week

by Pastor Eddie

Be Mindful of Your Mental Health

by English Ministry's Health Professionals

COVID-19 Updates #2

Expanded Call Line for Seniors

by English Ministry's Health Professionals

Recent Sermons

Latest Blog Posts

A Guide to Lent

by English Ministry Subcouncil

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Next Service:5th Sunday in Lent.