Vaccinations
Dear Church,
Delta variant is a very serious intruder, and it is here to stay for some time. Canada’s daily count has soared to over four thousand in recent days. Alberta is in crisis as the province with the lowest vaccination rate in Canada. The Delta variant is spreading quickly among the unvaccinated. The Ontario government announced the use of the vaccine passport system starting September 22nd. From now on, people will need to show their immunization records when entering indoor spaces like restaurants and gyms or going to concerts and sports events where there are large gatherings. For some time, the government resisted the passport program stating that it was an infringement upon people’s privacy. In hindsight, though, the government should have acted sooner and slowed down the variant.
Let us talk about the people who continue to oppose the vaccination. Some have legitimate concerns like health issues. I understand that, and we should be careful about passing judgment on them. I am, however, talking about those who oppose for other reasons, whatever they may be. Why don’t they get vaccinated? Wouldn’t it be in their best interest to do so since the variant is hitting the unvaccinated group very severely? If you still need to get vaccinated, I pray that you will change your mind quickly.
We can resort to lockdown measures only so much. Lockdowns are too harsh for store owners and for those who rely on in-person interactions for living. Even if we have more lockdowns, this virus will not go away because unvaccinated people provide ‘hosting’ opportunities. Soon, the fall semester will begin, and schools will reopen. Inevitably, the number of cases will go up. Weatherwise, we are also heading into a cooler season, which means a suitable condition for the virus to survive. All in all, we are in for another challenging period.
Despite the danger of the Delta variant, the Session decided to reopen worship services for young adults (groups 1 & 2), high schoolers (both KSE and ESE), and the other ethnic congregation members (the Vietnamese, Myanmar, and the Thai churches). We must continue to respect and follow all the safety protocols. We have yet to open Sunday worship for church school since those under 12 are not yet vaccinated. Let us pray that soon everyone, including the children in church school can worship God in person.
May the LORD bless you.
Pastor Minho Song
