(May 14th 2020)
(May 6th 2020)
As of today's briefing, BC's Restart Plan will be introduced through 4 phases. BC Premier John Horgan was encouraging British Columbians that we are already in Phase 1, due to our cooperative adherence to the safety protocols.
Due to the volume of information regarding the new modelling numbers and the 4-Phase introduction, please do click on the following link for accurate information:
https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content?id=2873D79FF0CE411A913142FB2BC345FC
Keep on being connected, prayerful and strong! God bless you all!
(April 24th 2020)
(April 22nd 2020)
If you are requiring financial assistance due to the COVID-19 virus, the Government of Canada has introduced many stimulus packages both for individuals and businesses. Please do go to www.canada.ca to access information about eligibility requirements and the application process.
Although the curve is seeing a 'flattening' trajectory, we will continue to follow the Provincial Health Officer's (Dr. Bonnie Henry) recommendation to continue to NOT meet in large groups. As a result, we will continue to meet online for all our meetings.
Our prayer groups are praying online together everyday! If you would like to join us, simply pair up with another member or contact the church office for more details.
Our Wordgroups are meeting to watch the lesson every Wednesday as well. Simply go to our 'Home' page and click on the 'Wednesday Bible Study' tab, and you will be brought to the lesson. Do also know that the Wordgroup notes are displayed on the 'Home' page.
The youths are meeting onine each Saturday at 5:30pm via Instagram. You can visit them at their Instagram handle @pic.youth. They are concluding their Bible Study series on the Book of Philippians. Do go to their Instagram for updates.
Each weekend's sermon are also located on the 'Home' page. You will be able to find the service time tabs and sermon notes there as well.
If you are wanting to find the previous week's sermon and/or Bible Study lesson and their corresponding notes, you will be able to find them archived in the 'Sermons' tab.
We will also be introducing more features to aid you thrive in this season. One of them will be the introduction of our 'How Do I Know God?' tab that's found on the 'Home' page. We have gathered resources to help you and/or your friends if you/they would like to discover the God Who gives life and hope in this day and age. In this tab, you will also find links that will help you in your daily walk with God!
We will be introducing a 'Family Time' tab that will give families suggestions on how to enjoy your time of isolation together! Finally, we will also be introducing a tab on 'Prayer' that will help you to pray along with the rest of the church for our government, those on the frontline, those who have been directly or indirectly impacted by the virus. So, do check out the changes coming soon!
(April 11th 2020)
Although we have stopped our physical meetings for our Wordgroups, we have not stopped meeting online! We are now receiving our Wordgroup teaching by Pastor James, on every Wednesday under the 'Wednesday Bible Study' tab on our website homepage - just click on it and you will be brought to the video teaching. You will also be able to find the Bible Study Notes on the 'Home' page. Be blessed by it!
As a church, we are also praying online every Saturday for our nation, our leaders and the world as we navigate these uncharted waters. You can join us by contacting the church office, or simply by connecting with one of your friends to pray together.
Do continue to pray, love and support each other (especially the elderly in our community) during this time, and do continue to practice social distancing, physical distancing, self-isolation, and excellent hygiene by washing hands frequently, and observing the mandatory self-quarantine practice if you are returning from outside of Canada.
God bless you all this Easter weekend as we celebrate His resurrection victory!
(April 3rd 2020)
As part of our continuing efforts to observe best practices regarding COVID-19 protocols, we have ceased our Surrey Campus live streams, and will be concentrating our live streams only at the Vancouver Campus for both services. Do note that you will be able to find the Sunday's Sermon Notes on the Home Page, under the 'Announcements' section.
All our youth meetings have also ceased to meet physically for some weeks now, and we have since switched to online meetings. Do check our youth's Instagram account @pic.youth for updates.
We ask church members to keep on checking on each other's welfare (especially on the welfare of our sick and elderly) via phone calls or the various technological platforms that are available to us. God continue to bless you as you keep on delighting in Him, taking care of each other, and caring for our commuity by washing our hands, staying at home, and practising social and physical distancing. God bless you!
(March 21st 2020)
For those who have been asking, we currently have two ways of giving:
1) By cheque through the mail (to the Vancouver Campus address); and
2) E-Transfer. Here's how you do it:
(March 18th, 2020)
Due to the Covid-19 health concerns, and the recent Provincial ban on large gatherings, we are closed for Sunday Services until further notice.
We encourage members to participate in our Virtual Church Services online in our website @ www.praiseic.com
We will be streaming services live at 10 and 11:30 am.
All Word Groups will also shut down for the rest of March.
Please call 604-876-5141 if you have any further queries.
(March 17th 2020)
We ask that you continue to check this page for daily updates, as well as using the above 'Live' tabs for Sunday service live-streams.
Pastor James
(March 12th 2020)
At the 3:30pm B.C Health Authority press briefing, Dr. Bonny Henry (the BC Provincial Health Minister) and Mr. Adrian Dix (MLA of BC) both advised against travelling outside Canada, which includes travelling to the United States. They mentioned that those travelling outside Canada must self-isolate for 14 days (https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/west-vancouver-retirement-home-announces-2-confirmed-cases-of-covid-19-1.5495811).
Please do advise those whom you think may be affected. Thank you and God bless you!
(March 12th 2020)
For those who will be joining us online for our services this Sunday, please go to the Home Page and select from the relevant service time tab.
If you are going to join us for our Live Stream 10am service in Vancouver, please click on 'Live Vancouver Service @ 10am' tab, and it should bring you directly to our Youtube channel for the entirety of the whole service.
If you are going to join us for our Live Stream 11:30am service in Surrey, please click on 'Live Surrey Service @ 11:30am' tab, and it should bring you to the start of the live streaming service.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us. God bless you!
(March 11th 2020)
As of today, the W.H.O. has officially declared the virus to be a global pandemic. However, the local risk is still considered to be low. As a proactive step in following the B.C. Health Authorities guidelines and suggestions, we will be reducing the number of our services from 4 (2 in each Campus) to 2 (1 in each Campus). We will be meeting as follows: 10am @ our Vancouver Campus (Praiseland available), and 11:30am @ our Surrey Campus (Praiseland available).
We continue to encourage those who are sick, elderly and immuno-compromised, to participate in our online services at those times.
We will be providing self-addressed stamped envelopes (at each Campus) for those who want to continue to honour and worship God with their tithes and offerrings. We will provide more details in the next few days on how to access the links for our online service.
We believe that "God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love and sound mind" (2 Tim. 1:7). So, let us continue to be loving examples of our Great God! God bless you!
(March 7th, 2020)
As of today, the B.C. Health Authority has made the following statement: “There has been a notable transmission of COVID-19 at events, such as religious gatherings. As a result, we recommend social distancing and forgoing usual greetings. As an alternative, we recommend considering virtual online gatherings" (https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2020HLTH0064-000413).
Therefore, we advise that those in our congregations who are at risk - namely, the sick, elderly and immuno-compromised - NOT to attend the church services tomorrow. All Senior meetings for this Sunday (March 8th) have been cancelled.
The leadership of the church will confirm by the middle of this coming week, if our four Sunday services for March 15th will be cancelled, or if they will resume. Should the March 15th services be cancelled, we shall continue our services online via 'Zoom.' If we will be gathering by virtual services, simply click on the 'Live' tab on the Home Page, and you should be able to join the message at the appointed time (to be announced if necessary). We will continue to receive your tithes and offerings by mail at the church address:
Praise International Church
2937 Woodland Drive,
Vancouver, BC V5N 3R2
This is, however, not a time to be fearful (2 Tim. 1:7), but it is a time to continue to pray for the safety of our nation, our leaders, as well as the global community. Let us continue to " let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven" (Matt. 5:14-16).
PIC STATEMENT OF PREVENTION REGARDING THE COVID-19 VIRUS
(as of March 5th 2020)
Dear Church,
It is without doubt that you have heard of the spread of the COVID-19 virus on a global scale that has infected over 83,000 people and caused over 3,000 deaths. However, please rest assured that the B.C. Health authorities maintain that we are at a low risk of contracting the disease. The World Health Authority (W.H.O.) has not designated the term ‘pandemic’ at such time.
As Christians, we want to ensure that we continue to be a good testimony by not being given over to fear (2 Tim. 1:7), but to be aware and be proactive in our response. We want to be reminded that our roles as Christians are: (1) to fight fear with knowledge in order to encourage preparedness; (2) to maintain continuity in the case of potential disruption; and (3) to show God’s love and compassion to those who are affected.
As such, we have come up with the following guidelines to help us have clear direction, should the situation change.
PIC Stage 1: Green Con (Prevention - effectively immediately)
- If you feel sick, please do not attend church. Observe the condition of your health, speak to a doctor if necessary, and self-quarantine for 14 days if directed to do so;
- If you have just arrived from affected areas that are on the W.H.O.’s watchlist of COVID-19 affected areas and develop a cough or shortness of breath, please diligently observe the state of your health, and report a worsening change of health status if necessary;
- If you host homestay students, please also do apply the procedures for their care and well-being;
- When entering church, please observe the following hygiene protocol:
- Please use the hand sanitizers provided at the usher’s table upon entering. This is particularly useful especially after using public transit;
- Please wash your hands with soap for at least 20 seconds after using the washroom;
- Please do not cough or sneeze into your bare hands. Instead, use a tissue paper when coughing or sneezing, or if it is too sudden – cough or sneeze into your arm or sleeve.
- Although we are a loving church, at this time as a precaution, we want to avoid high-fives, hugging and handshaking (even fist bumps). We recommend a simple wave and ‘hello.’
- Do avoid touching your face with unwashed hands during this period as well.
- Start taking a proactive approach by exchanging contact information, so that we can look out for each other.
PIC Stage 2: Amber Con (If the outbreak gets worse)
- If there are more cases in the Lower Mainland, and the B.C. Health Authorities express concern, we want to make sure that the vulnerable in our community are looked after;
- We will use our Wordgroup structure as a means to check up on our sick and elderly in the community (another reason to join a Wordgroup today);
- If there are any of our members who contract the COVID-19 virus, they will not be able to buy any groceries due to their self-imposed quarantine. As such, the Wordgroup of that member will purchase groceries and leave it at their doorstop for collection;
- We will also contact our chain of communication to pray for that member, and to keep in constant communication via electronic means;
- At this stage, the church leadership will decide on the number of meetings, frequency of meetings, etc., depending on the severity of the situation;
- We want to keep on honouring and worshipping God with out tithes and offerings. So, if you are house-bound, we have set up online giving at our website at: www.praiseic.com/give
- If you feel the need to stock up on supplies, remember to refrain from panic-buying.
PIC Stage 3: Red Con (If infection rates are severe)
If the W.H.O. declares the COVID-19 a global pandemic, and the Canadian government deems it necessary to bring about legislation to prevent large meetings like halting school, workplace, religious gatherings, etc., we will enact the following protocol:
- Physical church meetings will be cancelled. We have set up our website (www.praiseic.com) to have the ability to live-stream the sermon via Zoom. We will give the access code when we deem this a necessary step.
- We do want to continue worshipping and honouring God with our tithes, offerings and missions pledges. Therefore, we have set up online giving at our website at: www.praiseic.com/give
- Using our existing Wordgroup structure, we want to make sure that we are constantly checking on each other’s welfare during this time – especially on the elderly and the sick.
We continue to live in the hope and joy that the Lord has given us, and to be a shining example of His peace and love to those around us. We will keep you updated via our regular means of communication with any updated news. Thank you and God bless you all!
(March 5th 2020)
