As One That Serves (AOTS) men's club of Trinity United Church in Newmarket is recognizing Southlake Regional Health Centre frontline workers in its annual service Sunday, June 5.
"Everybody knows about what the pandemic has done — or at least they should know. The idea of recognizing the health-care workers... we're so fortunate to have Southlake right here in our community," said Ron Anderson, past president of the AOTS club.
This year's theme is Caring and Serving, he said.
A club member, who is a retired educator, suggested the theme, which, according to Anderson, perfectly complements what AOTS stands for.
"Serving is what we do, trying to help others and so on, and caring is what we have for others."
During the service, which Minister Linda Wheler said will be particularly meaningful to seniors, she will give a reading and 20 prayer shawls knitted by members of the church's congregation will be presented to Southlake spiritual care volunteers so they may provide them to Southlake patients.
Tyler Chalk, Southlake’s vice-president of Strategy, Analytics and Communications is attending on behalf of the hospital's senior team.
If just 100 of the more than 3,000 staff at Southlake attended the service, "that would be wonderful," Anderson said.
While the service is a special tribute to Southlake staff, all health-care workers and anyone fulfilling the role of caring and serving in the community is welcome and will be given a prayer shawl, as well.
A presentation, led by Don Stevens and Rev. Ross Carson, showing a historical chronology of the hospital's presence in Newmarket will be shown.
To make sure everything runs smoothly on the actual day, the club is having a rehearsal prior to the service — something never done in the club's history, said Anderson.
It's the club's way of honouring Southlake workers for what they have done "throughout history, too, but especially through the pandemic," Wheler said about the service. "A thank you, a word of gratitude for all that they've done."
The June 5 service begins at 10:30 a.m.
AOTS is the men’s ministry outreach of the United Church of Canada. The national association was formed in Vancouver in 1923 and has been operating at Trinity United Church in Newmarket for 41 years. Its name derives from a verse in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 22.
