An Update From Pastor Jeff

Good morning!  I just wanted to give you another update on how things stand with the church this morning.  At the recommendation of the bishop, and in consultation with our church councils, we have decided to suspend in-person worship until May 10.

Now, two things about that.  We will continue to livestream all of our services, Sunday morning, Sunday evening, and Wednesday evening during Lent.  We’ll also livestream all of our Holy Week services.  Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and of course Easter Sunday.  So please keep watching them.  We know quite a number of you are, and we really appreciate that.  And I thank Katie Frost and Alyssa Roseland for their work in making those livestreams possible.

And the other thing is that the May 10 date is not etched in stone.  If things should improve, we can take a look at having in-person worship sooner.  And, of course, if things go the other way, it’s possible we may have to wait longer.  That’s one of the frustrating things about this--no one knows how long things will be like this.  We just have to hang in there and do our best.

And I know a lot of you are.  I said a week or so ago that we all need to keep our sense of humor during this time, and I know a lot of us are doing a good job with that.  God created human beings to be very adaptible, and a lot of us are adapting very well.  I applaud you for that.  Keep it going.

But I know some of us have some serious concerns.  Some of us have had their hours cut back or have lost your jobs.  Some of us are concerned about losing businesses.  Some of us have loved ones we’re concerned about and are not able to go and see.  Some of us already have health issues, and so are very concerned about what might happen if we got the coronavirus.  And there are lots of other issues as well.  And they’re not easy to deal with.

So, as you deal with them, please know that your church is here for you.  Wanda and I are not doing much in-person visiting right now, for obvious reasons.  But we are still here for you.  You can call us, you send a text, send an email, send me a message on facebook.  We want to be here for you as much as we can.  So if you have concerns, or if you just want someone to talk to, please get hold of us.

And please keep taking care of each other.  Again, I know a lot of us are doing a good job with that.  But keep it up.  When there are no events going on, when we cannot go and see each other in person, we need to be more intentional about this.  Again, I know a lot of us are doing that already.  I just want to encourage you to keep going.

And keep your faith.  God is there, and God will see us through this.  Think of all the terrible things that have happened in human history.  God was with us through all of them, and God saw us through them.  Think of some of the tough times you’ve had in your life.  God was with you through them, and God saw you through them.  God will be with us through this, and God will see us through it.  Keep trusting God.

It’s a tough time right now, but it’s not going to last forever.  Things will get better.  We will all get back together again.  God is still great, and God is still good.  And you know what?  All of you are pretty great and pretty good, too.  If we stay together, if we find ways to be there for each other, if we keep loving each other, then together we’ll get through this.  So hang in there, keep smiling, and keep praying.  And have a blessed day.