My dear friends in Christ,
Greetings to you in the name of our risen Savior, Jesus Christ!
Who knew when we closed the church for worship and other non-essential activities on March 15th that we would still be apart more than a month later? It has been a much longer time than most of us ever expected. Part of the reason is that we haven’t really lived through anything like this before. Recently, I’ve had several conversations with friends and church members, and we’ve realized through this that none of us has any real experience with a quarantine. I was born not long after the polio vaccine became available and never had to worry about that horrible disease. Penicillin was also around throughout my life and so I was never quarantined due to infections like the whooping cough, scarlet fever, measles and other illnesses that quarantined my mother and others in her generation. The truth is that none of us born post WWII has been through anything like this or even had to stay home for many illnesses other than the usual flus and colds and stomach upsets. We have been very privileged and we have forgotten how common it has been throughout history to be watchful about the spread of diseases. My grandmother, who grew up in NY City during the early 1900’s always wore gloves, not because she was fussy or wanted to be “overdressed”. No, it was a protection against germs like tuberculosis and the influenza of that time and she wore gloves when “going out” her entire life. We gave a lot of that up as “fussy” back in the 1960’s but may see the return of gloves and other forms of protection as we continue to figure out ways to stay safe with the coronavirus. As we relearn how to protect ourselves and others I believe we are going through a huge cultural transformation and that only time will tell us all the changes that will come about.
Here are United Ministry, we are becoming very aware of the changes already taking place as we continue to worship with our weekly “broadcast”. I am grateful that so many of you are participating and finding the worship to be supportive and helpful. Thanks again to all those who are making this possible! We have received a grant and are purchasing equipment that will build on this ministry as we move ahead. Soon, we’ll be able to live stream the Message and all other portions of the service so that we can be together ‘face to face” even when we’re apart. We will continue to update you as things progress.
Our church remains closed to all outside and church use – with the exception of the Food Pantry. This assures the safety of people who may come and go from the building at this time. Deb Kearney has been working remote from home and checking in at the office once each week. The mail is being received and checks are deposited weekly by Edie Campbell. We have been holding regular church committee meetings by Zoom and conference call. Laura Clark is paying our bills and handling all the financial matters, remotely. I have been working from home, responding to emails and providing the worship each Sunday and during Holy Week. I also go to the church for a “check in” at least once a week. Evelyn Jacksto continues to clean the building and is taking this time to do a thorough reorganizing of all areas, including closets and storage rooms. Pat Nabinger has cleaned the music room areas and reorganized some of her work supplies. Pam Savage has done similar work in the Playschool. The staff has continued to be busy even though not always visible. The reason? We are having a professional building cleaning which will start on 4/20 and continue until all areas (upstairs and down) have been cleaned. This includes, carpets, furnishings and chairs. We are getting ready for the time when we can return for worship and restart our ministries to the community in a freshly cleaned building.
So when do we get back? The answer is – not yet. It appears, based on the news today, that there is talk of reopening in New York State around May 15th. The Playschool will follow the schedule provided by NY State and Delaware Academy. If they open, we will be open. The church will probably follow, and it is likely that our activities will resume once we return to worship together. We can expect that worship may be different, as well. For example, it is possible that we will be required to wear masks, to sit six or more feet apart from anyone not living in our home, and to avoid touching or shaking hands. We will be using a different system for Holy Communion that assures minimal contact. We may or may not be sharing coffee hours or potluck meals, though we could probably have fellowship times with “bag lunches”. It will be different – but that’s not what really matters. What matters is the good news and that we will be together. We will see the friends we have missed for this time. We will be allowed to come together to praise the God who is with us always and who is guiding and supporting us in this time. We will be able to witness to our belief that God is good and that the future is bright and full of hope! Praise God!
As soon as there are any updates, an announcement will be made. In the meantime, let’s keep on keeping on!
Peace,
Pastor Betsy
