My dear friends in Christ Jesus,
Grace and peace to you on this day and each day in the name of the Lord and Savior of the World, Jesus, the healer of our brokenness.
What a challenging week this has been! I have felt so overwhelmed by all that is happening and the woundedness of our nation, especially our black sisters and brothers. What better time to remember the words of Paul, “Neither Greek nor Jew, slave nor free, male nor female – all are one in Christ Jesus.” To which we might add, neither black nor white, peaceful demonstrator or law enforcement officer, rich or poor, educated or not, privileged or disenfranchised – all are truly alike in our Lord and Savior and in the eyes of God who has created each one of us in God’s own image. I ask you to join with me in prayers during this time for the healing of our nation and for God to show us the way forward that leads to peace and justice for all people.
The work at the church continues as we push to be ready for opening when NYS moves our area to Level IV rating. We are completing painting in the sanctuary and McCall Hall, as well as the pastor’s office. Replacement of the floors in kitchens, bathrooms and storage closets throughout the building, which we discovered were asbestos tile, is perhaps next on the agenda with some additional work to ready our sanctuary for the return to worship. We are also working on the protocols for the congregation and for outside groups who we expect will want to use our building once again, moving forward. These are in process at this time.
One thing I’d like to say is that you may have heard about other churches that are open for worship. I myself have direct knowledge of two churches in our area that have opened in recent weeks. Let me be clear, while I celebrate their love for Christ and their desire to resume weekly worship services, they are not in compliance with the NYS and CDC timeline for reopening! The process we are following will assure that we are abiding by the lawful return to worship which also allows for the protection of those who choose to come into the building for worship. You should also know that some churches are allowing choirs to sing and congregational hymn singing and that, as I write this, I have heard a rumor that the CDC is now allowing congregational and choirs to sing. I hope this isn’t true since the CDC has previously stated that congregations and choirs should not sing because when we sing we spray spittle into the air up to a twenty foot distance from the singer. This in itself is a danger, but the particles when singing are smaller than those produced with regular breathing and are, therefore, more easily absorbed by both the singers and those in the pews. Finally, when sing we breathe in much more deeply than our usual breathing pattern and this increases the risk of inhaling infection deep into the lungs. This is why we cannot and will not be singing during our worship until we have a clear protocol that allows us to sing, safely. I hope you know how this breaks my heart. I am a singer. My first work in the church was as a church musician and professional singer. I long to sing! But in the interest of protecting myself and others, I will resist the impulse until I know it is safe. Bishop Bickerton has asked us to remember that all the things we are doing, even if we would rather follow our usual worship practices, is an expression of love that comes with the desire to “Do No Harm”. We are generously and with grace giving up some of our own personal desires and wishes for the safety and protection of us all.
I believe that we can and should pray for those churches that have opened against the direction of the state and CDC. I hope the leaders and congregations remain safe and well. I also hope you know that by breaking the guidelines they put not only themselves as risk, but everyone else in the community they come in contact with, at the grocery store, on the street, and in our health care system, should they get COVID-19. Pray for them and for us all.
I am also letting you know that the bishop has generously offered to provide worship so that all clergy can have Sunday, June 14 as a day of rest. I love being with you but I haven’t taken a Sunday off since last October and I feel the need for some rest and renewal. So, I will be off, per the Bishop’s instructions, from Thursday through Sunday of next week. As soon as we receive the link for this service, we will provide it for you so you can access the worship service and message from the Bishop. I hope you will take this opportunity to join with other UM congregations in the NY Annual Conference and to hear the Bishop preach. He’s pretty good, if I do say so myself! I will be back with you all on June 21st for our usual Sunday format which will continue until we are given the “all clear” and can worship together once again, in our sanctuary. I hope, prayerfully, that will be sometime in July and am aiming to be ready by July 1st so we can open our doors right away, once we get the “ok”.
In the meantime, stay safe and well. Pray for those who are still facing risks of infection or battling the COVID -19 virus, pray for families separated by continued social distancing and especially for those in nursing homes and health care facilities, pray for the first responders and health care workers. Pray for all our children in this time. And please for the peace and healing of our nation in your daily 8 am and/or 8 pm prayers. Stay connected with friends and loved ones, near and far. And know that I love you – and need you to survive.
Peace,
Betsy
