My Dear Friends in Christ,
Grace and Peace to you in the name of God the Creator, Christ the living Word, and the Spirit who is the fiery wind that inspires and leads us into the new days ahead!
I’m writing to let you know that even though the painting and reorganizing are nearly complete, there are still a number of things to be worked out before we can reopen our church for worship services. Some projects will need to be completed later in the summer, probably after our reopening for Sundays. It does seem like a very long time since we were together in our sanctuary and I know that you’re missing being together – as I miss each of you! At this time, we are working to complete our protocols and are getting the technology in place for our services and for livestreaming. Livestreaming will allow people who need or want to stay at home or who will be working on Sunday mornings, to join in worship from wherever they are. It will even be possible to worship on a more convenient day later during the week by accessing the link on our webpage. I am hoping that this will increase our attendance since anyone can participate in worship at any time that is best for them! I do believe that COVID-19 has pushed us all into a different way of approaching the world we live in and that it is possible that we can be an even more inclusive and welcoming church through the use of technology. AND those who wish to worship in the sanctuary will soon be able to do so. I am waiting to reopen when we can have our full normal number in attendance. That would mean we would have to be allowed to have 65 people in our sanctuary. Presently, we can have 25% of the capacity of the room, which is a total of 55 people. I’m hopeful that the numbers will soon change and we can open our doors for Sunday services. As I’ve said before, watch for announcements which will come out as soon as we hear about any change.
We will also be sending out a brief survey asking a few questions about attending church and how safe and comfortable you feel. Please do take the time to complete the survey and return it so that we can you’re your input and better know your needs as we move ahead. Watch for it around July 5th!
Finally, we have been dealing with so many different challenges during this time, it can feel like all the stability we once had has vanished. If you remember, I did address this in past Sunday “letters” as I wrote to you about the stages of grief and also the process of adaptation to change. I never imagined we’d be facing not only the coronavirus but also the upheaval in our nation and the world around racism, genderism, poverty and inequality of resource disposal, and huge economic changes as nations around the world begin to take climate change and our environmental future more seriously. While it is wonderful and exciting to feel the surges of hope for our future and our children’s futures these changes potentially offer, we are also stressed and possibly anxious about the uncertainty that all of this brings. In times like these it is so important to find the quiet center and to trust in God to bring us through. We can be activists and work for positive change, but as Christians, we are also called to stay centered in our faith and remember that we are witnessing for Christ and his kin-dom in the world. Stay focused on prayer and don’t forget to pray at 8 am and/or 8 pm, daily. Journal your feelings and your concerns. Remember to write three “gratitudes” each day and also express thanks for your biggest challenge as you ask God to both teach and help you through the adversity. This time offers a huge opportunity to create a better world for all people. It is also a wonderful time to focus on putting God first and deepening our spiritual connection with the God of mercy, grace and love.
Have a great week! Stay safe and well. Remember, I love you and I need you to survive!
Peace,
Betsy
