Dear Friends in Christ,
Greeting to you in the name of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the World, the Prince of Peace and the Healer of our Brokenness.
I pray that you are remaining safe and well. As the uncertainty about the end of the COVID pandemic continues, I am asking that we all continue to pray at 8 am and/or 8 pm daily for one another, our community, our nation and the world. I know that you each have your own stories to tell about how COVID and these times of social change are affecting you, your loved one and your friends. I’ve talked to several people in the healthcare industry lately and the challenges they are facing continue. On a personal note, my brother had planned to come to Franklin in early August for a family gathering but had to cancel because Indiana is now on the NY quarantine list. I was also horrified to hear that there is a COVID related death every 8 minutes in Florida and that Texas, Arizona and California are also at or nearing that level of loss. Sadly, there is a report in Delaware County that a church in Walton has a warning out to people who attended a recent Saturday evening event and Sunday morning worship service where a person with COVID participated. I have also heard that some local churches are not practicing social distancing, wearing masks, cleaning the sanctuary after use, and continue to sing hymns and have a choir. To continue to operate without updated protocols, place all participants at high risk of infection. Like many of you, I find myself asking – why? Why is it so difficult to understand that if we don’t all get on board with safe practices our nation and our neighbors will continue to suffer?
This morning I read an article that addressed this very question which was titled – Why don’t men wear masks? The reason for singling out men is simple. Statistically, more women than men will voluntarily wear a face mask and comply with social distancing practices. The reason is complicated but is rooted in the reality that men, in our culture, are supposed to be strong, brave and invincible (Think of the old Marlboro man commercials or western movie heroes, if your memory goes back that far.) We have, traditionally, placed our men in more high risk situations and engrained in them a sense that in order to protect others, they have to be able to conquer danger on their own. So, as a result, we have men who refuse to wear masks, or wear them ineffectively by covering only the mouth and not the nose and mouth, and who may become angry when confronted. In fact, the direct approach won’t work and actually escalates the problem. Emotional appeals won’t help. What does help, the article reported, is a very practical solution – herd mentality. If everyone (or nearly everyone) is wearing masks, the men who think that conforming makes them look weak and silly, will eventually wear them, too. Mandated mask wearing across the nation is the best way to reduce infection rates and help us to control the crisis until a vaccination is found.
It makes me think of what is called, the Methodist quadrilateral, which is based on the writings and teachings of John Wesley where he spoke of scripture, tradition, reason and experience as our source of decision-making. For Wesley, the primary place to go when confronting a challenge or life question was to turn to scripture – asking what does the Bible say about this? The second resource is tradition – asking what does past history (especially the Christian faith tradition) have to tell us? Third, is to use reason – the God given judgement and intellectual abilities we have to figure things out. And fourth is experience – asking what does my own life experience and that of others tell me about this situation? So, if we apply the quadrilateral to the question of COVID, we find that we are told in scripture to “Do to others as you would have them do to you.” (Luke 6:31). In this case, the meaning is that if we want others to care about us, then we need to demonstrate care for them – and that means doing all we can to protect others from harm and infection. Tradition shows us that, over time, the church has modified our rituals and services to protect others from harm. For example, in the early 20th century, we began to use individual communion cups to reduce the risk of tuberculosis. Reason says we should listen to what the experts are telling us and use our own common sense and judgement to help is make smart decisions. And experience tells us that getting sick, no matter what the cause, isn’t fun and shouldn’t be spread to other people (especially people who are high risk) if at all avoidable. It is my hope and prayer that we can begin to focus on the health and well-being of others so we can focus more energy on the other challenges brought about by COVID, such as high unemployment, economic uncertainty, and the fear and anxiety that seem to be always with us these days.
That said, here at United Ministry we have submitted our reopening protocol to DS, Karen Monk and are waiting to hear from her with the approval to reopen for worship in early August. Once we have the green light, you will receive a copy of the newly adopted protocols with a brief questionnaire about your feelings and thoughts about coming back to church. The trustees are actively working to ready the building for our return and most of the things we need are in place or will be soon. I can feel my spirits lifting as I think about seeing you again and how wonderful it will be! We are currently at Level IV and are cleared to have up to 33% of the total number allowed in the worship space, wearing masks and socially distancing. However, we all need to remain aware that the state could, at any time, restrict the number allowed in worship and that our neighbors who aren’t abiding by the current regulations are putting us all at risk for continued delays in reopening. We will go ahead with the hope in place that this number won’t be changed but, if it is reduced, we will put our return to worship on hold until the number is increased. Please pray for the safety of all and the wisdom needed for each of us to care for others as we would like them to care for us.
I have been working from home quite a bit this July and am trying to complete many of my projects that were not completed last summer or have been put on hold over the year. Things are going well and my decks are freshly washed and stained, rooms painted, and outside doors repainted. I only wish the weather was a bit cooler as it has been very hot going the past two weeks! I will be in the church office more during August as we continue to ready the church for opening and welcome the return of outside groups.
I hope that you each continue to stay strong, safe and well. If you, or anyone you know, is in need of prayer or pastoral support, please be sure to let me know. Also, our Food Pantry is open and supporting those in need of assistance. Please do share that information with anyone who might need to know – we are expecting there may be an increased need as unemployment benefits are reduced and other feeding programs are stopped or cancelled until fall.
For now, that’s my update for you. Know that you are in my prayers and remember, I love you and I need you to survive.
Peace,
Betsy
