April 23, 2020
Dear Friends:
Another week of isolation has passed and all of us are getting a little antsy for it to come to an end. We know that we need to hang in there a little longer but it is tough. Here is what our bishop said in a conference call earlier this week about reopening our churches. We are asked to follow the health guidelines of our state and local authorities as they begin to slowly open up our area. Since we are doing so well here on the peninsula in limiting the spread of the COVID 19 virus we are hopeful that some limited church activities might be possible in the not too distant future. Unfortunately, it does not look like we will be able to worship together very soon.
With this in mind, I brought together some of our church leaders to begin to look at all the questions facing even a limited opening of our church. Each loosening of government-mandated restrictions brings with it a host of questions that we have to answer as a church. I will be sharing some of the results of these discussions in my letter to you next week.
Here are some prayer concerns for this week:
Those dealing with the stress of long term forced isolation.
Those who are needing to be at work and dealing with the public: first responders, health care workers, grocery store employees, and more.
For all those who are ill from the virus and for those families who have lost loved ones to the virus.
For our new pastor Brad Beeman and his wife Dorothy at this time of transition.
Even though you can’t be with those having birthdays this week, sending emails or making phone calls are appreciated.
As we examined our church calendar, it became apparent that we cannot have a rummage sale in the first week of June. I know this will disappoint many of you because you have been using this time of isolation to clean out closets. We do not know if we will reschedule it later this summer or wait until next year. We will let you know as soon as a decision has been made.
One of our members called and shared an idea that she had. Since we are not having the rummage sale she suggested that people consider giving an extra $100 to the church from the stimulus checks they are receiving from the government. This would go a long way to making up the financial shortfall the church will experience from not having the sale.
Remember, I am available to you by phone and email. I want to stay connected with you, especially if you are having any challenges during this very challenging time.
Hope you have had a great week.
Pastor Bill