I think that most of you know that we had been planning on resuming in-person worship at City Road Chapel UMC on Sunday, July 12, 2020. We have been making plans to ensure the safety of all and were excited that we would soon be getting together soon.
However, today Mayor John Cooper announced that due to the exponential rise in COVID cases in Nashville, our city would be returning to Phase 2 status, with greater restrictions to resume. Since our Church Council agreed in the early weeks of the crisis to not resume in-person gatherings until Nashville was at Phase 3, we will NOT be resuming worship on July 12.
These decisions are never easy. There is always a balancing act regarding the risks involved in coming back together and the need to be connected. Yet, as the pastor of this congregation, I know that most of our folks are considered high-risk patients, and so we are taking the utmost care in resuming our gatherings to ensure that we are not a vector for the spread of this disease.
I know that some are looking at other area churches that are open and wondering how they do it. Honestly, several of those congregations (Long Hollow Baptist is the most prominent) have had to close down after reopening due to outbreaks in their congregations. There are no magic bullets in regard to this disease. The only sure way to avoid having people get sick is to stay at home, wear masks, and practice social distancing when you have to be out. Churches, because of the nature of the gatherings, have been shown again and again to be places where this disease spreads easily. As such, we have to take extra care to ensure that we keep folks safe.
I know that I’m disappointed that we have had to postpone again in-person gatherings, and I imagine that many of you are sad as well. This just means that we all have to reach out to one another in the ways that we can — phone calls, cards, and online. The church is not closed — we just are not able to physically meet. But God’s work of love and light continues on, and I hope you can discern how God is wanting to use you in this moment.
When will we be able to get together again? Mayor Cooper said that it’s likely we will be in Phase 2 for a couple of weeks. Given the increasing case numbers and the incubation time for the disease, I would not be surprised if we aren’t looking at August before reopening. But, we will take this a week at a time, and will reopen when we can assure the safety of all.
I love you all and miss being with you. But I know that we are joined together in the light of God’s love no matter where we are.
The following is from our member Steven Stinson, who is serving as our missionary at MountainTOP this summer.
Salutations all!
I hope everyone is doing well. After finishing the first week I was not expecting to be this tired, but a lot of great things were accomplished. Overall we were able to work with 32 Day Camp kids(our goal was 70 for the whole summer, so this was really great), finished a shingle roof and a tin roof. Everyone worked really hard, and if this is the pace we set for week one I can’t wait to see what we will do with the rest of the summer.
As for me, I was lucky enough to do a little bit of everything. On Tuesday and Wednesday I went out with the service project groups to take some photos and videos and I ended up helping with the roofs more than taking pictures. Thursday was my staff’s day to lead the in-camp programming. We ran breakfast, dinner, and worship that night. It went really well, and I couldn’t be more proud of my staff for their creativity and dedication to service and God.
Friday was probably my favorite day of the week because I got to shadow our Day Camp program for the day. It was cool seeing how such a changed program could still have such a large impact on all of the kids. After helping them out I went out to one of the worksites to help set up some handrails, and then wrapped it up by running a worship for my staff that night, I helped run every part of the ministry and it was really, really fun;
So that’s what is going on at the Mountain Top. Thanks again for your support. If you have any questions or want to chat, you can call. text or email me and I’ll get back to you ASAP.
As we prepare to resume in-person worship in light of the COVID-19 outbreak, we believe that one of the ways of maintaining safety for all is to enter into a covenant together regarding our practices in worship. This covenant has been reviewed by the Worship Committee of the church, and we believe it represents a faithful response to the crisis and our commitment as United Methodists to avoid doing harm.
City Road Chapel Covenant of Care
We, the people of God at City Road Chapel United Methodist Church, are a faith community called to the mission of growing in Christ and sharing God’s love. As a people who follow Jesus in the tradition started by John Wesley, we likewise are guided by a common rule to avoid doing harm, to do as much good as possible, and to do the things that help us stay in love with God. Our mission and rule lead us to covenant with one another to respond with the utmost care and concern as we begin to open our buildings for public worship, learning, and use.
As God’s people, we covenant to:
Avoid attending any activities on the church campus if we are sick or believe we have been exposed to someone who is sick.
Wash and/or disinfect our hands immediately upon entering one of the church buildings, using the soap/disinfectant for the time it takes to sing the Doxology.
Avoid hugs or shaking hands when we are with others on the church campus.
Remain at least 6 feet apart from people with whom we are not sheltered-at-home.
Wear face coverings to protect others in case we are sick but not showing symptoms.
Accept limitations in our worship services so as to allow for the safety of all, including:
Making reservations to attend a specific service and attending at a different time if our preferred service is full;
To be seated by an usher in a designated safe-distance seat without complaint or requesting special treatment;
Avoiding singing in worship to prevent the spread of germs;
Using the designated boxes for offerings (or online giving) and following all instructions for receiving communion.
Support the ministries of our church financially even when we are unable to participate in worship or other activities.
Recognize that while there may be differing opinions regarding the seriousness of the coronavirus outbreak, our calling to offer love and care leads us to respect those who are concerned about the disease and honor their needs for face-covering, social-distancing, and other ways they try to avoid becoming infected.
Pray for the safety of all people, and the development of a vaccine and cure to end the current crisis.
This covenant will be a part of our life together until such time as the Centers for Disease Control and/or other health officials say that precautions are no longer needed.
Click here to download a PDF version of this covenant.
Bishop William McAlilly sent the following letter on June 5, 2020 and asked it to be shared with all of the congregations in the Tennessee and Memphis Annual Conferences:
A Pastoral Letter to United Methodists of the Southeastern Jurisdiction
June 5, 2020
Brothers and Sisters:
As president of the Southeastern Jurisdiction College of Bishops my heart rejoices over the bold, courageous, and compassionate offering of confession, lament, and call to action by our white brothers and sisters of the SEJ College and the gracious acceptance of this act of truth telling as we journey toward the Beloved Community. It is our belief that such actions enhance our work and witness to a hurting community seeking moral leadership in this time of racial upheaval.
We see this statement as a reversal of the sentiments of the letter sent to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by a group of clergymen that caused him to write the eloquent and brutally honest “Letter From a Birmingham Jail.”
We have longed for white voices of power and influence to stand with us. It is an amazing gift to hear and work with colleagues joining voices in solidarity with African Americans who have been both prophet and victim. It is only when the privileged who have benefited from the evils of racism take a stand that real change happens. It is our prayer that the church, the nation, and our world will no longer place the burden on the oppressed to liberate themselves. It is impossible to free yourself when the power of systemic injustice has its knee on your neck.
We pray that what follows will serve as a model for our brothers and sisters who have lived a life of white privilege to speak a gracious yet painful word of truth as we journey together toward real transformation, hope, and love in this racially charged atmosphere. We share this work of solidarity with these words from our fellow White Bishops with thanksgiving and hope that others will join us.
Bishop Leonard Fairley
We, the White Bishops of the Southeastern Jurisdiction of The United Methodist Church, call upon all United Methodists to stand with and see our Black brothers and sisters.
As White American Bishops, we stand up and stand with our Black Bishops in the Church who have consistently named and called out the systemic and sinful practice of discrimination that has been pervasive in the United States since the first slaves walked the shores of this land. For our failure to join our sisters and brothers we ask forgiveness.
As White American Bishops, we stand up and stand with the Black Communities across our Episcopal Areas recognizing that we who have been in positions of power and privilege have been silent. In our silence we have and do sin. We implore all United Methodists across the Southeastern Jurisdiction of The United Methodist Church to exercise influence and power to be agents of repentance, reconciliation, reformation, and restoration in a system that has failed to bring hope to all God’s children of color.
As White American Bishops, we stand up and stand with all persons who live in fear of the very systems designed to protect them.
As White American Bishops, we stand up and stand with all persons whose anger has reached the point of intolerance due to failure after failure to change systemic racial injustice which has created the climate where black lives can be snuffed out without consequence.
As White American Bishops, we stand up, stand with, and stand against any systems of injustice that treat people differently because of the color of their skin. We call on the people called Methodist to live fully into our baptismal vows to renounce the spiritual forces of wickedness, reject the evil powers of this world, and repent of our sin.
We believe that the soul of our nation needs to be examined which means that each person, individually, needs to engage in self-examination. Self-examination includes educating oneself about the roots of racism from slavery to lynching to racial segregation and Jim Crow to contemporary presumptions of guilt, incarceration, and police violence. Self-examination means scrutinizing one’s beliefs, attitudes, and actions. A beginning place is for each of us to read “Letter From a Birmingham Jail” written by Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1963. [See link above.]
God calls us individually and collectively to take action.
In our Baptism we are called to accept the freedom and power given by God to resist evil, injustice and oppression however, wherever, and whenever they are present.
We, the White American Bishops of the Southeastern Jurisdiction United Methodist Church, cry out to the people of The United Methodist Church to unite our hearts, our minds, our souls and our strength now to step into this present brokenness by seeing those we have chosen not to see. We do so believing that out of the pain of the tragic deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Eric Garner, Philando Castile, Trayvon Martin, and countless others whose names have faded, that these senseless killings will stop and healing can begin.
Let us now, this day, stand up and stand with our Black brothers and sisters so that we will be united as one body in Christ, redeemed by his blood. May we be one in Christ, one with each other, and one in ministry to all the world until Christ comes in final victory.
This is our deepest prayer.
The Holy Work Before Us
We now ask you to join us in recommitting ourselves to non-violently exposing and opposing injustice, racism, and violence even when it resides in our own hearts. We must not allow our righteous indignation and prophetic calls for justice to become spiritually hollow with no moral integrity to speak into a world that is in desperate need of the fresh bread of hope.
We hear and see it in the protests. The world grows weary of injustice where the marginalized become voiceless and invisible living at the mercy of power. If we are unwilling to walk the path of Jesus Christ and truly acknowledge white privilege, then all our statements simply become high sounding pontificated documents joining other statements gathering dust on the selves of empty promises.
With your prayers and actions joined with ours we can answer the cries we hear in the midst of protests—cries of injustice, fear, and anger, that when gone unanswered turn violent. If Jesus is indeed the answer let us dare to see one another as beloved children of the living God deserving of love, mercy, and justice.
We offer our example to the church. In the name of Jesus Christ this is our work and we dare not abandon it or the world because we desire privilege and power over what the Lord requires of us.
Please join us in this holy work of dismantling racism in its subtle and overt forms. If not us, who? If not now, when?
Christ have mercy.
Lord have mercy.
Christ have mercy.
Bishop Lawson Bryan Bishop Kenneth L. Carder Bishop Kenneth H. Carter Bishop Ray Chamberlain Bishop Young Jin Cho Bishop Charles Crutchfield Bishop Lindsey Davis Bishop Leonard Fairley Bishop Bob Fannin Bishop David Graves Bishop Larry Goodpaster Bishop Al Gwinn Bishop Jonathan Holston Bishop Sue Haupert-Johnson Bishop Hasbrouck Hughes, Jr. Bishop Charlene Kammerer Bishop James King Bishop Clay Lee Bishop Paul Leeland Bishop Sharma Lewis Bishop Richard Looney Bishop William T. McAlilly Bishop Lawrence McCleskey Bishop Jack Meadors Bishop C. P. Minnick, Jr. Bishop Bob Spain Bishop Thomas B. Stockton Bishop James Swanson Bishop Mary Virginia Taylor Bishop Debra Wallace-Padgett Bishop Joe Pennel Bishop Hope Morgan Ward Bishop Mike Watson Bishop William Willimon Bishop Dick Wills
This past Thursday, I recorded my message for Pentecost Sunday drawing on 1 Corinthians 12. In the course of that sermon, I lifted up verse 13:
We were all baptized by one Spirit into one body, whether Jew or Greek, or slave or free, and we all were given one Spirit to drink.
Paul, the writer of the letter to the church at Corinth had used that formula before when he was talking to the church at Galatia in response to the teachings that were being spread through that community:
There is neither Jew nor Greek; there is neither slave nor free; nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
In my sermon, I used these verses to suggest that Paul recognized that the divisions that so often define us have no place in God’s kingdom. We are ALL created in the image of God and filled with the same Holy Spirit, I said, and I believe that Jesus treated all people with dignity and respect, even when they were “sinners” (who he was supposed to avoid according to the religious customs of his day). We, as followers of Jesus, are called to cast aside the labels that keep us from the call to love one another as Jesus loved us.
Over the years, the misuse of scripture has led these words to be used in ways that ignore the reality of oppression and the brokenness of our world. We live in a world that is filled with what Paul identified as “powers and principalities.” These are the systems and forces in the world that fall outside of God’s design and desire. People of faith call this “sin,” and it is both individual and communal. It is the reality of the world we inhabit. And, as a person who has often been privileged by these systems because of my race and gender, I want to make sure that I’m not misusing Paul’s words.
I hear this misuse in the voices who use these scriptures to suggest that we all should simply be “color blind.” In their use of this image, they want to ignore the fact that we live in a world in which persons of color have been oppressed, exploited, and pushed to the side in our broader society. After all, these voices have said, isn’t that what Dr. King wanted when he longed for the day folks would be judged by the content of their character rather than the color of their skin? Very often they will appeal to their own self-righteousness to say that they only see the other person, and ignore the color of their skin.
In the ideal world (the beloved community of God’s realm) being “color blind” as opposed to racist judgment is a wonderful goal. But we don’t live in the ideal world. We live in one in which people have been enslaved, kept in poverty, and even killed because of the color of their skin. We have scars upon scars upon scars, and while healing sometimes comes, the tensions of living in a broken world reopen those scars and cause them to bleed again. That’s part of what we are experiencing this week.
We can’t be colorblind because there are still systems in the world that judge people by the color of their skin. We live in a world in which our fears are informed by stereotypes that lead us to quick and often faulty judgments. Yes, in the Kingdom of God, there is no slave nor free, male nor female, Jew nor Greek — but we are still working and waiting for that kingdom to become a reality.
And, if we’re really honest, a colorblind world is a boring shade of grey without the beauty that is found in the many varieties of colors. Yes, we are one body in Christ, but as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 12, we have many different ways of functioning, with different stories and different experiences that contribute to the richness of the world. I think all of us want to live in a world that has both Little Richard and Mozart; Richard Burton and Morgan Freeman; Maya Angelou and Margaret Atwood; Neil DeGrasse Tyson and Carl Sagan. God has created a world where tacos and creole and shepherd’s pie all feed us and bring us joy. God made created a world full of difference — and then proclaimed it very good.
May we never forget the brokenness that many in our world experience each and every day.
And may we celebrate the richness of God’s creation in which we all function together as one body.
This past week a friend of mine commented on a Facebook post about our online worship service:
Cool that you’re having Prime worship. We can order today and get free two day shipping!!
Now while I wish Amazon would give us some special benefits for the name, the name of our online service comes from a more ancient source.
The name originates with the “daily office” of prayers first laid out by St. Benedict of Nursia, who formed and created the rule for the Benedictine monastic order. The liturgy of the hours involved 7 daytime times for prayer, and an evening prayer time. In most monasteries today, the practice of scheduled times for prayer and worship continues to this day. Benedict chose 7 times for prayer based on Psalm 119:164 which says “I pray 7 times a day.”
The “Prime” service was held in the first hour, around 6 a.m. It was a time of early morning prayer and worship. There was a mid-morning prayer service around 9 a.m. called “Terce” but no one knows how to say that, so as I was thinking about a name for the service I landed on Prime.
Many monasteries today have lost the practice Prime and are instead holding mass (the celebration of the Eucharist) instead during the morning hour. However, it’s nice to remember a little bit of that tradition as we order our life together.
So, six weeks into our season of physical distancing, there comes a point when I’m feeling pretty sedentary. Don’t get me wrong, being an “online pastor” is taking a lot of time sitting in front of a computer screen and trying to communicate with folks in 14 different ways. But I’m a guy that likes to help people and when I’m sitting at home it doesn’t feel like I’m being that helpful.
You may be feeling the same way. Many of us come to church in our desire to connect with and help others. Many of you have been involved in ministries of feeding the hungry, while others travel to “The Mountain” each year to help repair homes in need. Being the hands and feet of Christ seems much harder when we’re stuck at home, watching Netflix, and eating more than we should. Even when we’re able to get out (to shop or go for a walk) it still doesn’t feel like we are being Jesus to folks in need.
While I long for the day when we’re able to get out and be with others I’ve come to see that there are still ways that I can carry out the call to grow in Christ and share God’s love while still social distancing. For sure, we still have some “hands-on” work happening — our Showers of Blessing shower and laundry program and the monthly Feast Community Meal — but for many of us, the risk of being among others is too great given our age and health status. We need a way to help from our living room.
So, you want to help others? Here are three suggestions for how you can continue to share God’s love with others in our church and the community:
Make a mask . . . and wear a mask!
As I mentioned last Sunday, we wear masks in public not simply because our mayor says so. No, we wear masks because we care for our neighbors and we want to prevent the spread of the virus to others. So, I want to suggest wearing a mask is an expression of our love of Jesus. No, they aren’t comfortable — but Jesus never promised a life of comfort. Rather he said he would be with us amid those burdens.
As of today, our Child Development Center program will likely reopen before we resume worship as an expression of our love to families going back to work. One of the requirements for reopening is that all our staff and children 3 and over wear masks. So, we want to make sure to have a supply of masks for teachers and children that may not have one of their own. If you would be willing to make a mask or 5 for our CDC it would be a great gift. Likewise, when we come together for worship in a month or so, we ALL will be asked to wear masks to participate in worship. It would be great if we could have a supply of masks at the main entrance to give to folks visiting our church. So, don’t forget to wear your mask . . . and try to make some if you are so gifted.
Start a card writing ministry
I have a friend in ministry who is known throughout the conference for his sending cards to others during times of need. I can remember times when I’ve been going through difficulties and opened the mail to find a note of support from my friend Tommy and it made a huge difference to know that someone was thinking about me.
City Road Chapel certainly has folks in need to would be blessed by a card from a brother or sister in Christ simply expressing your love and support. This includes our homebound folks, but during this crisis when ALL of us are homebound it includes pretty much all of us. If you would be interested in starting a ministry of writing notes of support to others in the church (or for that matter others in the community) let me know and I can send up an updated church directory.
Donate to the Help Fund
Yeah, I know that I keep going on about financial support, but the fact is that more than ever we are using our Help (Altar) Fund to help the needs of others. The Help Fund supports our ministries like the Community Meal and the Showers of Blessing program, but it also allows us to provide resources to both church members and folks in the community. These include:
Kroger Cards (for food and gas support)
Walgreens Cards (to assist with co-pays)
WeGo Bus Passes (allowing folks to get to work and access resources)
More than ever we are seeing folks needing especially the Kroger cards and the bus passes. Our ability to provide them is dependent on donations to the Help Fund. To make a gift online please visit https://cityroadchapel.org/helpfund.
Last, but not least, while we are home pray!
Pray for the medical professionals and first responders in harm’s way as they care for the sick among us.
Pray for our city and state leaders as they make decisions regarding when to open up society and keep all safe.
Pray for our church and all the ministries that we continue to be a part of.
Pray for our Child Development Center staff that they will remain healthy and represent us well in sharing God’s love.
Pray for the depressed, the lonely, and all who are struggling through this time.
We are all called to ministry. May God reveal to you where that needs to be today.
Grace and peace in our Lord, Jesus Christ! I hope all of you are well, staying at home, washing your hands, and generally staying healthy.
Tomorrow represents the traditional start of Holy Week — the week in which we remember Christ’s time in Jerusalem, his arrest, trial, conviction, and death leading to the great celebration of Easter on April 12. Tomorrow’s online worship experience begins with Christ’s triumphal entry into the city (the liturgy of the palms), and moves to his arrest and trial before Pilate (the liturgy of the passion). The video for this experience is already up on YouTube and I hope you will take the time to watch the full video (go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68fE_A9phqQ&t=109s to see it).
This Friday we will be putting out a devotional experience for Good Friday focused on Jesus’s “seven last words” on the cross. This will be a simple reflection on Christ’s death and it’s meaning for our lives. I will let you know when it’s up.
Of course, we still will not be together in person on Easter Sunday given the requirements to stay at home. While some churches are attempting “drive-in” worship on that day, our leadership team decided that we would be better served by celebrating Easter whenever we are able to meet together again in person, and so our first worship service after this is all over will be a celebration of new life in the resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord. We will, however, be remembering Christ’s resurrection in our video worship on April 12.
One thing that’s lacking in the video worship experience is the interaction with one another about how God is present in our midst. I want to invite any of you who is willing to make comments on the YouTube or church web page about what God is saying to you in the service. I also want to invite any of you to record a video on your smartphone or computer with a prayer request, a witness, or a testimony and email it to me and I will try to include it in the service. For our Easter video, would you think about recording your or your family saying “Christ is risen! Christ is risen indeed!” and emailing the video to me at jvoorhees@cityroadchapel.org. It would be great to include as many of you as possible in that service.
In other news, we will again be hosting the Showers of Blessing ministry this Monday, using volunteers from Community Care Fellowship and City Road Chapel. We will also be giving out snack bags to our homeless friends assembled by our friends at Matthews Memorial UMC.
I also want to offer a personal word of thanks to Diane Iovino and Jimmie Douglas (along with Amy Campbell, our banker at Pinnacle) for their work in getting together the application for financial support available to us through the CARE program approved by Congress to assist small businesses. This will allow us to continue to provide salary support to our daycare and other staff, and should we be approved for these funds, it will be a great gift. Jimmie and Diane have taken great leadership in guiding us through this process and I can not thank them enough.
I continue to hold each of you in my prayers. I ask for a special measure of God’s grace to be upon you in the days and weeks ahead.
Happy Tuesday. It’s a rainy day here in Old Hickory, but also a good day for a grand experiment.
Today at 2 p.m. I will be hosting on online gathering via Google Meet. I will lead us in a short devotion, and it will be a time to check-in, share prayer requests, and pray together.
If you have a computer with a webcam, click on meet.google.com/cbx-adtm-zsu and it will take you to our meeting. If you have a smartphone, download the Google Meet app and point it to the meeting ID: meet.google.com/cbx-adtm-zsu
If you are computer challenged, you can participate via the phone by calling (252) 427-1307 and entering the PIN when prompted: PIN: 566 936 127#
This is a grand experiment in connecting in a new way, and I hope you will join me for a time of reflection and prayer.
As I hope you know, we are doing everything possible to stay connected during this time when we’re being asked to stay at home. Since we were asked to stop having services on March 14, we have used all sorts of mediums to try and stay connected:
Knowing that some in our church are without electronic communication we are also working on trying to put together a print newsletter of some sort as we are able.
Trust me, trying to connect via all these means can be exhausting, but I’m committed to reaching as many people as possible with news about our church and the message of God’s love.
There is no way to know how long we will be asked to forgo face-to-face gatherings and it’s very likely that we won’t be together for Palm Sunday, and maybe even Easter. I have given thought to Easter Sunday worship in the parking lot in our cars and will be talking with some of our leaders about that this week.
I want to thank all who have taken the plunge to give online this week, as well as those who have sent checks to support our work. If you haven’t given online and want to see what it’s all about, check out the YouTube video at https://youtu.be/8SxpwIFWWRU
One of the benefits of being a Google subscriber for our email accounts is that we have access to an excellent online conferencing app. Google Meet lets folks connect via phone webcam videos and telephone for group conferences (Zoom and WebEx are competitors). If you would like to set up a conference for your group, please let me know and we will schedule it for you. You do not have to be a Google subscriber to use the service.
Per the request of Governor Lee, our Child Development Center continues to be open as an emergency provider for families of essential workers. We are taking extra precautions to limit the infection risk and are pleased that we can offer this service to our neighbors.
Of course, don’t miss our next online worship service, which will go live on YouTube at Midnight on Saturday morning. You can find links to all the videos at https://cityroadchapel.org/videos
Last, but not least, I hope by now that most of you have received a phone call from one of our members checking up on you and getting some information about how you are staying connected to the church. I’m most thankful for their help, and I need your help as well in keeping up with what is going on in your lives. Please email me (pastor@cityroadchapel.org) or call me at 615-310-6530 if you have news you would like to share, or just need a listening ear.
I miss all of you and can’t wait until that day when we can be back together in person again!
I think that most of you know that we had been planning on resuming in-person worship at City Road Chapel UMC on Sunday, July 12, 2020. We have been making plans to ensure the safety of all and were excited that we would soon be getting together soon.
Salutations all!
This past Thursday, I recorded 
This past week a friend of mine commented on a Facebook post about our online worship service:
So, six weeks into our season of physical distancing, there comes a point when I’m feeling pretty sedentary. Don’t get me wrong, being an “online pastor” is taking a lot of time sitting in front of a computer screen and trying to communicate with folks in 14 different ways. But I’m a guy that likes to help people and when I’m sitting at home it doesn’t feel like I’m being that helpful.
Make a mask . . . and wear a mask!
Start a card writing ministry
Donate to the Help Fund
Grace and peace in our Lord, Jesus Christ! I hope all of you are well, staying at home, washing your hands, and generally staying healthy.
As I hope you know, we are doing everything possible to stay connected during this time when we’re being asked to stay at home. Since we were asked to stop having services on March 14, we have used all sorts of mediums to try and stay connected: