Grace and peace to you in the name of Jesus!
On Sunday, July 12, we will be on our one-hundredth twenty-first day of online/phone ministry as a church. The pandemic continues to wear long and hard on us but we are patient in our resolve to practice physical distancing for the sake of those who are most vulnerable in our midst. It continues to not be safe for us to come together all in one place.
As I’ve said more than once, although our building remains closed, our church is open. Using the gift of technology, we continue to assemble as the Body of Christ. Each week, we worship three times; (Sunday LIVESTREAM at 9:30 a.m., PHONE at noon, and Wednesday LIVESTREAM at 7:30 p.m.) There is Bible Study on Thursday ZOOM at 7:30 a.m. and PHONE at 11:00 a.m. Each week, over fifty people gather at various times for FAITH TEAMS - small groups that check-in, study, and pray together. Finally, a Backyard ZOOM on Thursday evening allows for informal fellowship. For more information about these online ministries, including how you can participate, check out our website www.StJamesLC.org. With all these things happening, we need to give thanks to a variety of leaders and staff for their efforts making such ministry possible. Thank you all.
Today, I would like to raise particular thanks to one group of folks - our Worship Team. This is the group that works to provide our LIVESTREAM worship. Some of them you see on a weekly basis. In front of the cameras are Pastor Nancy Connor, Kelvin Miller, and Jan Pofahl. We have also seen Kate Andrews, Bob Andrews, Kjersten Dysthe, Megan Kuneli, Mark and Lynne Lind, Tom McCaffrey, Anita Flinner-McCaffrey, Jeff Owens, Kari Owens, Hailey Peterson and Miriam Ring. Their words and music have lifted our spirits and proclaimed Jesus’s love. Behind the scenes and cameras are Jeff Andrews, Kate Andrews, Doreen Evans, Ainsley Fuerst, Barrett Fuerst, Mark Lichtenberger, Noah Lichtenberger, Kjirsten Pearson, and Matt Schaefer. Your support has been essential in our ability to apply technology for the sake of worship.
I am thankful for the chance to work with such talented and dedicated folks. I’ve lost track of the hours that these folks have so generously shared - you have kept our church open and vibrant. When you log on for worship on Sunday or Wednesday, be sure to join in me in sharing a word of thanks for all of them.
I look forward to the day when we will once again be able to gather safely together. Although that time is still in the future, it will come. We need to be patient and grateful for the opportunities that we do have to be the church.
In Christ’s Light,
Pastor Walt
p.s. Don’t forget - we have online/phone communion on Sunday, July 12 at noon and Parking Lot Worship on Wednesday, July 15 at 6:30 p.m. You can find information about both of these worship opportunities online, click here.