Grace and peace to you in the name of Jesus Christ!
For this week’s Ministry Moment, I have two items that I want to share with you from my interactions on last Sunday.
1) The first involves the opening of worship.
As you might have noticed, during these strange COVID times, I have waved a greeting of welcome. Though I can’t see everyone to whom I’m waving, I know that somewhere others are “out there” waving back. Thanks to cyberspace connections, we are linked in our worship even as we are physically separated. I remain thankful for the technology that allowed us to be together even in the most contagious of times.
Accompanying last Sunday’s wave, I gave a “shout out” to Dick and Bonnie Fuerst who attend online worship from Hildebrand, Nebraska. I’m glad that they log on to what we have to offer so many miles away.
The thought came to me, “wouldn’t it be fun to mention others who regularly worship with us online?” One of the drawbacks with online ministry is that you don’t know who is “out there.” What would it be like if we were able to find out who some of the folks are that participate in our congregation’s livestream worship? I’d like to offer a “shout out” to them as well.
So….. if you worship with St. James Lutheran online, and you would like me to mention your name during my welcome wave….
2) The second involves our regathering in-person:
I am also grateful for the return of folks to in-person worship in our sanctuary. Each week, the number seems to grow, even as our online numbers hold steady. Although it is too early still to say with certainty what life will be like after COVID, I sense that church will continue to gather both in-person and online. St. James Lutheran is poised to continue to operate in both spheres.
Two weeks ago, I mentioned that the decrease of COVID numbers in Dakota/Scott Counties has allowed us to move to the least restrictive COVID COMMUNITY LEVEL. Since that time, the numbers have remained low. However, as we receive news reports about what the virus is doing internationally, there is the possibility that we might see another surge in COVID in the coming months. Should that happen in our backyard, we are ready.
Based on the CDC COVID COMMUNITY LEVEL we would make adjustments to limit the spread. At levels medium and high, we would return to some of the more restrictive practices that we had adopted previously. To see what that might look like, click here.
Knowing what we will do ahead of time will give us an advantage over where we were in earlier phases of the virus. Instead of worrying about what might be, I encourage us to be as fully available in the present as we are able to be. Right now, at COMMUNITY LEVEL LOW, we are able to work on resuming practices (such as coffee fellowship and altar distribution of communion on Easter) and prepare for celebrating Holy Week and Easter in ways we haven’t been able to do in three years. Please know that your participation, prayer, and support are needed now more than ever.
I look forward to waving to you in worship this Sunday. Whether you come to the 8:00 a.m. worship (parking lot/sanctuary), 9:30 a.m. worship (sanctuary/livestream), or decide to check out the online worship at a time of your choosing, I can’t wait to share in the excitement that is ours at St. James Lutheran.
In Christ’s Light,
Pastor Walt