In-Person Worship Resumes!

My Dearest Church Family, 

It is with great joy that I write to you on this snowy morning. During the past month since our suspension of in-person worship, the church council and I have been closely monitoring the Covid case count and positivity rate for York county. Finally, we are pleased to inform you we feel numbers have dropped to a low enough threshold that we can resume in person worship on February 7, 2021 with protocols in place. Not only will this be a great day for us to resume in-person worship, but we will also be celebrating with the Straley/Gladfelter family the baptism of their newest edition, Hudson!

In order to make worship possible we will need volunteers to assist with helping us handing out bulletins and communion cups, as well as recording people who are in attendance. If you are able and interested in helping, please contact Scott Hoover, our new parish administrator, Sandra or either Pastor Alison or Pastor James.

Also, just a reminder that the protocols put in place by our Covid-Task force and approved by council will still be in effect. Masks will be required for the duration of the service. We ask that if you are able, please enter the building via the Main street entrance. The handicap entrance will be available for those with difficulties navigating the steps. The pews will be marked, and we will seat every other pew to help with social distancing. We are also asking that you, at home, pre-screen by answering the following questions:  

1. In the past 2 weeks have you have a fever, cough, respiratory issues, or any other symptom related to Covid?

2. Have you tested positive for covid?

3. Has anyone living with you tested positive for Covid?

4. Are you currently caring for anyone who has tested positive for covid?

5. Have you or anyone in your house quarantined voluntarily or by requirement in the last 2 weeks?

If the answer to any of these questions is yes, or if you are not feeling well, we ask that you please stay home. 

In order for us to be able worship in person, we need your help to follow our Covid protocols. Thank you in advance for your help and cooperation.

Lastly, we realize that some of you will still not feel comfortable attending in person worship. We will continue all of our virtual options, including a livestream of worship. We will also continue our drive thru communion for those who use that option. Please know we are trying to meet everyone’s needs to the best of our ability.

Brothers and sisters, I pray for you daily. I miss your faces and your hugs. I miss our time together and look forward to the day when we will all gather in our sanctuary and share in communion and fellowship. Until that day, know that I am here for you. If you need anything at all do not hesitate to reach out to Pastor James or me.

Christ’s Love and Peace, 

Pastor Alison

Update from Pastor Alison, March 23

Dear Church Family,
 
Not a day has gone by in the last week that I have not mourned the loss of our worship time together, of our fellowship, and of the strength that each one of you brings me when we are together in person. Please know my prayers are with you and I look with hope to the next time we can be together.
 
It is with a heavy heart that I bring you latest news. In the past week, so much has changed. Have you ever felt like you are trapped in a whirlwind and can’t see the light of day? That’s how I have felt. I struggled when Governor Wolf announced that we had to keep our gatherings to less than 50 people at the beginning of the week. After adjusting to that, Pastor James and I began to creatively imagine worship time together; the possibility of adding another service, or having an outdoor worship service. I thought to myself, I don’t like this rule, but we can work with it.  Then as soon as we adjusted our plan, Gov. Wolf announced that there are to be no gatherings of more than 10 people for 15 days. The breath went out of me. He then further decided that we are a non-essential business and all corporate worship in person, meetings, and use of the building was to stop. And here we are.
 
The Spring Grove School District notified parents on Friday that beginning Monday, March 30th the students will switch to online learning indefinitely. The times they just keep changing.
The Center for Disease Control has extended the restriction of gatherings of 10 or more people for eight weeks or until May 10th. Therefore, your church council, with much sadness and regret, has suspended corporate worship, along with all in person meetings, and the use of our building until Sunday, May 17th.
 
What does this mean? There will be no regular office hours. However, as long as we are able, the staff will be coming in and out of the building as needed, but staggered. There are to be no in person meetings pertaining to church business. If your committee needs to meet, we encourage you to do so over phone or through Zoom. (I will be happy to give any committee chair who needs it access.) There will be no in person worship. There will be no outside groups using our building.

How will we stay connected? Every Monday we will mail/email out a weekly devotion. On Wednesday mornings we will provide Bible Study through Zoom at 10:00am. You can call from a landline or join us from a cell phone or computer. (More information is available through email, on our website, and on Facebook.) On Saturdays at 3:00pm we will gather for a virtual Coffee Hour where we check in with our church family and we pray together. Every Sunday at 9:00am we will have virtual worship or computer church, the link will then continue to be available any time after 9:00am to view at your leisure. There will be a link sent via email, on our website, and our Facebook. If you are able, please continue to support our ministry through your giving; as the ministry of our congregation continues to happen remotely, and we depend on your support. There are links to online giving on our website (Simply Giving or Give+), or you can mail in a check to the church, which one of the staff checks regularly. Pastor James and I will continue to text, call and email as best we can. And y’all please, please reach out to each other.
 
Pastor James will also have opportunities for our children, youth, and their families. He sent out a separate email for those families on Sunday.  If you want more information for someone who is not currently on our children, youth and family newsletter list, please contact him.   If you have pastoral concerns or needs from the office all staff are available by email or cell phone. Please reach out to us. Please share prayer requests. Please just text to ask how we're doing. We are missing you as much as you’re missing us.
 
Jesus' greatest command is this:  “Love God with all your heart, soul and mind and love your neighbor as yourself.” Right now, the greatest act of love we can give is to stay home and stop the spread of this life-threatening virus. Please stay home, stay safe, and love your neighbor.
 
God’s Peace and Blessings,
 
Pastor Alison

Devotional Resources for the COVID-19 Pandemic

Dear Church Family, 
As the COVID-19 Crisis continues to grow and our quarantine extends it is increasingly apparent that we will be spending large amounts of time isolated from one another and stuck at home. I am writing to share some devotional resources specifically crafted for this odd, confusing moment we find ourselves in. It is my and Pastor Alison's hope that you find these resources meaningful, and that they help you find spiritual direction in these strange and unprecedented times. 

1.) Pastor Alison and I will be writing weekly devotions. You may find the first of those devotions here.  We will be emailing these out weekly! 

2.) There has been an 8 week devotional developed by a several Lutheran Pastors. It is called Pandemic Hope and features daily devotional activities for families. 

We are praying for your health and safety and we hope these resources can help you process through the coming days. As always, please free free to reach out to Pastor Alison or myself if you need to talk.

Peace,
Pastor James

Lent 4 Devotion

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters;

he restores my soul.
He leads me in right paths

for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the darkest valley,

I fear no evil;
for you are with me;

your rod and your staff—

they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me

in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil;

my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord

my whole life long.

To my surprise and my joy, the Psalm for the fourth week of Lent is one of the most easily recognizable and most dear passages in all of scripture. We often read this text at funerals, where it towers as a source of comfort for those who are acutely experiencing grief. It expresses God’s constant, steady guidance in the midst of times that are trying and difficult to understand.

This week, the phrase “through the darkest valley” or “the valley of the shadow of death” (KJV), has taken on new meaning. Most times we read this and think of our own individual trials; this week, living with the imminent threat and rapid spread of the coronavirus, it has taken on a new, communal significance. We, at the recommendations of the CDC and every level of government, have closed our church building and have moved our worship services online. It is easy in these moments to feel isolated, alone, and afraid.

And yet it is precisely in the “darkest valley” where the Psalmist finds hope and comfort. Evil, fear, and times of trial, for the Psalmist, are fleeting and temporary. What endures is God and God’s goodness, no matter the moment, no matter the valley.

So let us continue to lean on and trust in the goodness of God in these times. And, strong in our faith, let us be courageous: Let us follow the insight and advice of our medical professionals, even if it is frightening, even if it feels counterintuitive. We do this now so that we all together might find those “green pastures” that the Psalmist describes. We do this now so that we might bring the care, comfort, and love of God to those in our population who are most vulnerable.

Even in this dark valley, we are guided by Christ, our good shepherd. Even apart, we are together, bound to one another in the Holy Spirit and in prayer.

And so, I leave you with two final thoughts. First, in this time of heightened anxiety, constantly remember God as the ultimate source of comfort. Listen and learn to the information that comes in, but remember that what is not reported on is the goodness of God, even and especially in dark valleys. Second, please reach out to one another in any way you can. We might not be able to gather in large groups, but we can still call, write, or text with words of encouragement and comfort. Words of kindness and thoughtful remembrance will make the days that we are apart much easier to bear.

The peace of Christ, which surpassess all understanding, be with you. In Christ,
Pastor James

Worship Service 3/15

Pastor Alison and I are deeply saddened that we cannot meet together in person to worship this morning, but we give thanks for the technology that allows us to send worship content directly to your homes. Please feel free to reach out to Pr. Alison or me with any questions or concerns you may have. We pray that you find this worship video to be edifying. 

The button below, "Liturgy- 3/15/2020," leads to a google document containing the exact liturgy we use for worship. Think of it as a bulletin. We encourage you to follow along and participate with the bold portions. I will also attach the video directly into this email. The link to the video, in case you want to open it up in a separate browser window is below:

https://youtu.be/ukcYyoo0mNo

Peace be with you all!

Pastor James