Uncharted Territory

Dear Friends in the Congregation,

The emergence of the novel coronavirus has forced us all into uncharted territory. We need to accept that our world is going to be different for a while. The good news is that the situation is not permanent. Things will return to normal. The bad news is that there is likely to be suffering along the way.

For me, the first significant sign of change was the cancellation of our corporate worship. The hallmark of being a church is that we worship together. Canceling this essential component of our faith was extraordinarily difficult.

However, your Session met yesterday at 11:00 am for nearly two hours discussing our situation and planning for the immediate future. The tone of the meeting was surprisingly upbeat and positive as together we decided that we will face our future with faith and confidence.

Below is an outline of some of what we discussed and the plans we hope to implement. You will be receiving a number of emails from me as we seek new ways to communicate with one another.

• The Session voted to cancel all corporate worship services and church activities until March 31.
• Each Sunday, at 10:00 am, First Presbyterian will hold an online worship service. I will send you details on this in a day or two. We intend to use the Zoom platform so you can watch/listen with your computer or cell phone.
• The church office will continue to remain open Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm.
• Sherard and Michael will implement online, interactive Bible Studies.
• Sherard will implement Lenten challenges.
• More as we figure it out.

Just because we can’t gather for corporate worship doesn’t mean that we can’t stay connected as a church. If you have any ideas, we are all ears. As I said, this is uncharted territory for us all.

Each of you are in my prayers and I ask that you keep me and the church staff in your prayers as well.

In Christ,

Sherard