Midweek Worship – April 1
Good afternoon, Sisters and Brothers,
This is the final installment in our Lenten midweek services. I have enjoyed exploring the topic of “What Difference Does Baptism Make,” and I hope it has been fruitful for you as well. Below is the link for our midweek worship and reflection. As always, if you are with others, divide the parts, and share in the reflection. There is a very familiar hymn printed within that you may sing if you wish, and there is a link to a song suggested to me by a new friend toward the end that may be meaningful to you if you are able to open it.
A few other updates and pieces of information:
Building remains closed:
With the latest news on the virus, and the word from both the White House restricting movement and gathering, and Governor Wolf suspending school openings “indefinitely,” our building will also remain closed, and we will suspend all in person events and gatherings until further notice. We look forward to the day that we can gather again in person, as that is what gives life and health to our spirits, but in the meantime, the best evidence of how to slow the disease and contain the deaths that come from COVID-19 is to continue to keep distance until the virus is not a threat to our families, friends, and community.
THANK you all for honoring the closing of the building. Our sexton continues a deep cleaning of each surface in it, and monitors the physical plant for safety and mechanical operations. Please continue to stay out of the building. If you do feel you need to enter, please coordinate this with me and Ted.
ZOOM worship
We had our first worship experience using Zoom this past week. It went very well, and we will continue to use this going forward. We heard from several of you that you wanted to join, but had difficulty setting it up in time, or turning on your camera or microphone. Some just missed the time.
We will worship and celebrate Palm Sunday this week, April 5th, at 10:00 a.m. I will send out the meeting invitation early that morning so you can get set up. I will also enter the meeting early so you will know you are in the right place. While it is relatively easy to use, it is not always simple for first timers. Nicole Smith has offered to assist any who would like help navigating the logistics of this site and application. As I shared before, you can use a laptop, tablet, smart phone, or a desktop with a camera and microphone attached. You can also call in with a regular phone and participate by voice without visual connection.
Giving in this time
We are blessed that so many of you have been able to support your church in this time. Mail is still being received, and checks will be deposited. However, it has become very helpful to have so many begin to use the green GIVE button on our website to make their offerings. This button uses “Tithe.ly” as a way to have your offering directly deposited into our checking account for immediate use. Using this button will open a screen that will guide you in what information you need to enter, and will ask if you wish to make an additional offering to cover the modest fees associated with this tool. Whether you choose to do so or not is entirely up to you. We are grateful for whatever you are able to share. Council is requesting that people focus predominantly on the general fund at this time. To choose the general fund select “offering” in the space that asks to which account to direct your gift.
May God continue to bless you and keep you safe,
Pastor Karl
