Hi, Everybody, and Happy Fourth of July! (tomorrow):
This Sunday, July 5th, is the 5th Sunday after Pentecost. We continue to have our online worship services in lieu of in-person worship at the church due to COVID-19 (you have heard of it, haven’t you?). As usual, we will be having a Zoom Coffee Chat at 10 am. I am attaching the Zoom information as a PDF which I will also put in Sunday’s email. I believe the Bierbaums might be sharing pictures of the safari they went on!
There’s no Zoom Communion this week, but starting on July 12 (next week), we will be having Communion by Zoom every Sunday at 9:45 am (just before the Coffee Chat at 10 am). It’s BYOB&B – bring your own body and blood / bread and beverage.
So when are we getting back to in-person worship? The short answer is “not soon.” The Council met on Wednesday and considered your responses to the survey and the current health risks and decided to extend online-only worship until probably at least Labor Day. We’re not the only ones. Here’s a quote from the ELCA Sierra Pacific Synod Newsletter of June 24:
“As previously shared with you, we are encouraging congregations not to begin in-person worship before July 31st. That counsel stands, and will likely be extended into at least September, given the latest reports of the rising number of cases of COVID-19 being diagnosed in both California and Nevada and concerns being expressed by health officials for limiting public gatherings.”
Remember, you can get this and other fascinating tidbits of ELCA information by signing up for the synod newsletter at http://spselca.org/. Scroll all the way to the bottom and click the gold “subscribe” button.
I’m also attaching the approved minutes of the previous June 15 Council Meeting (you know, just in case you’ve read every book in the house – including the food processor instructions).
We could still use some more Favorite Hymn suggestions, if you haven’t emailed yours to me yet. Favorite Hymn Sundays will begin next week. Don’t make me pick “Come, Ye Disconsolate” (with everybody’s favorite rhyme: languish and anguish!)
.– Keith
your friendly Parish Life Coordinator (i.e. Church Secretary)