Way back in March everything stopped really suddenly. I forget how quickly I went from sitting in a crowded theater watching our daughter as an extra in an indie film to sheltering in place with every restaurant, school, church, and business in the city closed. It was clear we were in and emergency and everything needed to shift. Based on my brother-in-law’s experience in Suzhou, China I thought that maybe 12 weeks of closure would lead to a slow and safe reopening. I thought about doing 3 small worship gatherings every week in the sanctuary, allowing our AA groups and others to reconnect in person, and was pretty much passing time doing my best in strange days.
But now we’re past week 18 and Oregon’s number of daily cases keep growing. It’s clear were not in a short term crisis. Now we need to adjust to a longer term reality of physical distancing and modified life. Schools, businesses, and even our church are doing things really differently with zoom, take out, and masks rule the day. My early ideas about what could be aren’t options anymore as we learn more about the virus and scientists the world over study how it spreads and the best options for us all to stay healthy.
The parish leadership is moving from short term thinking back to long term thinking. It was okay to take a break from some things while the whole world tilted, but now it’s time to get back to focusing on where God is calling us in the coming years and months. We are launching a digital discipleship effort starting with a Compassionate Communication class beginning in August and taught by our own Rev. Todd Bartlett. We’re hiring a new staff person, Rev. Jill Holloway, as our Parish Coordinator to begin September 1st. Rev. Jeff Lowery will be leading any one who would like to participate in supporting our neighbors by working in the garden and the no contact food bank at Bethlehem House of Bread each week. Our music director Caley Barstow is releasing a hymn sing this week where we can sing along as she plays some of our favorite hymns. We’re encouraging folks to attend via zoom the Great Hymns of the Faith on August 20th, led by our own Rev. Laura Jaquith Bartlett. Leadership is working on our themes for the year that we selected at our January retreat of Storytelling, Organization, and Welcome.
Even though things are still out of the ordinary we’ve adjusted and we know God is with us, walling us in to worshipful life and giving us opportunities
-Eilidh
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