Word Cloud Reflections...
Thank you to everyone who participated in the survey to help our fall planning. You can view the results in a couple of ways:
SUMMARY and
DETAIL
I encourage you to read and reflect on what others shared via the survey! I found your words both humbling, connecting, and nurturing of my own faith to see how you all are navigating this difficult time.
In this week's pastoral "word," I want to offer some brief responses to some of the concerns and questions that came out of question 8.
WHEN WILL IN-PERSON WORSHIP RESUME?
Council met this past Monday and discussed this very question.
Council continues to seek to live into the promises (our way of seeking to live faithfully in this time) made to keep our congregation and community safe in this time. We are pleased to see
COVID new case trending downward the past couple of weeks in our surrounding counties (wearing your masks has help make this happen!), yet the
testing positivity rate in Texas remains about 3 times higher than the CDC would like it to be, and the virus is so widespread that effective contact tracing is not always possible. Also, we are preparing for school to begin in the next weeks, so
council felt it in the best interest of our congregation AND larger community to wait a few weeks after school has begun and look at the trends again. The start of school will bring a big change to social and interaction patterns in our community. IF trending downward holds, we can confidently move to
PHASE 2 of our regathering plan maybe as early as mid-September.
CLICK HERE to see a risk assessment chart of activities put together by the Texas Medical Association. I found this helpful to see where activities fell on the scale.
WHEN WILL COMMUNION RETURN?
I have been working with our Altar Guild to
resume offering communion starting August 16th as part of a Rally Day drive-through event around the church building. Details for our special Rally Day drive-thru event will be coming out early next week so you have time to plan and participate.
CLICK HERE for a picture of the individual communion kits we will be using.
We are using grape juice so both youth and adults feel welcome, and we will have gluten free kits available. We are also looking at how to celebrate communion as part of our online Sunday morning worship.
WHEN WILL WE START BUILDING?
Our Building Committee chair, Steve Reitz, will give a
Ministry Moment update this Sunday in worship. You can also
CLICK HERE and see the latest blog updates on our BtB website. You haven't had a chance to see or hear it yet, but our new sound system in the sanctuary is part of our building project. So, we have already done some pieces of the Building to Bless program. You will be delighted and amazed when you get to hear the quality of sound in our sanctuary!
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Below are ways to help with this year's Back to School Blast, and a reminder to take the COVID$19 SUMMER CHALLENGE if you haven't already. Remember that Lutherans are actively bringing hope around the world, particularly to Beirut right now through Lutheran World Relief. All these are meaningful ways for you to join in loving our community and helping others in need.
Just a note to pick up the latest GATHER and LIVING LUTHERAN magazines that just came out. GATHER has a wonderful set of reflections and bible studies on rituals and routines as well as an article on why we remember and how God re-members us. LIVING LUTHERAN focuses on Care of Creation this month. Stories of sustainability, congregations going green in big ways, stewardship of earth. The only life of faith we know is on this blue marble. Let's do all we can to care for it alongside God and pass it down to generations to come. These magazines can be found in the bin by the Portico doors.
Finally, I am working on an outline of our congregation's Fall plans to share in next Thursday's email. Life together will be a bit different this Fall...but one thing will remain the same, our God who moves among us to daily restore and renew us.
Shalom,
Pastor Vanicek
