Over the last two weeks our government leaders have spoken about religious communities and their desire to worship in person in their worship spaces. We have been front and center in this journey even making the news. What our leaders have shared has been confusing and not very helpful. In fact your BIshop, Rev. Shelley Bryan Wee met with Governor Inslee to be careful in making any changes to the current protocols. I even was interviewed to share my perspective about how we will react to our President's and our Governor's proclamations.
Our religious communities have been essential long before this era of pandemic. The Church is a place where we are acutely aware that we are called to consider our neighbor's needs before our own. This means at this time not being a place that allows this virus to spread. As Bishop Shelley Bryan Wee said, "We are church, now. We are in prayer, now. We are worshipping, now." We never ceased being the Church. Let know one tell you otherwise.
Whether we gather together in our building or on-line, we are still the Body of Christ.
Your congregational council has made a decision in regard to worshipping in our own building. We will not consider do so until after September 6. With Governor Inslee's loosening of restrictions on religious in person worship, we still do not believe that this is a safe thing to do.
One of the quotes I made to one of the reporters that did not make it in the cut was that with our council's decision we can now sit back and breathe for a little while and not have to worry about the winds of change going on about us. We will just continue doing what we are doing throughout the summer and hopefully we will be one of the small reasons we can worship fully together again in the near future.
In other news, I am thankful for the over 80 different people who have helped lead worship by praying, reading, or singing for us during our worship services. We have had a trio of little sisters sing for us, elementary school kids read lessons, and whole families lead us in prayer. The music has been astounding! Our congregation is amazing. Keep supporting our work and reach out to each other, especially if you appreciate someone's leadership.
Keep taking care of each other!
