From Nate, on behalf of the Parish Leadership Team

Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

I open this letter using that salutation with intention. As Paul wrote the Romans in 7:4 “So, my brothers and sisters, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead.” While my scholarship is lacking, I understand this verse to mean that that we have been claimed by Christ and are bound to each other. This promise and reality has been lived out in our ancestors’ daily lives for centuries in different ways. Today in our community we have the opportunity to live out our own story at a challenging and confusing time.

On Thursday evening, both the Diocese and Synod released guidance, advice and a message of hope as we all wrap our minds around the public health epidemic known as Coronavirus or Covid19. The leadership of Spirit of Grace has found this letter to be both wise and compassionate. We have digested their message and applied to it our insight of the peculiarities of our congregation.

The risks of contracting this virus and spreading it are assessed differently by each individual. This is a reality. To cut through any disagreement, we will be following the guidance of the Diocese and Synod who are speaking in a common voice. That voice is telling us to protect ourselves, protect those around us, maintain community and know that God is present in our lives through all of our decisions. In general terms, they are advising us to avoid large in-person gatherings, be creative in serving the needs of the congregation that would otherwise go unserved, communicate clearly and frequently and impress upon all persons that involvement in activities or events that put themselves or others at risk is not expected, required nor encouraged. As a result of thoughtful input from the Parish Leadership Team and the church staff, we are enacting the following response plan.

Church office hours and staff will be maintained as usual.

Sunday Worship Service for the remainder of March will not be celebrated communally in person. Starting with Sunday March 22, the homily, prayers, music, and readings will be live-streamed on Facebook; allowing us all to worship together albeit not in the same building. We encourage all members to participate in the service using the live stream. We will be posting instructions for accessing this video/audio feed and offering technical assistance. The celebration in the church building will be a production of sorts by a skeleton crew. Of course, Sunday morning service fills other needs of the congregation and will be addressed as follows. Communion will be offered individually by Carol and by appointment. Congregants wishing to receive the Eucharist should call the church office in advance so as to be respectful to their and Carol’s time. The church building will remain open during office hours for private time of Prayer and Reflection. The prayer chain is alive and well to receive your confidential Prayer Requests. We remind our members that Offerings can be mailed in, or made by electronic transfer from your financial institution. Community and fellowship are parts of church life whose importance cannot be overstated. How do we remain in spiritual and emotional fellowship when we are intentionally separating physically? Intentionality is a good place to start. We are considering these two approaches. Check-in Pods where we will group members randomly and ask that they reach out regularly and sincerely via social media, texts or phone. (I will admit that this seems uncomfortable to this Scandinavian… so it must be a good idea.) Also we are looking to form a phone ministry where volunteers call each member family once a week to say hi, provide updates, solicit comments or whatever.

Based on current information and guidance from our parent churches, we anticipate that this worship situation will extend through March and we hope to resume normal worship on Palm Sunday. However, as the situation changes—as it likely will—and further guidance is given, we may need to adjust this period of alternative worship.

This plan to serve our specific Sunday worship needs has been prayerfully and thoughtfully considered and has taken a lot of time. We will strive to do our very best to implement it as quickly, cleanly and consistently as possible. In the event that there are hiccups along the way, we ask for your patience and kind comments. Please continue to check your email or the church facebook page for further instructions on watching the live stream of the service.

Of course, there are ministries with partner organizations that utilize our church building. AA and Lunch with Neighbors are examples of these. We have considered their use of the church building during this time and expressed to them that the church building remains available to them at their scheduled times. When making this decision, we considered the following facts. These organizations are responsible to their own participants and, as such, will enforce rules and make decisions accordingly. The primary means of virus transmission is live and in-person exchange. We understand that residue left on surfaces also presents a risk of latent transmission and are making it a condition of use that the group wipe down surfaces and “touch-items” with antibacterial cleansers such as diluted bleach, Lysol, etc. I cannot urge the importance of this thoughtful decision and pass on this anecdote. While I was on the phone with Carol this afternoon, she received a call from our AA contact. He relayed that other AA church host sites in the area had closed their buildings to them. A program of care and healing that encourages “one day at a time” requires that tomorrow’s day does come. I suspect not knowing when they can gather again is a major cause of concern for all involved.

Finally, it is no secret that without a permanently installed clergy person, pastoral care is a concern, especially at a time like this. We consider it a priority to reach out deliberately to certain persons to offer reassurance at this uncertain time and provide the care they need and deserve.

I will close with this thought that I have already shared with the PLT. This time of uncertainty, fear and pain will come to an end. That is neither a chant of encouragement nor hope. It is simply a fact. The decisions we make before and the actions we take during this challenge will determine our attitude and capabilities after it. Let us strive to look after the physical, spiritual and emotional needs of our brothers and sisters so that our Father in heaven looks down and says “well done, my good and faithful servant!”

Your Brother in Christ,

Nate Rajala, Co-Warden.