Blessings all,

As many of you know who are taking the time to read this, yesterday, March 22 found the vast majority of our churches either completely empty ore perhaps inhabited by groups of 10 or less. Having prepared and recorded the service beforehand, there was no need for me to set my usual Sunday morning alarm.

I did wake up around that time anyway. It felt a bit strange not having to go through my usual routine of getting to church at a certain time, opening the building, getting everything turned on and set up. However, it was made even more unusual in that I did have to be at church. You see, one family had planned a baptism for Sunday and families had already made plans to be in town. I gave them the option of simply doing a private baptism in the home, but they requested that it be at the church. No problem.

It was a memorable occasion as we gathered at the font and went through the Rite of Holy Baptism. After closing with the benediction, the grandfather asked if we could sing a verse of Amazing Grace. While we were few in number, the sounds echoed through the otherwise empty sanctuary.

All of which reminds me that this is what it means to be the church. That was only one small example of what took place yesterday. Countless other stories could be told of how the church, in an unprecedented situation is seeking to deal with the required social distancing and yet maintain our spiritual closeness.

I believe that God has brought us to an extremely unique point in our history as we seek to share the story of God's love in new and exciting ways. He has given us opportunities to reconnect as families, as church, as community, as a nation.

Praising God, Maturing in Christ, Reaching Others through the Holy Spirit

Pastor Schueler