Dear Ones,
I miss you. I miss seeing you and talking to you and hearing your stories. I miss your smiles and handshakes and worshipping and singing with you in church. I miss the warmth and excitement in the Fellowship Hall as the choir practices and families gather just before worship begins on Sunday mornings. I miss visiting with you after worship over a cup of coffee and praying with you in your homes. It is not quite the same right now, but these are a few of the necessary changes we live with to keep us all safe from the coronavirus. As we love one another, we stand apart for now.
How are you coping with these sorts of losses? I am looking for things to be grateful for, like finding joy in new ways of connecting online with Facebook live and Zoom meetings. I am thankful for Sunday school teachers who keep their classes going through online learning. I am happy that the Deacons are calling their care groups to check on you and to stay connected. I am praying for all of us to stay well and for God to help guide us to keep the momentum of the ministry of the church moving forward in new ways. I am proud of the outreach we have done to help support the front-line medical workers and Flemington Food Pantry.
Flemington Presbyterian Church, you are a vital congregation of compassionate and gifted people, and I do hope that you will commit to staying engaged in our life together even as our ministry evolves in this new reality. Please let us know if you have needs – to talk or pray with someone, to pay a bill, to bring a meal or to get groceries for you, etc. Our faith community stands ready to be a caring presence when you are in need, so please let us know. And even as we are apart for now, let us each look to the one who loves and sustains us, Jesus Christ, who promises to come to us and be a loving presence with us every moment of every day.
Yours in Christ,
Rev. Amy