God’s Word rejects racism. “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). “No one is righteous, no, not one” (Romans 3:10). “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). All are equally created by God. All are equally accountable to God. The sins of all are equally atoned for by Christ. All are equally precious to God. Racial animosity is the result of sin and is sin in itself. Racism is not acceptable in the church. Jesus Himself bids us love our neighbors as ourselves (Mark 12:31) and did so precisely while rejecting racial preference (cf. Good Samaritan, Luke 10:25–37).

Unity in the church according to the Augsburg Confession is defined by Article VII: “For it is sufficient for the true unity of the Christian church that the Gospel be preached … and that the sacraments be administered in accordance with the divine Word.” Christ and His gifts bring unity and equity in the church. Racial discrimination in or by the church is sin. Racial conflict in our nation calls every Christian to introspection. “It is time for judgment to begin at the household of God” (1 Peter 4:17). “Righteous indignation” without selfreflection and repentance is meaningless, or worse, hypocrisy.

The one who grievously and unjustly took the sacred gift of life from George Floyd — resulting in a charge of 3rd-degree murder — will, ironically, be given the very thing he denied his victim, due process of the law. Justice must be meted out according to the law. Others may be charged.

We weep for George Floyd, for his family and loved ones because he was robbed of life. We weep for our nation. We weep for those across our nation who believe their only recourse is destruction. We weep for police officers everywhere, who carry out their honorable vocations with courage and goodwill but find their task infinitely more challenging and dangerous in the wake of the sad events in Minneapolis. We pray for the safety of all and the welfare of those who have lost property and livelihood. We pray for the police who must stand against mayhem. We support the First Amendment rights of the peaceful protestors.

We deplore injustice. We deplore destruction, robbery and doing physical harm to others. That, too, is injustice. We plead to citizens and governments of this nation for communities beset by poverty, crime and injustice. We plead for rational and unifying policies that will end injustices and address social breakdown, lack of economic access, and other factors that fuel anger, hatred and dissension.

We shall pray, but we shall do even more. We shall follow the ancient mandate of the prophet of Yahweh: “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8).

And we shall proclaim Christ, “in season and out of season” (2 Timothy 4:2). “For one will scarcely die for a righteous person — though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die — but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:7–8).

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.

Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him (Colossians 3:1–17 ESV).

Rev. Dr. Matthew C. Harrison

President

The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod

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   So, daily we return to our Rock our Salvation;  morning, noon, & night we take time to rest in GOD ALONE ~ our unshakable fortress.  Whether we live or die, we belong to Christ Jesus!  He has had great mercy upon us sinners,  who ~from conception~ have lived in the shadow of death.  Our Lord Jesus knows all our troubles firsthand;  and Our Father alone numbers our hairs AND numbers every single germ present in our bodies.  He knows us inside and out;  He forgives and loves us;  He assigns us our blessings and troubles;  He numbers all our days.  How great is He?  He does not count our sins against us,  and He has a place reserved for us in His Eternal House.  That’s why our souls rest in God alone!

 

    According to our own freedom, will and purpose,  and along with our governor’s recent order,  our church is open for worship to accommodate 25% of our seating capacity,  which is between 50 and 60 people.  You are invited to attend on Sunday mornings,  as you feel comfortable getting out in public.  

 

    The Elders have put together the following list of protocols in the best effort to be both simple and sufficient for our Biblical, essential, gathering times in the Lord’s House. 

 

Things WE will do  FOR YOU:

1.      Keep up with the latest suggested guidelines from our national & state leaders, medical departments, as well as our church District/Synod leaders.  And update you in a timely manner of any changes that affect us in our context. 

2.      Provide at church  hand sanitizer, wipes, tissues & masks (when available),  and to wipe touchable surfaces prior to worship.

3.      Limit the hand-to-hand exchange of books, papers and offering plates, and dispose of all used materials after worship.

4.      Continue to provide the online live worship service (FaceBook) for any who do not attend in person.

5.      Carefully handle the Distribution of Holy Communion with as many safety measures as are reasonable for us.

 

Things we want  YOU TO DO:

1.      Stay at home if you are not feeling well,  or if you consider yourself in the ‘at risk’ categories for this virus.

2.      Use hand sanitizer as you enter and exit church,  and after those times you have touched your face area.   Feel free to use a face mask or gloves.

3.      Use non-touch greetings  (unless both parties are agreed on other greetings).

4.      Observe a limit of 2 people in the restrooms at one time.

5.      Firmly cover your coughs/sneezes.  Do not moisten your fingers to turn hymnal pages.  Dispose of any tissues and paper materials you have used.

6.      Observe the suggested ‘social distance’ -6 feet- from others who are not from your household,  when coming in or going out of church,  and when at the Communion railing.

7.      Sit every-other pew,  or at opposite ends of a pew;  at least 6 feet away from those of another household.

8.      Try not to congregate in the hallways,  or make it difficult for others to pass you at a distance.  For extended visiting with others,  please do it outside the building if possible.

9.      Remember how the Lord provides for you each day, and faithfully return your proportional Thankofferings to Him for His Gospel work for us & among us.

 

The Lord’s blessing remain with us,  keeping us wise, careful, and unafraid;  trusting Him in all things.  ~ pastor v

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    While the Elders will be reviewing our Preparedness Plan procedures at their meeting on Monday, June 1^st,  so that on future Sundays we will have all the sensible suggested procedures in place,  you are invited to return to in-person worship at church this Sunday  if you are comfortable doing so.

1.      You will be finding a seat at least 6 feet away from those of another household.  This is most easily done by sitting on opposite ends of a pew,  and by leaving one open pew between you and others.   

2.      You are invited to wear a mask or use gloves. 

3.      You are expected to stay home if you do not feel well,  and to cover well your coughs & sneezes.   

4.      As you’ve been doing elsewhere,  you will want to maintain about a 6 foot distance from those who are not of your household,  and you should not expect to greet one another by touching.

5.      You will want to be washing your hands,  sanitizing your hands, or both  as you are coming into and going out from the church,  and at times in between.  

 

    We are not ready yet to hold our adult Bible Study or our coffee fellowship time on Sundays.  We will still stream our service on FaceBook for those not ready to return in person.

    All of these things will help us to assure one another that we can gather safely together to receive the Lord’s Word of Life,  and to offer Him our sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving according to His command.  May the Lord speed the day when we will have such a handle on this virus,  and on our fears,  that we will come & go as we have done before!   The Lord bless us!   ~ pastor v

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     I don’t think  ‘we are all in this together,’  as has been said so often.  Those who are young and healthy are not  ‘in this’ pandemic  the same way as those who are ‘at risk’ because of advanced age, or with various other illnesses & weakness.  On the other hand, death is also right-around-the-corner for the young and healthy.  Every time you and I get in our automobile,  we have less than a 100% chance of making it safely to wherever we are driving.

      So it is with every activity in our life,  as well as just getting out of bed (or not getting out of bed!).  Every day you only have a 99%  -or less-  chance of seeing an earthly tomorrow.  Therefore, the choice and responsibility for what you do each day is up to you, and not up to some one-size-fits-all order from our government leaders.

     It’s our faith in Christ that keeps us from fear and moving forward with living;  and we know that our Lord has assigned us all of our earthly days.   We pay attention to the news that a lot of people have died because of this new virus,  and we no longer pay that much attention to how similar numbers of people were dying because of the viruses we’ve gotten used to (ie flu & pneumonia).   But do we have more reason to fear in these days than we did last year?  No.  The ‘wages of sin’ is still out to get us,  and our faith and trust in God is what overcomes all our fears about living in a dying world. 

      Somewhere near 97% of people who have contracted this covid virus are recovering & surviving.  Our governor stated long ago that we will likely ALL be exposed to the virus;  some will have severe symptoms, others mild symptoms, and some will die.  He ordered us to stay home so that hospitals could prepare to help sick people.  That’s been done.  And finally, after pressure, he has answered the church’s call to be treated equally with other in-person organizations and businesses in the state’s plan to reopen. 

      And that is what we plan to do!  The Elders are willing to adopt & follow all the suggested MN North District protocols,  those that make the most sense for our congregation,  for the safe opening of our public worship services,  beginning next Sunday May 31.  I will share those with you tomorrow after our circuit pastors meeting.  We will plan to be responsible for ourselves  and watch out for those around us.  And we will plan to continue to stream online our service for those who do not yet wish to attend in person.

    Give thanks to God that,  even though we face death all day long,  we have always been more than conquerors of all fears and threats  because of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ!  This earth and life give us no guarantees;  and neither can kings or those in authority.  But we have the sure promise that we will each live out all the days ordained for us by our Creator;  and that because of His cross and empty tomb,  He now lives and reigns over His people with eternal grace and mercy!  ~ pastor v

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Until changes are made, all those who come to church on Sunday morning are considered ‘assistants’ to our online-broadcast service, and are practicing the most recent guidelines for sanitation, safety, and care of our neighbor and ourselves.
If you have questions about attending, you should call me at the church office.
At this time, we are NOT planning on holding the following activities:
~Thursday morning WOMEN’S Bible Study
~ the Men’s Group Chicken Dinner
~ the school ABC sale
*Our Men’s Thursday morning Bible Study has begun meeting again as of 5/21.
Please remember that your tithes & offerings to the Lord are an expression of your FAITH in thanks for God’s continuous providing for you, and in response to His command to support His Gospel ministry among us.
~ pastor v

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    This is the faith we’ve been given and we share together: Our Creator-God is still in control!  While this new virus, its pandemic, and our extended & now unbalanced reaction to it is a difficult trial,  Jesus is the Head of the universe  and He still holds US ~His baptized believers~ in His strong hands.  It is ‘essential’ that the Gospel’s good & saving news continue to be proclaimed among us  and thru our lives;  eternally more essential than surviving this virus  or any other one to come in the future.  Our God & Savior is in charge of the world and of us;  that is marvelous good news!

     You and I are getting restless because we are lacking the human-essential of personal contact;  our local business owners are running out of money to keep afloat & provide for their families;  our state is slow in keeping the many promises of aid & assistance (welcome to the failings of socialism);  our neighbors are worried they will not be able to continue in their chosen job & trained vocation ~ so they face depression from a loss of life-purpose as well as providing for their families;  and all of us are being told to obey & trust our leaders,  who admit they are not sure what the best plan of action is, or how long is long enough to do what we’re doing.  We DO face real dangers,  more than a virus.

     And yet, Who is our God?  Is He helpless or weak?  Does He not hear our prayers, our cries and concerns?  He is the Ancient-of-Days and the Keeper of Israel.  We have His very own Handbook of courage and fortitude.  He is our Strength and Shield;  the Ever-Present Help in any & all times of trouble.  He is the One who has proven Himself to be trustworthy and true-to-His-Word in every generation.  In astounding grace,  He has sought us out, brought us to His Messiah, and now sustains us ~ we are more than conquerors thru Him who loved us,  and nothing in all creation can separate us from His love.  He has written our names in the Lamb’s Book of Life ~ written in His own blood.

     Today, rejoice and be at peace.  You have been given life in Jesus’ name!  Who knows about tomorrow ~ no one but Him ever knows that.  So today, be thankful and live your faith in Christ, encourage and help your anxious neighbor,  and trust -first- in the One in whom ‘all things hold together.’  ~ pastor v 

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    We are disappointed that the whole state is treated the same under the orders,  as 70% of the virus cases are in only 5 of 82 counties, there is a 95% recovery rate with the virus, and 80% of the deaths are in long-term care facilities.  We continue to pray for those in authority, that their decisions will show a realistic wisdom for the whole lives of our citizens.  You should feel free to email your representatives in St.Paul and express your thoughts about peaceable & responsible religious assembly.

 

    Until changes are made,  all those who come to church on Sunday morning are considered ‘assistants’ to our online-broadcast service,  and are practicing even more sanitation & care than we might see in the convenience store or grocery store.  If you have questions about attending, you should call me at the church office.

 

    At this time,  our other regular church activities for May have been cancelled,  including our  Thursday morning Bible Studies,  the Men’s Group Chicken Dinner,  and the School public graduation ceremony.  Our teachers are planning a ‘drive-thru’ graduation for both upper & lower grades,  and a small group chapel service for our two graduating 8^th graders.   On Sat. May 16 there will be a small family wedding service for Eve Vrudny & Spencer Kaufman.   Our annual June ABC Sale has been cancelled, and our ability to store items is nearly at capacity.   Please remember that your tithes & offerings to the Lord are an expression of your faith ~ in thanks for His continuous providing for you, and His command to support His Gospel ministry among us. ~pastor v 

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   You  ~your being/soul~  has been reborn, and you are no longer enslaved to your old attitudes, including a tendency toward a gloomy outlook.  Now your new Christ-like self is in charge, with power over your skeptical self.  No matter what your eyes look ahead to see,  or what your mind might fear in the future,  your eyes-of-faith look thru the lenses of the Son of God who loved you to the cross, and who loves you enough to make marvelous promises that nothing in this world can take away.  The world and earthly things will often let us down,  but Jesus cannot let us down;  in Him our deep and ultimate hopes are alive!  He has forgiven us our sins;  He has given us riches that make the worldly look poor;  He has even broken death itself so that when we fall asleep here we will be fully awake in His presence and with a suite reserved in the heavenly mansions.  These are His promises, and they must come true.

So now, dear Christian, what will you allow your mind to dwell on today? Why would you turn away from Him and choose to see failure, ugliness, defeat, distress or fear?  Even from prison, St.Paul wrote: “Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” (Phil.4:8)

Both God’s Word and God’s world are full of beauty, grace, and hope.  Trust the Creator because He is also your Savior;  He has preserved those things all around you.  Look for them and see them and give Him thanks for them! And then help the pessimist you know to see them too.  The Lord’s great blessings to you in these days. ~ pastor v

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Consider this devotional thought for today.  Ecclesiastes 9:1 says, “The righteous…

are in the hand of God.”  A father and his little boy were walking along on ice-covered sidewalks. Young Bobby had his hands deep in his coat pockets. Approaching ice, dad said: ‘you’d better hold my hand.’  Bobby didn’t want to, and promptly slipped and fell down.  Humbled, he said: ‘I can hold your hand, daddy.’  And he reached up and wrapped his tiny fingers around the edge of his father’s hand. When they came to another slippery spot,  down he went again, because he didn’t have enough strength to hold on.  After a moment’s thought, little Bobby said: ‘Daddy, YOU need to hold my hand!’  His father held firmly to his boy over all the remaining icy spots.

Long before ‘covid-19’ this world was filled with slippery and dangerous things. Those things might scare us, but they are also to teach us that we need our Father’s hand. And even more: we learn that to keep from stumbling thru life, and from all danger and fear, this gift of faith we have is not our hold on God, but His hold on us. The righteous ~the Baptized in Christ~ are safe in the hand of God.  Jesus, in fact, is prophesied as The Right Hand of God for us! As our community-life, and church-life, soon open back up, be confident that our Lord holds us, leads us, protects, guides and comforts us with His own powerful hand!  “He leadeth me! He leadeth me! My hand in His ~ He leadeth me!  His stronger hand shall lead me on  Until in heav’n my rest is won.”   ~ pastor v

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He realized that all his times and conditions were under God’s unshakable control;  and God is both powerful and merciful.  Job confessed his confidence and thought it should be  “engraved in the rock” because he already stood secure upon the Rock of Ages.  The Lord has made Himself to be our rock and salvation;  the rejected stone has been raised up to became the cornerstone.  Our Redeemer lives to support all who look to and are baptized in Him.  

The world has many troubles because of our sin or from God’s own chastisement;  and all those troubles are crushed under that Stone.  Our Rock has made promises that must be kept,  as God’s own history with His people shows.  Whether ill or healthy,  in company or alone,  whether things are looking up or looking down,  whether living or dying,  we also confess with rock-solid confidence, ‘I know that my Redeemer lives.’ 

In our day,  as with Job,  we are standing on The Rock.  ‘Rock of Ages, cleft for me, Let me hide myself in Thee.’ Amen.

Let us continue to patiently endure,  because the Lord continues to be with us by His Word and Spirit.  ~pastor v

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That means that for our  Sundays in April  (April 12^th, 19^th, 26^th)

we will offer our worship service ONLINE  (Facebook live, 9:00am)

and invite you to join us from your home.

    For Maundy Thursday and Good Friday,  I will be recording a devotional (not live),

  and you can watch those as you have time.

     *If you do not have a Facebook account,  you can try accessing public Facebook posts thru our Immanuel Lutheran website  [www.immanuellutheranwalker.org]  under the ‘media’ tab.  We are also trying to make some posts on YouTube;  you may search there to see if we have been successful!

    If you would like to be at church to assist in producing our worship services, you will be expected to follow the guidelines for sanitary washing,  and giving others extra space.  If you have questions about this,  you should call or email me ~ I’m keeping regular office hours.

    You may have wondered what can be done with celebrating the Lord’s Supper during this time of separation.  Biblically speaking, the Lord’s Meal is a holy ‘communion’.  That is, a common meal shared by those who actually come together, are prepared in faith, and overseen by the pastor.  Each of these aspects are absolutely essential to our faithfulness to the Lord’s institution, and we will not change that;  just as we would not substitute cake and milk for the bread and wine.  For any who do come together, we will keep our regular Communion schedule and practice.  We look forward to the day when we can all freely come together again without fear  and celebrate His Meal of forgiveness and strength.

Almighty Lord, although You have allowed this widespread illness, it is not to harm us but to strength our faith and trust in You for all things, and to call many to seek You and find their hope and peace in Christ alone. Grant healing to those who are ill, protect those who are caring for the sick, and give all of us an eternal and heavenly view of our lives. In Jesus’ name.  Amen.  

~ pastor v 

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   At church we will continue to do our best to provide email updates, some District & Synod devotionals, and FaceBook-posted services.  Tomorrow, Wednesday April 1^st, will be our last midweek Lenten devotion service. This is be recorded earlier in the day and posted to the FaceBook site.  

Sunday April 5 is Palm Sunday in the Church calendar.  The plan -again- is to offer the worship service ONLINE,  (Facebook live, 9:00am)  with the help of a couple of  ‘tech-assistants.’  If you have questions about this, feel free to call or email me.  We will continue this way for our Holy Week services, if things remain the way they are now.

    As you are being patient during this peculiar time, it may help to remember history. Times of infection and disease, with both recovery and death, are found throughout our history. With them, the Lord reminds us that this world is passing away, and so will we. That is the power of His Law over His fallen creation.  But His Word to us includes an even louder message:  the Gospel of our Savior Jesus!  Nothing in all creation can separate God’s faith-filled people from Him and from our eternal hope & life. The Lord still provides, for our living and our dying. When He is ready, the door of heaven is open for us ~ His faithful baptized. Until that time, we will thank, praise, serve and obey Him. And we will encourage our neighbor to know & trust their Creator and Savior.    

Heavenly Father,  we thank You that You have provided us the electronic means of keeping Your people connected and worshiping You together. Grant Your healing to those who are ill, and Your peace to those whose earthly time is ending. Bless those who are willing to be in harms way for the care of others. In Jesus’ name. Amen. ~ pastor v

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I’m planning to offer our worship service ONLINE,  (Facebook live)  with the help of a couple of  ‘tech-assistants.’   For now, this is the best we can do.   We will continue to try out these online things for the best picture & sound.  You can watch ‘live’ on Sunday morning at 9:00am, and Wednesday evening at 7:00pm.  Or you can tune in later for the recording.

Again  1) I ask you to remember your faith-offerings to your Lord ~ your Provider;  they can be mailed to the church.   2) Also, I intend to be at the church for the regular daily hours if you need to call or stop in.  If you have a prayer concern, please call or email.   3) I will continue these updates,  and will pass along our MN North District special devotions as they are available.  Please stay in touch with each other, especially if you know someone without email.  4)  let us ponder the possibility of postponing for a later date our Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday services.

Already the virus is running its course.  We are blessed to be in our rural area, where we are not quite so susceptible to infecting each other.  We will pray for those that are in our crowded cities,  for our medical & law enforcement people who must be out & about,  for our government officials to lead well,  for our medical researchers working on a vaccine,  and for our Immanuel teachers who must adjust their work on behalf of our students.

Heavenly Father,  as in past times of particular disease,  we pray that this sickness will pass quickly,  and that those who are ill will immediately turn to You and that You strengthen their faith to receive Your healing for life or Your peace in death.  We pray for Robert & Nancy Albrecht and their family at the death of Rob’s mother, Jeanette,  who has been faithfully waiting for Your eternal call; now she is fully satisfied in her Savior. Help us all have that same kind of confident trust in You for all things!  In Jesus name. Amen!    ~ pastor v 

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1)     I want to remind you of your regular weekly Thank-offerings.  All of the things your offerings support in our Gospel ministry together will soon be back on a regular schedule (this is our prayer).  But your offerings are not just given ‘to keep the lights on.’  Your offering is the reflection of your faith & trust in God and a personal thanksgiving back to Him for all the daily blessings He gives to you.

Please do not stop thanking your Lord during this time!  If you are not giving electronically, please mail your offerings to the church, or drop them off at the office, in the same proportional thanksgiving you do when you attend worship.

2)     For our Sundays March 22 & 29, we intended to take a door offering for the March Food Shelf donation drive. If you would like to give a donation to the Food Shelf, please mail it to the church office.

3)     In anticipation that we will be able to have our Easter Sunday worship together, I would like to keep our Easter Lilly order open with our local florist.  If you would like to provide a Lilly or two,  please call the office or email your intent;  they are $10 each,  the deadline is Monday April 6.   If we cannot worship together, you will be able to pick up your Lilly after April 12.

4)     There is a local group of volunteers who are willing to pick out & drop off groceries for you if you are not able, or not willing, to grocery shop. You can contact me at church, or call Randy Carlson (218-209-1106) for this ‘no contact’ food delivery.

5)     As of today,  I intend to offer a FaceBook Lent evening devotion tomorrow, Wednesday March 25, at 7:00pm.  If doing it online ‘live’ does not work, it will be recorded for you to watch. It will be a simplified version of our midweek Lent theme, “Eyes on Jesus.”

6)     And, as of today, we will NOT have our regular Sunday worship service on  March 29.  The Elders will meet on March 30 to discuss the schedule after that.  However, I will be in church on Sunday morning, 9:00am and (hopefully) offer again a devotional service that will be recorded and posted on Immanuel’s FaceBook page.

Lord Jesus, we ask you to continue to move your people to prayer during this time of uncertainty. Give us the wisdom & resources to defeat this and other diseases, and give us grateful hearts for the confidence we have in You for a life of faithful witness now and a life of eternal health and joy yet to come. Amen!    ~ pastor v

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especially if     ~ you are not feeling fully healthy, 

    ~ are included in any vulnerable category,  

    ~ or are troubled in heart or mind because of the concern

of spreading germs.

 

    We are all praying that the Lord will have mercy on us,  on our nation and all nations,  and enable us to fight off and defeat this enemy.  We pray that this health threat will be just for a short time.

    At this time,  our church building remains open during our normal daily hours for your personal prayer time,  or if you desire to visit with me about your concerns.  

    Because there are times you will be out & about,  please observe some enhanced hygiene practices:   

~ Sanitize or wash your hands regularly,  especially when touching

      common surfaces (such as doors), 

~ and carefully avoid touching your face with unclean hands. 

~ Give people extra space,  

~ and cover your mouth when coughing or sneezing.  

 

Psalm 57:1  “Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me, for in You my soul takes refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of Your wings until the disaster has passed.”    We pray:  Heavenly Father, we pray for those who have contracted this virus, that Your mercy be on them,  that they would cling in firm faith to You. Draw government leaders to respect You and grant them wisdom to make good decisions on our behalf. Protect all medical workers whose vocation demands that they care for the sick. Be with our families and business owners whose regular schedule has drastically changed. And strengthen Your Church to continue to give a clear witness to You ~ the only One who is our Refuge & Strength and very present help in times of trouble. Thank You for Your promise to hear our prayer, and to satisfy us according to Your good and gracious will. By faith in Your Son Jesus we pray.  Amen

 

The Lord’s peace remain upon you.     pastor vrudny

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Our regular midweek Lenten service will continue for those who wish to attend.

   There is a small meal at 6:00pm and our worship is at 7:00pm.  

We will plan on keeping our regular Sunday worship schedule.  Worship is at 9:00am

Please follow some enhanced hygiene practices for your health and the health of those around you:

~ Sanitize your hands occasionally, especially as you enter the church and sanctuary.  When possible, wash your hands with soap & water.

~ Allow for extra ‘social space’ in the pews.

~ Cover coughs and sneezes in the bend of your elbow or with a tissue.

~ Avoid shaking hands.  Greet one another with a nod, a smile, and a word of peace.

Heavenly Father, You are our very present help in all troubles. You alone are our Refuge and Strength. Be with our nation’s leaders who are watching out for our health and welfare. Curb this virus and all sicknesses, that we might be a people of health and peace. Grant your wisdom to our researchers to find medicines and vaccines, and give protection to our medical workers treating the sick. Help us to be aware of our actions to help and protect our neighbor’s health. And when trouble subsides, prompt us to return proper thanks and praise to You for all of Your aid and comfort.  We pray through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

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