Super-Spreaders
REMINDER: You are invited to bring flowers to worship on Sunday to place on the stone benches outside the church in honor of the people you are remembering this Memorial Day. Please bring your own vase or container for your flowers.
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Today President Trump demanded that governors allow all the churches and places of worship in their states to open up this weekend. No restrictions. No recommendations for social distancing. No guidance from the Center for Disease Control (the administration took the "houses of worship" section out of the published CDC recommendations). And no apparent awareness that religious gatherings are perfect super-spreader events.
Super-Spreaders. That's when one Coronavirus-infected person shares the virus with several (or many) others.
I am longing for the time when we will all be together again in worship and fellowship! I know you are longing for it as well. But I know that my first responsibility as a pastor is to keep our people safe. I will never knowingly place any of you in danger--and the fact is that gathering openly is simply not safe. John Wesley's First Rule for Christian living is "Do No Harm." This is the stage we are at. Do No Harm.
President Trump put the responsibility for keeping people safe heavily on the shoulders of religious leaders. I found irony in his statement, which he intended to be an argument in favor of opening up the churches:
"Ministers, pastors, rabbis and imams and other faith leaders will make sure their congregations are safe as they gather and pray. They love their congregations, they love their people, they don't want anything bad to happen to them or anyone else."
This is exactly my reasoning for refusing to "open up" the church building to in-person gatherings. Right now, the only way to keep people safe is to stay apart. We have many church members in the high risk category for the coronavirus. The number of cases in Montezuma County is increasing--5 new cases just today. I was tested today along with all the Hope's Kitchen volunteers and as many Hope's Kitchen guests that would agree. We pray for all negative results--but the possibility of infection is always there.
So here is the bottom line: Church Council will be discussing next steps for worship, classes and fellowship. We've received guidance from Bishop Karen and the conference crisis team. At this point, we are in a holding pattern. Until the case numbers drop steadily for at least 14 days; until the medical community indicates that they can meet the needs of the community; until testing is readily available and infected folks are readily isolated....We will remain as we are--Outdoors--Socially distanced--Masks on--Washing hands--And holding one another in our hearts.
Thank you for your patience, your trust, and your commitment to keeping one another safe and well. Yes, we long for the time when we will freely be together again. But that time is not now.
Romans 8: 18, 24-25
I believe that the present suffering is nothing compared to the coming glory that is going to be revealed to us. We were saved in hope. If we see what we hope for, that isn’t hope. Who hopes for what they already see? But if we hope for what we don’t see, we wait for it with patience.
Prayer Requests: For cancer patients (and other non-COVID patients) who are unable to receive their treatment because of the coronavirus situation; For Larry Hauser's brother Tom, who is being moved closer to his children; For wisdom for church leaders--for our congregation and others--that true care for the well-being of everyone be their guide
Here is the final sentence from Bishop Karen's most recent letter: I do not want one single case of COVID-19 traced to one of our churches because we did not care for those whom Jesus loves.
Can I get an Amen?
Peace and all good,
Pastor Jean
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Today President Trump demanded that governors allow all the churches and places of worship in their states to open up this weekend. No restrictions. No recommendations for social distancing. No guidance from the Center for Disease Control (the administration took the "houses of worship" section out of the published CDC recommendations). And no apparent awareness that religious gatherings are perfect super-spreader events.
Super-Spreaders. That's when one Coronavirus-infected person shares the virus with several (or many) others.
- It happened at a choir practice in Washington state. One infected person managed to infect 53 other choir members. Two people died as a result.
- It happened to a pastor and his wife in Louisiana. They didn't know they were infected when they attended church meetings and Bible studies. In the end, many people in their congregation were infected, and there were deaths as a result. To top it all off--some of the church members also spread the virus to people beyond the church.
- There was the Baptist pastor who insisted on holding services and ended up paying for it with his own life.
I am longing for the time when we will all be together again in worship and fellowship! I know you are longing for it as well. But I know that my first responsibility as a pastor is to keep our people safe. I will never knowingly place any of you in danger--and the fact is that gathering openly is simply not safe. John Wesley's First Rule for Christian living is "Do No Harm." This is the stage we are at. Do No Harm.
President Trump put the responsibility for keeping people safe heavily on the shoulders of religious leaders. I found irony in his statement, which he intended to be an argument in favor of opening up the churches:
"Ministers, pastors, rabbis and imams and other faith leaders will make sure their congregations are safe as they gather and pray. They love their congregations, they love their people, they don't want anything bad to happen to them or anyone else."
This is exactly my reasoning for refusing to "open up" the church building to in-person gatherings. Right now, the only way to keep people safe is to stay apart. We have many church members in the high risk category for the coronavirus. The number of cases in Montezuma County is increasing--5 new cases just today. I was tested today along with all the Hope's Kitchen volunteers and as many Hope's Kitchen guests that would agree. We pray for all negative results--but the possibility of infection is always there.
So here is the bottom line: Church Council will be discussing next steps for worship, classes and fellowship. We've received guidance from Bishop Karen and the conference crisis team. At this point, we are in a holding pattern. Until the case numbers drop steadily for at least 14 days; until the medical community indicates that they can meet the needs of the community; until testing is readily available and infected folks are readily isolated....We will remain as we are--Outdoors--Socially distanced--Masks on--Washing hands--And holding one another in our hearts.
Thank you for your patience, your trust, and your commitment to keeping one another safe and well. Yes, we long for the time when we will freely be together again. But that time is not now.
Romans 8: 18, 24-25
I believe that the present suffering is nothing compared to the coming glory that is going to be revealed to us. We were saved in hope. If we see what we hope for, that isn’t hope. Who hopes for what they already see? But if we hope for what we don’t see, we wait for it with patience.
Prayer Requests: For cancer patients (and other non-COVID patients) who are unable to receive their treatment because of the coronavirus situation; For Larry Hauser's brother Tom, who is being moved closer to his children; For wisdom for church leaders--for our congregation and others--that true care for the well-being of everyone be their guide
Here is the final sentence from Bishop Karen's most recent letter: I do not want one single case of COVID-19 traced to one of our churches because we did not care for those whom Jesus loves.
Can I get an Amen?
Peace and all good,
Pastor Jean
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