Weekly Announcements from Pastor Valerie Brown-Greenly, Senior Pastor
Dear Friends,
I look forward to the time when we can say, ‘it’s business as usual.’ I don’t know if I’ve ever been able to say that in ministry, because things change, circumstances are always changing.
First, thank you for your patience as we travel together through the Covid 19 Pandemic. We are going to make some very temporary adjustments in January, as Covid numbers are increasing again throughout the State of Minnesota, as are the numbers of infections here at Peace Lutheran.
Confirmation, Spirit Time and H.S Youth Group will not meet this evening. We will let you know if they will return to in-person next Wednesday evening.
On Sunday, January 9, worship will be on Livestream and on our Facebook worship page. Out of an abundance of caution for our friends, members and staff, this seems the most reasonably responsible thing to do. We will leave Sunday, January 16, on the bubble for now. Hopefully, this spike of infections will flatten, and we can return to our ‘normal’ masking and activities.
Some of you may be asking, ‘why are we doing this now?’ The simplest answer is that more people are vulnerable to it now. For instance, those who had received two vaccinations when they were available and did NOT get a booster, have slipped into a group very vulnerable to Covid 19. The two vaccinations have lost most of their efficacy and those who did NOT get a booster are experiencing high rates of Covid 19 infections. Those who were boosted are also prone to infection, although those infections seem somewhat milder.
Basically, we have entered another, and higher curve of Covid 19 in our communities. The Covid 19 Pandemic, a health concern for all, has also and sadly become politized. There are many and differing opinions with little guidance on how to move forward, so as leaders, myself, as your Senior Pastor, and your Church Council, will continue our leadership in responsive and responsible ways to benefit our worshipping community, our friends and our members.
This means things are not as we wish them to be, sadly, that is life. As Christians, we are commanded to care for the neighbor and one another, and this will continue to be the intention of Peace Lutheran. When we look back on this time, we will understand every action we took was one that was respectful of God’ gift of life.
Office hours will continue as normal, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday mornings from 8:30am-Noon.
Pictorial Directory pictures will go on as scheduled on Monday, January 10, and Tuesday, January 11. Please direct questions about the Picture Directory to Pastor Tim.
We appreciate your ongoing donations to the Food Shelf. We are currently restocking our shelves. Please consider donations of pancake syrup, peanut butter, jelly, boxed oatmeal, spaghetti and spaghetti sauce, pastas, macaroni and cheese, canned fruit and canned vegetables, and child friendly cereal.
Your financial giving and gifting to Peace Lutheran continues to be an amazing tribute to your faith, your spiritual journey and your discipleship! Our credit line was paid to $0 in mid-December, and we ended the year and began the New Year in a financially stable position. There are no small gifts in the kingdom of God, please know you are making a difference through the mission and ministry of Peace Lutheran!
I look forward to the adventures of this New Year! As always, I am here to visit with you. If you would like to have a conversation, either on the phone or make an appointment to meet in-person, please contact me. Please let me know how you are doing, and any pastoral concerns you may have.
Until next week, be safe and take care…
Pastor Valerie
Cell: 612-280-6493 Email: [email protected]
Church: 763-757-4459 Email: vbrown-greenly@