March 14th, 2020
Dear Grace Lutheran Church,
I wanted to send an update after the Governor’s address yesterday. I have been in conversation with the staff and Vision Board about worship this weekend and the health and welfare of our community. And while it is hard to know what is the best decision to make we do plan to have worship this weekend.
Churches throughout the Twin Cities have had mixed responses. Most large churches have cancelled because they have more than 250 people congregating at the same time. Some smaller churches have cancelled as well. I have been in conversations with churches in the Rum River Conference and most plan to have worship this weekend and will be reevaluating this next week. We have between 30-70 people in worship on Saturday and between 150-175 at each service on Sunday. I believe we will have lower attendance this weekend because of Spring Break and also because people are choosing to self-quarantine. I completely respect this decision. Please if you feel vulnerable or worried about being in a public space, do not feel obligated to come to worship. I want you to do what is best for you, your family and the community and to err on the side of caution.
We will not be having Holy Communion at all this weekend. We have decide that this is too risky and it’s best to fast for a time from this important aspect of our faith.
Please know that we are wiping down the pews between each worship service with antibacterial wipes and we will wipe down doors as well. As always we encourage you to wash your hands upon arrival at a new location and when you return home. We also will not be serving coffee or doughnuts this weekend. If you are sick please stay home. We will be posting the sermons on our website and Facebook page.
There is a lot of anxiety about COVID 19. We want to do our best to care for one another physically, mentally and spiritually. I hope that you will make your decisions based on what is best for your overall health. Some of us need to stay home in order to feed our spirits, others of us might need to gather for prayer. Regardless of your decision, please know that God is with you and listens to our voices in times of trial. This indeed is a time of uncertainty. We do not have the answers for what is ahead. But we trust in a God who is with us in all things, who has walked uncertain roads before and is faithful to us.
The prayer of Good Courage is hung right by the door to my house. It seems like a good prayer to hold us all today. Please pray with me.
Lord God,
you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending,
by paths as yet untrodden,
through perils unknown.
Give us faith to go out with good courage,
not knowing where we go,
but only that your hand is leading us
and your love supporting us;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Pastor Joanna Mitchell
March 11th, 2020
Dear Grace Lutheran Church,
We wanted to give you an update about what we are doing in light of COVID-19 virus.
First, we are watching and following the recommendations of the CDC and the MN Department of Health deciding how to meet and move forward through the concerns of the spread of Covid-19.
The most important thing you can do to stop the spread of this illness is to stay home if you are sick. Our sermons are posted each week after worship on our website and on our Facebook page. We have many vulnerable people at Grace Lutheran and our greatest concern is keeping people healthy and safe. We believe it is important not to react in fear, but instead take precautionary measures to ensure the safety and health for our people and the people whom we serve.
As of March 11th, here are some of the things that we will be doing at Grace.
- Washing our hands. We are frequently washing our hands with soap and hot water for at least 20 seconds and encourage you to do so as well. The CDC has said this is the best way to slow the virus. Here at church, please use our washrooms freely to wash hands before and after worship, fellowship, and other activities
- We are NOT shaking or holding hands during, before, or after worship. This includes during the Lord’s Prayer which is a traditional practice at Grace. We believe we cannot continue this practice.
- Starting this upcoming weekend, we will be receiving Holy Communion by individual cups. You will come forward as usual to receive the bread and the wine. But instead of dipping the bread into the wine, you will receive a small plastic cup to drink and then you can dispose of the cup in a basket nearby.
- We have hand sanitizer throughout the sanctuary. We hope that you will use it before and after church.
- We are wiping down the backs of the pews after each worship service with disinfectant wipes.
- We have turned off our drinking fountains in the hallways.
- We have removed Connection Notebooks from our pews.
- Every evening our custodians are cleaning our facilities and including wiping down doors and knobs.
Please use your best judgment and do what feels most comfortable to you regarding engagement in our community. I believe that as people of faith, we do not live in fear, but hope.
If you have any questions of concerns about our practices please contact me, I’d be happy to talk with you. We are all learning about this illness together and are doing our best to care for one another. Thank you for your patience and your openness.
I hope you will join me in praying for the well-being of our community and all those effected by the virus. I look forward to worshiping with you throughout this Lenten Season.
Blessings, Pastor Joanna Mitchell
