Finding Faith ... in sticking together as a faith family

Dear Faith Lutheran family ...

It is with much hope that I write this message to you today. ... Hope that one day soon our lives will resemble something closer to normal, and that we will no longer have to fear gathering together to worship in Christ will harm anyone's health.

However, after talking with synod leaders and other clergy, and in a faithful effort to do our part to stop the spread of the very serious COVID-19 disease, also known as the coronavirus, Faith Lutheran Church will be canceling all in-person worship for the foreseeable future.

This means that our Lenten service on Wednesday, March 18, is cancelled, in addition to the scheduled "First Communion" class, as well as the fellowship meal sponsored by the Faith Lutheran LYO. Essentially, there will be no gathering at FLC on Wednesday.

Also, all additional Lenten services at this time should be considered canceled, until we issue further notice.

Additionally, our Sunday services, including this Sunday, March 22, are also cancelled until further notice.

And, finally, this also means that our Sunday school classes and the upcoming Sunday school-sponsored "Community Fun Night" to be held at FLC also will be canceled.

The FLC Council and I will be meeting Wednesday evening to continue discussing what worshiping together as a faith community means for the foreseeable future. We will communicate more information after that meeting.

Now, most importantly, as vital as we feel that worshiping in person is, and even though we will dearly miss it, I want to stress that whether we are physically in the Faith Lutheran Church building or not, we are STILL the Faith Lutheran family.

The present conditions just mean that we are going to have to get more creative in what it means to worship together and show this world how we can shine a light into the darkness.

This will likely mean that we will worship together in some nontraditional means. ... For instance, this past Sunday, which was Confirmation Sunday, we used the Facebook Live function to deliver the service via digital means in real time. To date, more than 160 people have watched that service. That is likely double the number of people who were in attendance.

And so that in itself proves that we can still deliver effective ministry even though we may not be able to gather physically together as a faith family.

Also, we have been recording services since last fall and uploading them to our YouTube page, which you can find here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC46_SOKdbefTk0p8-z4EH8g

You may make use of those videos at any time. There is no special equipment needed other than being able to access the internet.

Faith Lutheran family ... I stress that we will not go without worship. We will construct a plan so that we have worship together in some fashion, even if it is not the beloved services we have in our Sanctuary. ... As soon as we have more details, we will share them.

I also would like to stress that despite not having in-person worship services, this does not release us as followers of Christ from our personal obligations to the wider world.

This pandemic is going to wreak financial, emotional and spiritual havoc on millions of people. As Christians, we are called to minister to those in need. ... This job is not just for the FLC council, lay leaders and clergy. ... As a faith family, we are ALL called into action.

In this time of Sabbath from in-person worship, please look around you and see where your family's time, talents and treasure may be of assistance.

As I said on Sunday during service, we are being asked to come together and unite on a level not required in a generation.

Faith Lutheran family: This is our time. ... Our church was made to lift up those in peril. ... We are made to be Christ's hands and feet. ... These are literal responsibilities as people of faith. So I encourage you to embrace this call in whatever way your family can.

Finally, my fellow people of Faith, do not lose heart. ... In Sunday's service I used Matthew 6:34 as my gospel. It reads: "So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today."

We face many unknowns in the coming weeks, but we know in our hearts that we do not face these challenges alone. We face them with a loving and gracious God, who promises to be with us each step of the way.

Trust in that promise. ... Trust in our God. ... He has faithfully carried us through for millennia.

Peace be to you my brothers and sisters in Christ. .. May the Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.

Amen

Pastor Devlyn