June 2020
Technically summer hasn’t arrived yet but in Minnesota we all know that Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial beginning. Even though we are still hearing guidance to stay close to home the Hwy. 65 and 23 traffic was steady Friday night and Saturday morning and I assume will be the same on Monday.
Do you wonder what summer will bring, I do? The pandemic will change some things, but we will still have warm weather, hot weather, humid weather, some rain, and the lazy hazy days of summer. There might be less camping, but we can still have a backyard fire. The pool is closed but the sprinkler works. I’ll have less baseball to follow but I can get out the gloves and a ball and play catch with Rod. Yes there will be many changes, but I vow to look for the good in each change.
There has been much in the news this last week about churches. I think some people have forgotten that the church is us. As Jesus’ disciples we are called to be the church. We are called to be the church in all that we think, do, and say.
We will eventually gather again in our buildings but only when it is deemed safe for all. In the meantime we will gather online and through mailings. Eventually we might gather in our cars, like a drive-in movie, or we might gather in the yard, socially distanced of course. Maybe we will gather around an evening campfire. Really the options are endless. No matter when or how we gather it will be in a safe manner.
Jesus said, “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” Matthew 18:20. Jesus didn’t say we had to gather in a building, and we will be creative, and we will eventually be together in person. For now we continue to follow the Governor and Bishop Ough’s guidelines.
We are the church and let be known to all.
Your sister in Christ,
Pastor Deb
Bible puzzle
We didn’t have a winner among the folks working on finding 29 hidden books of the Bible as published in the May newsletter.
Here are their answers: Acts. Amos, Chronicles, Esther, Exodus, Haggai, Hebrews, Hosea, James, Job, Joel, John, Jude, Judges, Kings, Lamentations, Luke, Mark, Matthew, Nahum, Numbers, Peter, Philemon, Proverbs, Psalms, Revelation, Romans, Ruth and Titus
POSTPONED UNTIL 2021: General Conference 2020: Minneapolis Convention Center. The new prospective dates are Aug. 31-Sept. 10, 2021. General Conference organizers still need to confirm the dates before they will be official.
POSTPONED: UMC North Central Jurisdiction Conference 2020: July 15-18, Fort Wayne, Indiana.