I am sure most of you know the United Methodist Church did not have its scheduled General (where polity decisions are made) and Jurisdictional (where Bishops are elected and assigned) Conferences in 2020 due to COVID. Because of that, we did not elect or assign Bishops, however, some Bishops were planning to retire.

10 months! On March 15, 2020, we had our first zoom worship! 10 months have passed! And even though we know the end is on the horizon, it is not here quite yet -- so for a little longer, we will need to stay put and do the best with what we have! I invite us to be intentional in checking on our friends, family members and neighbors. Every human being is living with some level of stress and challenges in these days. Be gentle with folk, especially those who serve you and help you. 

We all were anxiously waiting for the year 2020 to end and 2021 to kick in -- hoping and wishing that overnight things will change, and the world will be different, even though we knew in our heads that it was far from reality! When I wished that, I was primarily thinking in terms of the viral pandemic, since we had started hearing reports of the vaccine becoming a reality and the possibility of lay persons like us getting them, seemed closer. However, the first week of 2021 has already reminded me of the world we live in. Yes -- I am specifically speaking of what we experienced this past Wednesday! (if this might be a trigger for you -- feel free to stop reading now!