The incidence is a reminder to all of us that we desire to be a church where all are welcome and respected. What that really means is that we will have folk around us who do not think the way we think or believe in what is important to us -- and that is OK as long as we are able to respect one another and have conversations with each other about our view point that is respectful and informative. Disrespecting a thought, a belief, a race, a person, or expressions and opinions that are intended to cause harm, are not allowed and will not be tolerated.
Beloveds, our world, as we know it. is collapsing right in front of our eyes. We do need to add to the stress that folk are already living in. As people of faith, we are called to build each other up and participate in actions that are positive and hopeful and that work towards building a better community for ourselves and more importantly for the generatioins to come. I saw a few examples of that this week that gave me hope and motivated me to do my part.
- A teacher from Nettelhorst reached out to us to possibly use the building to create a ‘micro-school’ for the students.
- A 12 year old young woman hopes to raise $150 with her Lemonade stand for a family who lost everything in a fire caused by fireworks on July 1st.
- Organizations are busy putting pressure on the political officials to support laws that can possibly make life livable for the middle class and poor population- and get a fair tax policy in place so the poor are not taxed any more than they can afford.
Friends, let us find ways to be involved in similar actions -- actions that build human dignity. WBEZ reported 1,624 new COVID cases in Illinois yesterday, the largest number reported since May 25th. Our neighborhood saw a 2% increase and our country added 1 million new cases in the last 15 days, bringing the total to 4 million.
I invite us to be very intentional in what choices we make, wear a mask when we go out, and maintain the distance that needs to be maintained for each other’s health and safety. With the COVID cases increasing, I will revisit our re-open plan with the church leadership and we will share the decision with you immediately. In any event, I will bless the pre-packaged communion elements if you need them delivered to you. Please sign up here for communion sets to be delivered to you.
