pastorblog

Greetings, my friends

Some weeks–it’s an easy task writing 300 words to share with your Newsletter email. And some weeks, it’s simply overwhelming.

This week, I had jotted down about 6 things I could highlight for you. I can’t omit any of them, but I also can’t write too long—I know that’s a hard pass for many of you. So instead, I’ll fall back on my 10th grade HS teacher’s good advice. Bullet points.

Expect a special email next week from the Church Office about the first in-person worship on June 6 at 9:30 a.m. It will be a glorious day to worship God together in our sanctuary.
This summer, we will have quite a few activities for all ages. We will have a monthly outside hymn sing, a church picnic on August 8, and more.
Next week, we will share our new open hours for the Church Office, which will open on June 8.
Kate invited our children to special Praise Plays beginning in June, and also encouraged them to invite “Flat Jesus” into their lives this summer. Parents and grandparents, take pictures of Flat Jesus and send them my way—what a fun way to splash our Facebook page.
Don’t forget we are collecting special offerings for the Hephatha Youth Scholarships. You can make a designated gift to the scholarships through the Church Office.

And finally, this weekend is Memorial Day. Inside our Beacon is an invitation to pray for families mourning the loss of our servicemen and servicewomen who died in the line of duty, and to consider donating in honor of those who died. I lifted up two charities that I have personally donated to in the past, but I am sure there are many others.

I’ll be honest, I miss my previous church on these civic holidays. The parsonage’s backyard was the church’s graveyard and in it were veterans from every war, every war, beginning with the American Revolutionary War. It was always humbling to walk the lines of graves from 1742 on—reading their names and giving thanks to those who died while serving. You may think this would be morbid, but it wasn’t and isn’t. We are a community of believers, both living and dead. It is good to give thanks and remember.

Blessings to you and your loved ones,

I will see you on June 6.

Pastor Sarah

Happy Friday, Bay Shore!

As I announced last Sunday, the Council met on Zoom this past Tuesday and agreed to begin opening our building in June and to have our first in-person worship on June 6. We also agreed that, due to the risks to vulnerable adults and children who cannot be vaccinated at this time, we will wear masks for our worship services until further notice.

The above is simply 2 sentences, but behind it—a lot of prayer, patience, work, research, discussions, patience, frustration and hope. I am grateful we will be returning to worship on the 6^th of June. We will gather at 9:30 a.m. since this is also our summer tradition. This is truly a blessing.

In the meantime, I will be working with the staff now on the next steps. How will we gather? What will we do? What restrictions may there be? We are consulting with the Wisconsin Council of Churches, our local church neighbors and more. We also know, and I hope you do too, that worship will change every week as more people get vaccinated and as vaccines open up for children below 12 years of age. Think of it as a soft roll-out—not a blunt return to how we were on Sunday, March 8, 2020—our last time together. But also remember, on that Sunday, we refrained from Passing the Peace physically, and we discussed how we may have to worship on the 15^th—not knowing that we would be closing for so long. Frankly, I am so grateful to be in-person, I would gladly wear a hazmat suit at this point to do it.

For those of you who decide to continue distancing from others, I understand. The livestream service option will continue on YouTube. But instead of me looking straight at the camera, you will see me looking around and seeing others—praying for the day you too will return.

Please watch your email inbox over the next two weeks. We will share a lot of news with you all about our re-opening, our first Sunday back and more. This is an exciting time at Bay Shore—I feel like the Israelites with Joshua, after 40 years in the desert. The future may be uncertain, it may even be hard, but the promise of something new and better? It is enough to fuel our spirits.

God’s blessings to you and your loved ones,

I’ll see you on the 6^th.

Pastor Sarah