The Summer of Reconnection

I hope that you are beginning to see some of the signs of re-emergence that I see. More and more, as vaccines are administered and larger percentages of folks are vaccinated, we are beginning to see a return towards normal. I chose that word quite carefully. I do not believe we have seen (or will see anytime soon), a return to normal….Just heading towards what we remember as normal.
• I think it will still be quite a while before we find ourselves in crowded places without masks and feel like we always did before COVID-19.
• I think it will still be a while until we will be in places where someone coughs or sneezes and then look around to see where they are in proximity to us.
• I certainly think it will still be a while before we stop seeing anything about a virus or variants in news reports.
All that being said, we are starting to emerge. At First Presbyterian Church, our services are almost entirely back to how they were prior to March of 2020, and it seems like this summer we have really tried to take every opportunity to get people back together, and rebuild our community.
We have had picnics, retreats, backyard Bible Studies, youth and young adult activities as we gather together and share in the community building that is vital to any church
Funerals, weddings, graduation receptions, and baptisms that have been put off for what has felt like far too long have begun to occur allowing us to catch up in our grief, celebration, and recognition of achievements.
Meetings are occurring at the church again, allowing us to see one another face to face, now that we have improved HVAC filtration in place.
Yes, we are starting to head towards normalcy, but we certainly are not there yet. I do look forward to, as do many of you, that time when we gather without a thought other then, “How great it is when the people of God gather to celebrate Him.”
Hopefully that will be soon, but until then, I hope each of you continue to take advantage of the opportunities being offered by your church to reconnect with each other and with your faith, in person or remotely!
Is there anything else that can be offered that would help you in re-connecting with your faith family? If so, please do not hesitate to talk to a member of our leadership (Session), or the staff, and we will do all that we can do to allow for that idea to happen!
In Him,
Pastor Jon