Dear Siblings in Christ,
We want to share with you some updates to our worship that will be taking place due to the rising rate of Covid-19 infections, both in our county as well as throughout the Commonwealth. At the conclusion of our 9:30 am service on Sunday, November 22, we will be suspending in-person worship until further notice.
Please know that this decision was not an easy one and it is not something we are taking lightly. Your Church Council members and Vicar have been closely monitoring the ever-changing situation and have consulted the Department of Health’s Covid-19 Monitoring System Dashboard, along with the most recent recommendation from Bishop Dunlop regarding worship in the midst of rising Covid-19 rates. We are especially concerned as we head into the Thanksgiving holiday, where Covid-19 numbers are expected to rise.
After multiple discussions considering our holy calling to be good stewards of our bodies (1 Corinthians 6:19-20), the response of local school districts to move to online-only instruction, and the fact that Cumberland county’s level of community transmission has risen from “moderate” to “substantial” (a transmission rate of 5.0 that increased to 11.0 during a week and a half), our concern is to prioritize the physical health and well-being of our members by suspending in-person worship.
We understand that this raises a number of questions as to how we are going to continue “doing church” for this indeterminate period of time. Several things are being considered:
SUNDAY WORSHIP
Sunday morning worship will continue to be provided – online at 9:30am (which you may also choose to watch later at your convenience) via our congregation’s YouTube account, as well as posted to our website and Facebook page. Please subscribe to our channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCL5Au2ez_Slt6Nb_Z_3LXgw
If you would be interested in serving as a virtual lector for one of our weekly lessons, please reach out to Vicar (vicarmartyjo@gmail.com) and she will discuss how you can do this virtually.
THURSDAY EVENING PRAYER SERVICE
Thursday evening prayer service will be livestreamed through Facebook Thursdays at 6 p.m. Please note that you do not need a Facebook account to view the service, and you should be able to view the names of all who are online. There will be no worship service this coming Thursday because of Thanksgiving.
Please go to our page:
https://www.facebook.com/StMatthiasCS
INDIVIDUAL PRAYER TIME AT ST. MATTHIAS
We understand that closing the physical doors of our building is difficult at any time, but even more so during the holiday season. If you would like to go into the sanctuary for private prayer or meditation, you are welcome to do so. Please reach out to Vicar MJ, Sister Davia, or Bob Russell if you would like access to the building and we will arrange to meet you there and open the doors.
STAYING CONNECTED WHILE OUR PHYSICAL DOORS ARE CLOSED
We will continue to provide weekly announcements while we are not meeting in person. These will be sent via Email and a hard copy will be mailed out to those worshippers without Email access, along with either a recording of the service or a transcript of the sermon from the previous Sunday.
We have also prepared “Advent at Home” packets for you to take home with you following worship this Sunday. These have readings and lessons for the Advent season – please check your name off the list when you take yours, as we will be distributing them to folks who were not present with us.
We welcome your suggestions of how we can take care of one another during this pandemic. If you would like to explore a prayer service or host a discussion or time of fellowship over Zoom or Google Meet, or have a group chat over Google Hangout, we are happy to explore those options, as well as any other ideas you may have. Please reach out to Vicar or Sister Davia!
SUPPORTING ST. MATTHIAS
Offering donations may be sent to the church office via mail or please consider donating electronically. Our online giving site will be launching soon and we will send a link to all worshippers with email addresses. Your continued support is greatly appreciated.
CHRISTMAS EVE
Church Council will meet mid-December to consider opportunities and formats for Christmas Eve worship services. Please understand that we will not be having indoor worship if our county’s level of transmission is still in the “substantial” category, and we will continue to follow the recommendations of the Department of Health and the Bishop’s office. Please stay tuned for additional information.
Please consider the above information in this letter as “subject to change.” We will keep you posted via email/mail/phone as things change. If you know of a member or friend of St. Matthias who does not receive our emails, please consider giving them a call and keeping them in the loop of what’s happening. This is one way we can live out our Lutheran tradition of “the mutual conversation and consolation of Christians.”
We thank you for your continued prayers and care for one another as we experience the presence of God and reassurance of God’s love and grace manifest through the greatest gift of all this holiday season — Jesus. Though we may not be gathered together inside the building, please remember that the church never closes because WE are the church….together.
In Christ’s Love,
Marty Jo Irvin-Stellabotte, Vicar
Sr. Davia Evans, President
Sherri Bergsten, Vice President
Rosa Rangel, Secretary
Bill Thumma
Marjorie Weary
* * * * * *
Announcements:
The Carlisle Area Religious Council is offering an online Thanksgiving worship service Wednesday, November 25, at 7 pm. You may access the service by clicking on the link below. A link to the YouTube worship will also be posted on the page later in the week.
https://www.facebook.com/Carlisle-Area-Religious-Council-207133950193743
Prayer Requests:
Christian M. (Marines) and all military service personnel.
Don and Joanne, Jacques, Pam, Betty Lou, Mark, Pat, Seth, DJ, Margaret, Sally, George, Arleen, Greg, Billie, Terry, Wayne and family, family and friends of Debbie, family and friends of Larry, and all who ask for the Lord’s healing and mercy.
Please remember all those affected by COVID-19, those affected by natural disasters, those who are undergoing testing and medical procedures in the coming week, our LGBTQ+, black, brown, and indigenous siblings in Christ, our frontline medical personnel working during the pandemic, and our government and world leaders.
If you have an addition to the prayer list please email stmatthiascs@gmail.com or call the church.
Please stay safe with the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday!
God’s Peace,
Vicar MJ