Communion on Sunday’s

Dear members and friends of Hope,

The Safe Worship Committee has noticed that communion in the narthex is not achieving the intended result of keeping participants reasonably distanced in order to avoid virus transmission. Therefore, they have recommended that we distribute communion at the front of the sanctuary.  We will continue to do communion at the end of the service so that the flow of the congregation can be up the center aisle and then right out by the side aisles.

Unfortunately, we have members getting sick with covid even though vaccinated. At least one, who was asymptomatic, was present at worship last Sunday. We are concerned for the wellbeing of unvaccinated children and others in our community who are especially vulnerable of our members getting sick with covid. Rates of infection are declining nationally but Minnesota currently has the seventh highest transmission rate in the country, so we remain vigilant.

Thank you for your willingness to honor the request that you follow the layered mitigation practices including wearing facemasks in groups of more than 10, maintaining physical distance and moving out of the building for fellowship after the worship services. Hopefully we will soon see decline in transmission that will warrant relaxing some of these inconvenient practices.  For now, please consider these measures to be small sacrifices for the common good.

Better safe than sorry is the motto of your leaders here at Hope. So thanks for helping us play it safe.

I know that we have some different ideas about some of these decisions. The church at Philippi was not seeing eye to eye about some things way back in the first century. This is what The Apostle Paul wrote to them:

“Complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.  Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.  Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” (From Philippians 2)

Blessings and peace to you,

Pastor Steve