Re-opening for Worship, May 31 at 9:00am! Hope to see you there!

Good evening! Hope you are having a blessed and happy week as we get ready to head into summer!

As we communicated in last week’s email, Bishop Cynthia Harvey has requested that our Louisiana churches to wait until May 31 to re-open for worship, provided that we follow all the necessary precautions for gathering publicly in the middle of this crisis. We will social distance appropriately, utilize hand sanitizer that will be provided, and wear masks. Unfortunately, that is the shape of our worship for a short time.

Additionally, we will not be holding any small groups, e.g. Sunday school, fellowship meals, or things like vacation Bible school for a short time, either. But, we will return to meeting together very soon!

You know, May 31 is a great Sunday to re-open for worship because it is Pentecost Sunday — the birth of the church! So, we will celebrate appropriately, and we look forward to worshipping together. It may be a little different, but the real blessing is being together in God’s presence once again. Psalm 122 tells us: ‘I rejoiced with those who said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord.” Our feet are standing in your gates, Jerusalem. Jerusalem is built like a city that is closely compacted together. That is where the tribes go up—the tribes of the Lord—to praise the name of the Lord….”’ Let us rejoice as we go up together into the house of the Lord to join with all who praise God’s holy name this Pentecost Sunday!

If you have any concerns about gathering because of your own vulnerabilities or someone you love’s vulnerabilities, please continue to be cautious in your social interactions.

We look forward to seeing you face to face, and we pray God’s blessings upon you as we prepare to worship together this holy weekend of Pentecost!