This isn’t the email I wanted to or expected to write, but it seems we’ve reached a tipping point with wide-scale cancellations of public events and the leaders and I think that it is wise for us to follow suit and cancel our service this Sunday.
This decision wasn’t made lightly, and up until today I expected that we would meet as usual. But, I've been known to resist conventional wisdom, drive faster than I should, and rarely wear sunblock even though being quite melanin-challenged, so I thought it might be a good idea to ask others what they thought about meeting this Sunday instead of just charging ahead.
There is so much that we don’t know about this virus, but what we do know is that infection spreads through human contact and therefore limiting face to face interaction–especially in large gatherings–can help to mitigate the number of people who eventually get sick. This kind of “social distancing” feels like a counterintuitive way to love your neighbor, but it is one of the steps we need to take to seek the common good of all, and at the end of the day it’s simple math.
While we don’t exactly qualify as a “large gathering” we think it prudent to cooperate with our large community by cancelling our service this week, and likely all of our public events for the next few weeks at least.
Public worship is so central to the church’s identity that it may seem like we’re not only cancelling the worship service but cancelling church altogether. I don’t think this is true.
- Right now people are scared and anxious but as the inimitable Marilynne Robinson says, “Fear is not a Christian habit of mind”. Perhaps you can be a calming presence in your neighborhood, office, family, or friend group.
- Or, you could take the time you would normally devote to attending public worship and consider who in your relational orbit might be struggling. The next few weeks are an incredibly important time for us to be the body of Christ to our friends and neighbors.
- Maybe take a few extra moments to reach out to fellow Intowners to see how everyone is holding up. Give someone a call, send them a text, or grab coffee with someone you haven’t connected with in a while (just don’t sneeze on them in the process).
We will be sending out regular updates and I will be putting together a short reflection on video and/or audio along with a pdf of our bulletin for your devotional use this Sunday morning. (This will come over email and will be uploaded to the blog as well as our sermon stream). We will also be exploring options for livestreaming and other virtual meeting options for upcoming Sundays so “stay tuned.”
Until then, remember “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” (Psalm 46:1) God is with us in this moment; he cares for us; he is our source of peace and hope regardless of the challenges we face.
Rev. Brian Prentiss