Before March, 2020, I had never heard of Zoom but I wish I owned some stock in it! Over the past year, I think everyone has been on a Zoom meeting. Zoom has connected us in a way that we never have before. I have 2 weekly meetings via Zoom with people that I normally could not meet with; friends and pastors from out of state. While, during this pandemic, Zoom has served to be a valuable asset to keeping people connected, I have missed face-to-face meetings. I was so excited when our session meetings transitioned from Zoom back to in person and we transitioned our staff meeting back to in person last month. I do not think it was a coincidence that the meetings seemed to be more productive in person than on Zoom. While Zoom has worked in some instances, in others it hasn’t. I know many of our Sunday School classes and Bible Studies have tried to meet via Zoom and it just didn’t work. There really is no substitute for face-to-face interaction. As much as we have all missed gatherings, we wanted to be safe and responsible.
As more people are getting vaccinated, we feel it is time for us to begin to gather in person outside the content of worship. Summer is a busy time for many people but this summer we are going to offer new and exciting opportunities for us to get together to study, learn, and just to have fun. One of the many things I have learned over the last year is just how important community is to my spiritual health. One of the dangers from the pandemic is getting stuck in isolation. I believe God did not create us for isolation but community. So, over the next few weeks we will be announcing opportunities for you to come and connect or perhaps re-connect with friends and with God. And our hope and prayer is that by the start of the next school year, we can be closer to back to normal. I want to thank you all for praying for us during this time and know that we are all praying for you.
Duawn