Needless to say, we are living in some extraordinary times. Much of what we have taken for granted has now been disrupted, from the empty shelves in the grocery stores and children home from school to the inability to visit loved ones in care facilities, we find ourselves in a new paradigm. For those of us in the church, our meeting together for worship, study and fellowship, some of those things we have taken for granted, for the time being is not happening. For those of you here at Myerstown Church of the Brethren the disruption and uncertainty is magnified by the resignation of Pastor Marty Moyer.

Yet, in the midst of these uncertain times, even though we can’t “come to church,” we have a great opportunity to “be the church.” Since we can’t come to church, we can individually commit or recommit to daily Scripture reading and prayer. For those of you who have access, there are many devotionals online. As long as we are unable to meet together, I plan to put a short message and then a longer message for Sundays on the church website. One way you can be the church is to share these messages by printing and then mailing to one or more of your brothers and sisters at Myerstown CoB who do not have web access. We will try to include written text during the week and then both video and written for the weekend messages.

Our meeting together doesn’t have to stop. How we do church will look different. We’ll try to keep you updated on prayer needs. You can pick up the phone to check on one another. Maybe you could deliver some groceries or run an errand for an older member who is hesitant to go out. For those who have electronic access, you could do a Bible study or Sunday School lesson via apps like Zoom or Skype and invite a friend or neighbor to join electronically.

Personally, I will be trying to reach out to all of you in the next week just to introduce myself. Don’t hesitate to call, text or email me. It’s a new paradigm for ministry, but also a situation that provides abundant opportunities to really “be the church” to our brothers and sisters and to our community.

I saw this prayer on Facebook this week and wanted to share it with you.

Prayer for a Pandemic
By Cameron Wiggins Belim

May we who are merely inconvenienced remember those whose lives are at stake.

May we who have no risk factors remember those most vulnerable.

May we who have the luxury of working from home remember those who must choose between preserving their health or making their rent.

May we who have the flexibility to care for our children when their schools close remember those who have no options.
May we who have to cancel our trips remember those who have no safe place to go.

May we who are losing our margin money in the tumult of the economic market remember those who have no margin at all.

May we who settle in for a quarantine at home remember those who have no home.

As fear grips our country, let us choose love during this time when we cannot physically wrap our arms around each other, let us find ways to be the loving embrace of God to our neighbor. Amen.

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” John 14:27 NIV

Blessings,
Pastor Dennis