Dear Faith Family, The Bishops have released the following statement for the well-being of our communities.  (Please see below) In addition, we have decided to take the following precautions specific to our congregation: In-person Sunday morning worship and Wednesday evening dinners and Lenten worship services are suspended for the month of March. We will live stream worship on our Facebook page and we encourage you to join in that way.  https://www.facebook.com/faithlutheranokemos/ The church building will be closed, effective immediately. All activities will be suspended for now (quilting, youth classes, playgroup). Pastor Ellen has decided to self quarantine upon her return from vacation as a precaution due to her travel. We would like to encourage you to: Continue to pray for our community, our country and our world If needed, please reach out to Pastor Ellen at: 517-974-5570, she is happy to hear from you via phone or video conference call. She will be back in the area on Saturday evening. Join the Facebook live stream of worship.  https://www.facebook.com/faithlutheranokemos/ Continue to support one another in loving kindness. If you know of someone that might not receive these messages please contact them and spread the word.   Below is a statement from the Bishops’ Bishops’ Response to Coronavirus Friends in Christ, As your bishops, we care deeply for the well-being of all our people and for the communities we serve. As Christians, we are called always to love one another as God loves us, caring for the most vulnerable among us. There are many unknowns about this public health crisis, but this much is clear — social distancing is an essential part of our collective response. Many of you may have already seen Governor Whitmer’s new advisory this morning urging people to avoid large gatherings to prevent the further spread of COVID-19. In light of this recommendation, and in awareness that many in our congregations are amongst the most vulnerable population, we encourage congregations to refrain from coming together for in-person worship for the remainder of the month of March. As People of God, it is our moral, civic, and spiritual obligation to care for one another by taking the necessary steps to slow the spread of this virus and continue to serve our communities with generosity, hope, and joy. For more specific recommendations and information, please read Bishop Satterlee’s full letter. O God, where hearts are fearful and constricted, grant courage and hope. Where anxiety is infectious and widening, grant peace and reassurance. Where impossibilities close every door and window, grant imagination and resistance. Where distrust twists our thinking, grant healing and illumination. Where spirits are daunted and weakened, grant soaring wings and strengthened dreams. All these things we ask in the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen. In God’s Love, The Rt. Rev. Whayne M. Hougland, Jr.  Bishop, The Episcopal Dioceses of Eastern and Western Michigan The Rev. Dr. Donald P. Kreiss Bishop, SE Michigan Synod ELCA The Rt. Rev. Dr. Bonnie A. Perry Bishop, The Episcopal Diocese of Michigan The Rt. Rev. Rayford Ray Bishop, The Episcopal Diocese of Northern Michigan The Rev. Dr. Craig A. Satterlee Bishop, NW Lower Michigan Synod ELCA