Psalm 23

¹The Lord| is my shepherd;
I shall not | be in want.
²The Lord makes me lie down | in green pastures
and leads me be- | side still waters.
³You restore my | soul, O Lord,
and guide me along right pathways | for your name’s sake.
⁴Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall | fear no evil;
for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they | comfort me. R
⁵You prepare a table before me in the presence | of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil, and my cup is | running over.
⁶Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days | of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the | Lord forever. R

Dear Friends,

I know the words of Psalm 23 are very meaningful and memorable to most of you.  This is probably the best-known Psalm in the world and it also happens to be the Psalm assigned for this coming Sunday.  I share it with you today because of its comforting words and message.  God does lead us and guide us, even in these challenging times, God does walk with us through the dark valleys, God does provide us with nourishment, and we do dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

We are presently walking through a time of deep uncertainty and we, as people of Faith, are always called to listen to the call to care for our neighbor and to love our neighbor as we love our selves.  With that in mind, I share with you some news and a directive we have received from our Bishop.

Bishop Satterlee, along with many other faith leaders, has had a phone meeting with our Lt. Governor, and he implores us to suspend in person worship, in person meetings, and work remotely for the next eight weeks.  And, depending on the way in which the current emergency evolves, this plea could, in fact, last longer than eight weeks.   As people of Faith who care deeply about our neighbors, we will comply with the Bishop’s request. 

This does not however mean we discontinue ministry.  In fact, some very creative ministries are developing among us.  As we continue to live through this crisis, I want to share with you some information regarding what is happening, and I invite you to participate as you are able.

1. I will continue to hold a live streamed worship experience every Sunday morning at 10:00 AM.  You may access this through our church Facebook page.

https://www.facebook.com/faithlutheranokemos/

2. We have implemented a new form of ministry through the work of our Caring Committee. All senior citizens now have a Church Caregiver Contact.  Each contact person will be calling and getting in touch with the older members of our congregation on a regular basis to see how they are doing and check on whether they have any needs.  We encourage our seniors to NOT go out during this time.  Please feel free to call your Caregiver contact for any reason.  I thank Katie Love and Pam Williams for working hard to develop this ministry.
3. I am planning on trying to connect with every family once a week through a phone call or, if that is not successful, an email so that I can touch base with you during this challenging time.
4. Our Synod Assembly which was to take place in May has already been cancelled.
5. All functions that were to take place at church have been cancelled.
6. If you are in need of anything, please contact me at 517-974-5570 or prellen@faithlutheranokemos.org
7. I would love it if you could send me a picture of you or you and your family. I am putting together a poster prayer board which I am using as I hold all of you in prayer during this time.
8. I encourage you to continue giving your offerings. They can be sent through the mail or you can use the online app information which Ryan Thompson shared with you this week.  We do still have bills to pay (ie: mortgage, utilities, etc.)
9. Our council is working on a plan to refinance our church mortgage so our monthly payments will be lowered. This will be important as we move into the future.
10. During our Council Call meeting this week, we talked about the fact that we need to think about starting a fund to assist people who have lost jobs or who will be losing jobs. If any of you are able to contribute to such a fund, I encourage you to contact me, or speak to Jon Harrison, our treasurer.
11. I encourage you to follow guidelines and STAY HOME. This truly is about responding to God’s call to love our neighbor and it is vital for our community.

Friends, we are living in a time when we face enormous challenge.  I know that many people are experiencing fear as we face this uncertain future.  I, too, feel that sense of fear at times.  However, I trust God’s presence to us as we walk through this challenge in our lives.  God does hold us in love and God is very present to us and among us, even though we may not always realize this or sense it.  We need to be a people grounded in God’s word, unceasing in our life of prayer, and relentless in caring for one another.

We will not be able to gather as a community for Holy Week or Easter worship this year.  However, I promise you that, when we are able to again gather together in person, WE ARE GOING TO HAVE ONE AMAZING WORSHIP SERVICE, AND YES, THAT SERVICE WILL BE AN EASTER CELEBRATION!

I am holding and will continue to hold all of you in prayer.  In Christ,

Pastor Ellen