Dear Friends of CUMC,
It sure does feel lonely when we are not meeting! I believe I share the sentiments of many of you when I say that we are missing one another greatly. With that said, I think we are not necessarily breaking apart but learning to connect in new ways. I will do the best I can to try to communicate with you through both our website and Facebook page. I also encourage you to communicate with one another as well, especially since Facebook can be interactive with comments posted. If you get a chance, try to bring some of our other members up to speed as well, in terms of how to utilize the Internet.
A few things: First, please adhere to the regulations that have been put in place by our government and our United Methodist denomination. This leads me to an update from our Bishop. The mandate to not gather in our sanctuary has been expanded to April 5. Again, these dates can change, but at least for now, that is the latest directive. We will continue to live stream our service through YouTube (visit our church’s page here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBvpSdgU3Zu8qmcfhAZ6oWg). Unfortunately, what this means is that the date for our Easter Cantata has also been postponed for now. I’ve spoken with our music director, Enrique Haneine, and we will still try to showcase this beautiful music at some later point. In addition, all our meetings and small group studies are temporarily postponed until further notice.
Second thing: I will try to write a daily devotional piece that can be read each day as a way of offering the hope of Christ during this difficult time. I am also looking into having either online prayer or Bible studies through a service called Zoom that provides videoconferencing. Stay tuned for more information. Another area I want to remain active in is reaching out to the most vulnerable in our church and community. We can do this by coming up with a group of people who would be willing to touch base with some of our older members — to call them and see if they need anything, such as medicine or groceries. If you are interested in helping, either by calling or by delivering basic needs, please let me know.
Third, our church building: I am really encouraging people not to come to the building, but rather worship from home. I know our congregation, and I think we had close to 20 that came last week. According to the President’s recommendations, we should not be meeting in groups larger than 10 for at least the following two weeks. So please, unless asked to lead parts of our service, do your best to stay home — not just for your sake but especially for those who are most vulnerable.Finally, you can reach out to me if you need anything. In the meantime, keep praying for one another and this situation!
A servant of Christ,
Pastor Kim
