Dear Friends,
While we’re not completely out of the woods, conditions created by the coronavirus are improving greatly! Thanks be to God and to the good work of scientists, public health officials, healthcare workers and to the sacrifices we’ve all made to slow the spread of the virus!
Increasing numbers of people have been vaccinated; case numbers, hospitalizations and deaths are decreasing; more and more restrictions are being lifted; and many of us who haven’t taken a trip or seen some of our loved ones in more than a year are looking forward to getting away in the coming weeks.
As some of you know, recently I was able to take a quick trip to see my father and other family members and for the first time hold my twin grandsons, Shane and Troy. What a joy! I hope that this summer each of you will have similar opportunities to spend time with family if you haven’t done so already!
Having said that, I am pleased to remind you that each Sunday when you’re out of town, you can take First Pres with you. Which is to say you are invited and encouraged to tune in to our live worship broadcast on Sundays at 10:00 a.m. And if that time is not convenient, you can watch the recorded version anytime at your convenience. What’s more, MaryEllen’s Sunday School lesson is available anytime on Facebook, and our Virtual Coffee Hour is available at 11:00 a.m. each Sunday on zoom.
I have one additional “ask” before signing off. Through various iterations, the quality of our Sunday service broadcast has improved significantly. And we all know people whose lives would be enriched by an encounter with God through worship. While it is always possible to invite a friend to attend a worship service in person, now we also have the opportunity to invite a friend to one of our virtual services. We can send a friend the link to join us live any Sunday at 10:00. Or, pick a service that was especially meaningful to you and send the link to the recorded version to someone you think might benefit from watching it. This is an easy way we can all share the good news with someone we care about or love.
Have a great summer! Bruce