June 24, 2020
Leadership Notes
First, a correction. On Sunday, I told the story of a sinkhole that opened up beneath a subdivision in South Dakota. It was a gypsum mine, not basalt. My apologies for any misunderstanding.
Speaking of worship, almost 75 people were here for our return to in-person worship. It was such a joyful and worshipful time. We honor and respect those who are still not comfortable with returning, which is why we will live stream moving forward. Almost everyone wore masks entering the sanctuary, removed them for worship, then put them back on when departing. We very reasonably practiced safe and responsible social distancing.
I am in weekly communication with Tom Hawkins, pastor of NewSong Community Church. They returned to in-person worship three weeks ago. So far, their folks have been healthy. There have been no cases of Covid-19. We will continue to monitor the situation throughout the rest of the year.
In everything, our goal is to be reasonable, responsible, and rational. If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact me.
As I like to say, most people, most of the time, want to do what's best for their families and communities. This doesn't mean that I am anything but a firm believer in the Biblical, Reformed, Calvinist understanding of our sinful nature. I love how Samuel Sey puts it:
"My identity and my life isn't defined by my skin colour, gender, or socioeconomic status. My identity and my life is defined by Christ. The only identities that matter
are: I'm a sinner and a saint."
Most of us are simply trying to do what's best for our families and our communities.
Here's the better side of human nature that we are striving for. While we have seen examples of human depravity from all over the country, the media doesn't always show us acts of kindness and understanding. For example, two older Christian women {who are black}, paid for the lunch of a white police officer because, as they said, his life was important to them. You realize it's easier to tear down than to build up. In Atlanta, a young man, 17-years-old, raised over $160,000, and began distributing it to help black-owned businesses rebuild after their violent protests.
Read the gospels. Study the teachings of Jesus. Those are the ways for Christians to bridge gaps of misunderstanding, to combat racism, and to illustrate how, in Jesus Christ, there is neither male nor female, Greek nor Jew, slave nor free. We are all one. That is how we overcome the evil that is in this world.
Most people, most of the time, want to do what's best for their families and communities.
With Much Love and Affection,
Richard
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