Greetings, Dear Church, Grace, Peace, and Mercy, are yours from the Triune God. Amen. I start as I try to do with blessings for you all. We’ve now been navigating new waters for over a year and a half. We’ve experienced significant swings, and unfortunately, it remains clear that the saga is not yet complete. As we have from the get-go, we have followed the guidance from the CDC as implemented and modeled on the local level.
What drives our motivation to follow these guidelines strictly continues to be the health and safety of each member of our community. From the onset, with each new piece of information learned and new guidance implemented, we have made them work at LCM. And to date, no known case of COVID-19 has stemmed from LCM. By this, we can understand that what we are doing is working and continues to work.
At this point, many of our prior precautions and modifications have been put aside. There are no longer pews marked off. We trust you to sit as spaced and as comfortably as you feel. We are singing in worship again as a whole community. And shortly here in September, hymnals and pew bibles will be returning to our worship space.
The one level of mitigation that remains is the wearing of masks while in the building. That’s it! We continue to practice and operate as safely as possible, and wearing a mask while inside helps ensure that safety is maintained: for you, for me, and most importantly, for those who aren’t yet able to have access to the COVID vaccine.
Regardless of how you may feel about all things COVID, from masks to vaccines, to other issues, you will see our practices modeled by our congregational leaders, hopefully along with all of you.
I know that all of this has been an unbearably long and arduous road. As we look forward, I remain as grateful as ever for you, our congregation, and our community. You have continued to show strength, grace, and compassion amidst one of the most strenuous events of our lifetime. Thank you for continuing to answer the gospel’s call to service and for saying, “Yes, we will.” God’s Peace & Blessings, Pastor Dave