April 3, 2020
What a beautiful day it is! I saw Jim and Pat walking through the parking lot yesterday, and I think I'm going to take a walk myself today. Hope you can get out a bit too. Kathy Orndorff shared this joke: What kind of exercises do lazy people do? Diddly squats! Thanks Kathy!

I mentioned to you that I had been talking to Eric McGlade from St. Paul's and Sharon UMCs about holding a joint parking lot Easter service here. People would stay in their cars and listen to the service through a loud speaker system. We spoke again this morning, and are both a little hesitant to proceed with the plan, although he has checked with the Sheriff and the Health Department. They are both okay with it, as long as people remain in their cars. Here are the pros and cons I've been thinking about:

Pros: It's Easter and it would be wonderful to be together in worship. It would give not just our congregation but others in the community the ability to worship safely. It's a great outreach opportunity. It would also give people somewhere safe to go, which might help relieve some boredom. Also, this might be a great opportunity for Christ UMC and St. Paul's UMC to come together in worship, even if we are in our cars.

Cons: My main concern is that our Bishop has suggested that our churches all hold an "Easter" service the very first Sunday we get back, making it a big celebration. If we do a service now, will we want to do another one later? Also, it could rain, which could cause a problem, since people have to have their windows down in order to hear. The "social distancing" guidelines might be compromised if people car pool. I also heard - although I don't know how true this might be - that if someone has the virus, and if their window is down and there is a breeze, the virus could spread to another person. Maybe, maybe not.

So, I need your help. Please give me your thoughts. Eric and I are going to talk again on Monday. Take care and stay healthy!

Mary