First, the explanation…
Saturday afternoon, as Janet and I were traveling the now very familiar I-40 between Little Rock and Memphis, we received word that one of our church members had contracted coronavirus. Let me ask, what would you do in that circumstance? Never one to make major decisions on my own, I consulted with church leadership. It was determined that, out of the now-familiar “abundance of caution” (we’ve used that phrase a lot this year), it was best to suspend in-person worship for the following day.
Attempts were made – remember, this was at the last minute – to contact as many people in the church as possible as to what we were doing. Knowing it would be impossible to reach everyone with this decision, we communicated as best we could via email and phone calls, largely using the lists of those who have been coming to worship since the church was reopened.
Some of you did not get the word. But those who came to the church unaware of what was happening were, for the most part, understanding. Tom Marchand, our Deacon chair, waited until twenty minutes after worship began to alert those who might come. A handful were informed of our decision.
It is our intent to resume in-person worship this Sunday. But we have discussed the need to be on our toes when other circumstances require us to think and act quickly. Folks, this is a big learning curve, and we ask for your understanding and patience. If “an abundance of caution” has become a familiar and often-used expression during this pandemic, “understanding and patience” stands right beside it. And, let’s add prayer to the mix. These are indeed challenging times.
Now, the challenge…
In case you might be aware, allow me to remind you that we are in the midst of a capital campaign, seeking to solicit funding for new air-conditioning chillers and handlers to replace old equipment. Big buildings call for big equipment and big costs. Our campaign goal is $100,000 toward a total expenditure of approximately $225,000. If our goal is reached by the end of January, the balance will be secured by means of our reserve funds. We ask you to generously consider what your contribution might be, remembering that while we are just now coming into the winter season, summer will be right around the corner. Having a dependable air-conditioning system will be greatly appreciated, I’m sure.
Randy