A message from Pastor Laurie on Re-launching
Grace and peace to you in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ. I pray that you have felt the beauty of God’s sustaining power in the last weeks as we have been following the order of our Governor to stay at home. While this season has posed unique challenges for some and hardships for others, I believe that God has used it to draw our congregation closer to one another and for that I am very grateful.
Last night, our Governor, Larry Hogan, announced that as of this Friday, May 15th, the State of Maryland would enter Phase One of our recovery process from Covid. This effectively lifts the Stay at Home Order. During his press conference, Governor Hogan addressed faith communities and what would be permitted in phase one. He shared that “churches and houses of worship may begin to safely hold religious services. Outdoor services are strongly encouraged. Indoor services are permitted with 50% capacity, with appropriate distancing, masking and appropriate distancing protocols.” Our Charles County Commissioners voted this evening to hold back on relaxing the current restrictions until May 29.
In Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians he writes: Everything is permitted, but everything isn’t beneficial. Everything is permitted, but everything doesn’t build others up. (1 Corinthians 10:23 CEB). I believe that this verse applies well to our current situation. Our Governor is giving people permission to make decisions in their local context and our County Commissioners are echoing that sentiment but with more caution given our proximity to Prince George’s County, the largest COVID hotspot in the state. These are not easy decisions and they take a lot of thought, prayer and discernment on the part of those tasked with making them. In the context of Good Shepherd, it is I, as your pastor, together with the Re-Launch team who will have the task of making decisions about how and when we return to in person worship and other activities.
I want to be clear that the guiding principle and theological underpinning of those decisions will be “First do no harm.” This is one of the Three Simple Rules laid out by John Wesley, the founder of Methodism. This principle is reflected in the teachings of Jesus and of the early disciples. Paul speaks to this principal when he encourages the church in Corinth to not only think of themselves as they make decisions about what they do, but to think of how their actions and witness impact others as he writes “Everything is permitted but everything doesn’t build others up.” In the Message translation, Eugene Peterson says it this way; We want to live well, but our foremost efforts should be to help others live well.
As we guide the Re-Launch Team to make decisions in the coming weeks, Chairperson, Amy Warren and I will be leading the team first and foremost, to help others to live well. That means that we will take a cautious approach in decisions about re-opening our physical building and gathering the community of Good Shepherd together in the same physical space. As much as we have a deep desire to be face-to-face with all of you whom we love so much, we have a deeper desire to protect the flock of Good Shepherd and the community that we serve.
Because of that desire, we have to be clear that we are not ready at this time to re-open our physical building. The Re-launch Team will be meeting again in the coming week to continue the task of discerning when it will be appropriate to do so and what will be required to do so in a safe manner. We would ask that you pray for us in this challenging task, that you would offer us grace if you don’t concur with every choice we make and that you would have patience as we discern how we can best move forward in a safe and responsible manner that keeps both our church community and the larger community well.
As we await the day when it is appropriate for us to gather in person, please know that we will continue to offer online worship for our community and other opportunities for prayer and study online. You are encouraged to continue to call members of our beloved community and to send cards to keep connected. I also want to share that we are planning an opportunity for the congregation to celebrate our Graduating Seniors and to receive prayers and communion elements during a Drive Through Church on May 31. More details on this will be forthcoming.
In the meantime, let us be thankful for all that God is doing in our midst. When we gathered for worship on the first Sunday of 2020, we each received a star with a special guiding word. I pulled two words for our Good Shepherd community. Those words were “embrace” and “gift”. Let us truly embrace the gift of our church that has continued to be a vibrant and spirit-filled body during this season. And let us embrace the gifts that God will offer in the days ahead. I am ever grateful to be your pastor and I trust more than ever, that God is leading us into the future that God has in mind for us.
Many Blessings,
Pastor Laurie