TIME TO CELEBRATE? As you read this, many of you will have celebrated with us at our Memorial Day Service. We will have had opportunity to remember those who went before us and made our freedom secure. We will also have had the first signs of the cloud of COVID-19 being lifted. Increasingly, we are starting the journey back to “normal.” However, having said that, it is still good to remind ourselves that we are not entirely out of the woods yet. While governmental researchers project a dramatic downturn in COVID-19’s numbers by the end of July, we are still in need of practicing a sustained vigilance. The CDC is still recommending the use of masks when gathering with large groups of people. I applaud the media’s efforts to promote vaccines and the increased availability for all levels of society. God has been incredibly gracious to our church family in keeping us well through this pandemic. But now we are eager to return to some kind of normalcy. I am reminded of the Apostle Peter’s words to the churches during times that appeared apocalyptic in first century Rome: “The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:7-9). That is good counsel for all of us at the present. We must remain in constant prayer for protection and eradication of this terrible plague that continues to rage in many parts of the world. We must also practice love toward one another. The intensified atmosphere of COVID-19 living has often precipitated some unkind remarks to one another as we have sought to justify our views, political, medical, and even religious. Let us above all, remember we are family and family cares for one another’s health and welfare. As we enter into summer months, I am encouraged on every front by your presence in worship and your prayers for me and all of our church staff. You are a constant reminder that “pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones” (Proverbs 16:24). Pastor Mike
