Lamplighter Article, March 2021

Dear Friends,

Last month in this space I talked about our movement into online worship services and the changes that we have all been through to make that happen. At the same time, we are all aware that going online to view and to participate in a worship service is not an option for some.

We have been having in-person worship services since mid-June of last year. That is always an option for those who cannot be a part of the online worship. The Council has put in place some good precautions that have kept us as safe as we can be, and so far we have not had any problems. We keep track of everyone who comes into the sanctuary. This is so that if we learn of someone who tests positive for COVID-19, we can inform everyone who has been possibly exposed. We have hand sanitizer in every open pew. We have blocked off alternating pews to help maintain a safer distance between people of different families. We require everyone who comes into the sanctuary to wear a face mask. We do not allow singing aloud, which creates aerosolized droplets that not even masks can stop from spreading into the air around us. Now that vaccines are available, we encourage everyone to get vaccinated as soon as they can.

These might seem excessive measures in some ways. Certainly they place restrictions on us that we have not had before. Even so, they are prudent measures because of the threat that the novel coronavirus carries.

I recently viewed an online discussion under the auspices of the National World War I Museum and Memorial. The discussion dealt with the Pandemic of 1918. That pandemic, which we often hear called the “Spanish Flu,” did not in actually begin in Spain. No one knows where it truly began, but many of the first cases were at Camp Funston at Fort Riley, Kansas. World War I and the transportation of soldiers gave the 1918 Flu its primary means of spreading. One surprising datum that I had not known is that the strain of flu virus that killed so many in 1918 is still around today, more than a century later. And scientists and epidemiologists tell us that today’s coronavirus will never fully go away either.

The similarities between the Pandemic of 1918 and today are numerous. Just as the 1918 pandemic eventually ended, so, too, will this one. We will help it to end by maintaining many of the practices that we have adopted to deal with it.

To get to the point that I want to make here, finally, we say every week in our bulletin that “no matter who you are or where you are on your life’s journey, you are welcome here.” Those are not simply words that we like to say; they are a statement of who we are and what we value as Salem Church. Everyone is welcome to attend worship services in person; we do not turn anyone away. Whoever wants to come can come…as long as they follow our health and safety measures. Wear a mask. Use hand sanitizer. Maintain a reasonable social distance. We will limit our attendance to safe numbers, but we are nowhere near those numbers at present. Remember that if you do not feel well, if you have a cold, if you have allergies that are flaring up, please respect others and stay home. Otherwise, come and worship.

We are getting through this crisis together, with mutual respect, grace, and love for others.

Grace and Peace

Tommy

Tags: Community, COVID-19, Pandemic, Safety, Welcome, Worship