Bishop Thomas M. Aitken
Pastoral Letter
April 27, 2020
Dear partners in Christ in the Northeastern Minnesota Synod,
“ I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility, and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”
(Ephesians 4:1-3)
During this continued Covid-19 pandemic let’s remember that Christians have a life foundation and purpose already given to us in Christ. As the Apostle Paul says above, it is a life grounded in
patience
among other things. In this pastoral letter, I stress that we be patient. I am mindful of the good work our Synod leaders, our Governor and smart medical folks are doing in the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. Rostered Ministers – thank you for the extra work needed to provide pastoral care and worship leadership along with your worship teams.
In my opinion, Governor Walz is a great leader for our State. Please check regularly his updates:
https://mn.gov/governor/covid-19/
I appreciate the difficult position he as a leader is in, trying to balance economics, safety for not only the most vulnerable, but as we increasingly see, for all of us. He keeps reminding us that the medical experts claim subsequent outbreaks could easily happen. Testing, contact tracing, physical distancing, and limitations to group activities will be absolutely necessary to slow the spread of the virus. Gradual gatherings when and only when it is safe, people worship will most likely be needed and then in phases, not all at once. This will take patience and wisdom from all of us.
Now is not the time to be foolhardy about getting “back to normal” when there is still such a need for social distancing, face masks and intentional work on the part of all of us to flatten the continued infection curve of Dovd-19 by paying attention to staying at home. We are in this virus spreading stage for longer than many believe or want to believe. The Church can model maturity, intelligence and patience within our congregations as we begin to carefully think through potential phases of change in how we handle our congregational lives together. One of the solid resources for congregations comes out the Wisconsin Council of Churches: “Returning to Church: Ministry during the COVID-19 outbreak” just released last week. It is in my opinion, a wisely cautious and faithful tool as we make important decisions for the future. I am particularly grateful that the document utilized public health experts and church leaders across the United States. It urges us to think contextually, recognizing that there is no perfect timetable plan but some thinking about three types of Phases:
https://www.wichurches.org/2020/04/23/returning-to-church/
I will be using this with our Synod Council in the days ahead in helping all of us think through “Phases” of re-entry in our own context here in Northeastern Minnesota Synod, and will share our learning and goals in subsequent pastoral letters.
As I went around in our Synod, the first two months of 2020 to teach at “Bishop’s visitations” for Confirmation Students, parents and mentors, I used Galatians 5:22 as my Scripture Passage as the framework. I shared with our youth the truth that the Holy Spirit is actually forming in them, the mind and heart of Christ. The fruits of the Spirit that St. Paul mentions in that passage are in reality the very things Christ himself is: Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, self-control. Those fruits or gifts are being formed in all of us. Let’s use them to the glory of God and the good of your neighbor right now as we stay safe, faithful and yes, patient.
Your +Bishop, and partner in Christ,
The Rev. Thomas M. Aitken
Other Resources:
Governor Walz Guidance for faith based communities
