Dear Hennepin Friends,
Everyone at Hennepin Avenue UMC cares about the health and wellness of you, your families, our staff and our friends who use our beautiful building. We are committed to limiting the spread of all illness in our community, including COVID-19.
In light of recommendations from Governor Walz, BIshop Ough, and the Minnesota Department of Health, Hennepin Avenue UMC will
temporarily suspend in-person attendance at worship services through Sunday, March 29.
Our Sacred Journey and Traditional Worship services will take place, but we
invite you all to participate from home by watching our live stream video broadcast.
There are three easy ways to access the live stream. We strongly encourage you to
practice using one or more of these
before
Sunday morning.
If you need help, we invite you to find a friend, family member, or neighbor who can help you get it set up, or to call us here at the church.
- On your desktop computer, open an internet browser (i.e., Chrome, Firefox, Safari) and go to the live stream page of the Hennepin website—or just click here: www.haumc.org/live. If the worship service has started, you will see an active video on the page. If the service has not started yet, you will see a black box and a note about how soon the live stream will be “on.” When it is time for the service to begin, “refresh” the web page and the video will be shown live.
- Download the HAUMC Live Stream app to your mobile device (smartphone or tablet). Go to the App Store and search for HAUMC Live Stream. When you see our church logo cross, you will know you’ve found the right app. Click “Get,” and when the download is complete, click “Open.” When it is time for the worship service to begin, open the app, and the live video will show up automatically.
- Watch the live stream on our Facebook page, Facebook@HennepinAvenueUMC. (If you do not already have a Facebook account, you will need to create one in order to view the Facebook Live video.) If you already follow us on Facebook, simply visit our Facebook page at the time of the worship service and scroll down to watch the live video. Otherwise, type “HennepinAvenueUMC” into the search bar on your Facebook page, and then click on the link to our page.
EVENT AND PROGRAM CANCELLATIONS
Earlier today {Monday, March 16} Bishop Ough urged
the
postponement or cancellation of all non-essential, in-person small group meetings
or gatherings in our church buildings during this timeframe (through March 29).
If you need to cancel an event or program scheduled to take place at Hennepin during this time, please call our front desk at 612-871-5303, or email scheduling@haumc.org
.
The following Ministry Programming
will not be held on March 22 and March 29.
- Sabbath Beginnings 8am Communion Service
- Hennepin Kids for LYFE
- Sunday Brunch
- all Youth Ministry activities
The following events
scheduled to take place at Hennepin
are cancelled:
- Lumina Concert, "The Veil and the Thorn," scheduled for Sunday, March 22 at 7pm
We expect further cancellations in light of today's announcement from the Bishop. Please check our Facebook page and our website regularly for updated cancellation information.
BUILDING HOURS & RECEPTION
The Hennepin Avenue UMC church building will open at 8am during the week but may close early, possibly as early as 12noon, depending on groups’ schedules and/or cancellations.
The building will operate on reduced hours on the weekends, again depending on groups’ schedule and/or cancellations.
If you need more information, you may call our Reception Desk at 612.871.5303 or email scheduling@HAUMC.org.
PASTORAL CARE
We understand that persons in care facilities, nursing homes, and hospitals are among the most vulnerable to infection. Until further advised,
all personal visits by our care team are suspended.
Pastoral visits to facilities are also suspended as advised by public health guidelines.
Pastoral care is available through phone (612-871-5303) and email (pastoral
care@haumc.org
).
If you experience an emergency or a bereavement, please call or email us.
Our faith calls us to care for one another and our community, so
please call to check on those who are the most vulnerable among us
.
STAY TUNED!
We know that this situation around this virus will continue to change, and quickly. We are committed to communicating with you clearly and frequently.
Please watch for updates through email, and check our Facebook page and website regularly.
Thank you for your cooperation and your commitment to staying together and staying strong as we pray for one another and our world as we support each other in responding to the threat of COVID-19 in our community.
Jesus said, “Do not be anxious. Do not be afraid.” We do not live in fear because we are rooted in faith that assures us that God is with us. Please feel free to contact us with questions and concerns.
Blessings,
Pastor Judy Zabel and Pastor Frenchye Magee
