CHURCH OF THE HOLY COMFORTER
March 27, 2020

 To the Community of the Beloved from Cynthia Taylor+

I have always been fascinated about how people responded in times of great change and crises, such as the response of the Greatest Generation during WW II. Now, you and I are living in such times ourselves and we have the opportunity to show our God-given greatness, love, compassion and generosity.  

Earlier this week, I shared with my fellow clergy of Georgia a verse from the Book of Esther that we may have been ordained "for such a time as this." The same is true for all who follow Jesus. We live out our baptism, under difficult circumstances, "for such a time as this." 

This is our time to shine out with the love of Jesus like never before; to be the salt of the earth, to flavor our community with Christ.  

For most of us that simply means following the CDC guidelines and using the time given to us to be partners in prayer.  But then there are the health care workers, like Eric Bradley in North Carolina, son-in-law of Robbie and Gail Jarrell, who are on the front lines.

Eric sent his wife Jill, and his daughter back to Augusta for safety, while he continued to work in the ER. Last night Jill posted that Eric was down to just one N95 mask. She is terrified.

Lord, in your mercy. Hear our prayers.

Here at Holy Comforter, services continue to be suspended. I suspect that we will follow the schedule of the schools and be open again when they are. As I've said before, services may be suspended but worship is not.

Join us this Sunday at 10:30 am on our Facebook site for live streaming of Morning Prayer. If you do not have Facebook, Morning Prayer will be posted directly on our YouTube channel. It will also be sent out in an Enews shortly following the service. You may wish to download the bulletin in advance. Here are this Sunday's links:

This Sunday's Bulletin is here . 
Visit our Facebook Page here .
Visit our YouTube channel here .

During this Sunday's Morning Prayer service, send us your prayer requests on Facebook and we will address them. We will also light a candle for each person.

Please send your pictures of what your Sunday mornings look like to me at pastor@holycomforterchurch.org .  Below is a picture of Lily Halterman enjoying her Sunday Cheetos as her brother Finn contemplates the sermon. Also pictured is the Saunder's crew - Ashley, with her 3 kids, Alexander, Emerson, and Handley. We love seeing PJ worship!
If you are looking for a free bible study during this time, I recommend Max Lucado's free on-line course, Anxious for Nothing. Go to his webpage at  https://maxlucado.com  and click the on-line bible study.

The Parenting group continues to meet via Zoom and I will be offering more on-line resources for children and youth shortly.  

For daily worship, please refer to the previously released services that I've recorded which are available on Facebook or our website.

Remember the words of Jesus, "Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven."

All blessings,
Cindy+


MARCH 22, 2020 MORNING PRAYER SERVICE
For those who may have missed last week's service of Morning Prayer, it is available for viewing below.

HOW TO GIVE
If at all possible, please keep up with your financial gifts to the church. Money is always tight but never more than now. When this crisis has passed, I want us to pick up where we left off and continue to expand our mission and ministry of Jesus Christ.

There are several ways to give. You can press the "Donate Now" button below or go on-line to our website at www.holycomforterchurch.org and click on Giving at the top right hand. Finally, you can mail checks to: Church of the Holy Comforter, 473 Fury’s Ferry Road, Martinez, Georgia, 30809.  
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
For those in need of healing:  Minnie Prettelt, Tony Abate, Eleanor Kremer, John Rumbaugh, Tom Rorick, Kristin, Frankie, Delores, Denny and Angie, Curtis, Banana Shakes, the Sisters of the Order of St. Helena, Lia & Eric and their newborn son, Arlo Fricke, and for all students still trying to return home safely from AU Housing.

For our prison system, the inmates, the staff of these facilities, and the ladies at Leath Correctional Facility.

For all suffering with COVID-19, and all who are anxious during this time.

For all health care workers and for the CDC.

For a spirit of love and generosity towards all our neighbors.

For the mission and ministry of Holy Comforter as we enter a new phase of our live as the virtual Community of the Beloved. 

For those celebrating birthdays:  Shannon Dunavan, Lara Fort, Katherine Hahn, Crawford Brown, Claudia Mahaffie, and Jeanette James

Thanksgiving for our partnership with Martinez Elementary School and The Claiborne at West Lake.
 
For the safety of  all those who serve abroad.
 
For those who are homebound:  John Howell, Corky Angleman, Marjorie Sinclair, Donna Garvey, Bobby and Lorraine Banks, and Joan Jackson
 
For the departed: Leslie Williams, seminary classmate of Cynthia Taylor.

For all who have died for the Christian Faith and for those who have persecuted them.
FOR THE LATEST UPDATES, VISIT OUR FACEBOOK PAGE