Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ. May God’s strength and love sustain you in these days.
Yesterday Governor Larry Hogan announced measures to contain the COVID-19 virus
outbreak in Maryland, measures that included churches. Following the Governor’s actions, Bishop LaTrelle Easterling has asked United Methodist Churches in Maryland to cease all gatherings for the next two weeks. In accordance with these public health safety measures, Grace will be closed for the upcoming two weeks, through Friday, March 27th. During this time, we will not gather in the building for Sunday worship, nor will any classes, groups, committees, or community events be held onsite. This is does not include any previously scheduled funerals.
For many of us,
Sunday worship
is a sacred time.
And it feels particularly poignant to not be gathering for inspiration, support, and guidance during these challenging weeks. Plans are in process to provide some portion of Sunday’s worship electronically, namely through our Facebook page. The link to Grace’s Facebook page is below. Sunday’s sermon and a musical portion will be posted on or before Sunday, March 15. Plans for worship on Sunday, March 22 will be sent via our e-newsletter next week. Even when we cannot be together physically, Jesus promises us that his Spirit hovers over our prayers for one another, uniting us across time and space.
The Grace Church staff is also working to maintain many of our previously scheduled events
, some through electronic means. The
Saturday Lenten Walk/Run
group will continue to meet. The
Tuesday Prayers at Noon
will be held online, again through our Facebook page. I will work directly with committee chairs to coordinate remote meetings of committees, through either phone or video conferencing. If you are a member of a committee that has a meeting scheduled for the next two weeks, look for further information from either your chair or myself. The
March 25th Church Council
meeting, however, has been cancelled and will be rescheduled at a later date.
Please be assured that your pastors are available to provide
pastoral care.
This is an anxious time, with constantly shifting news and an uncertain future. We seek to be present to you at this time.
I
, and
Pastor Dane
, can be reached via email or phone and invite you to reach out as needed. Office phone is 410-433-6650, and the menu will direct you to our extensions.
Several of you have inquired about Grace’s Backpack ministry
, wondering about the impact of school closures on food-insecure children. I will be reaching out to each of our partner schools to see what assistance they need at this time. More information will be forthcoming.
You can keep up with information about Grace’s schedule during this time via our
website
and our
Facebook page
.
Lastly, know that God of all grace, all strength, and all life is with us
during this unprecedented time. The psalmist reminds us that God is an ever-present help in times of trouble. I hold you in my prayers and know you hold one another in your prayers, asking God’s sheltering arm shelter to sustain us until we are together again.
Grace and Peace,
Rev. Amy McCullough
