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1650 W. Foster Ave., Chicago IL
(773) 561-8496
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March 13, 2020
Guidance During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Ebenezer Lutheran Church, Chicago
Greetings friends and partners in ministry
Ebenezer’s staff and leadership are working to address concerns during this developing situation. As of this date, we’d like to offer the following guidance regarding Ebenezer’s worshipping community, ministries, and shared-space partner relationships.
Our guiding principal, as our Bishop, Yehiel Curry has so well-reminded us, is the well being of our neighbors. And, we believe, everyone is our neighbor, but particularly the most vulnerable and those with the fewest resources. To that end:
Guidance for Everyone
Keep it clean.
Wash and sanitize your hands frequently, and avoid touching your face. Try to practice social distancing, keeping ample space between you and others around you in public spaces. Sneeze or cough into your elbow.
If you are ill, in anyway, please avoid coming into the facility.
If we can get something you need from the church to you, we’ll make every effort to be accommodating.
Stay safe.
Per CDC Guidelines, we strongly encourage older adults and those with underlying health conditions to stay home when at all possible.
If schools close, we close.
If Chicago Public Schools close; or, any individual school near us closes; or, you communicate to us that any member of your group has the virus; or, any Ebenezer Church attendee or staff member has contracted the virus, Ebenezer will close until further notice. This includes worship services, for which an online option will be made available. 12-step and recovery and/or support groups will be evaluated on a case by case basis as the continuance of these may, we realize, be essential to the health and well-being of attendees.
Guidance for Shared Space Partners
Larger groups should be prepared to postpone events.
Ebenezer is asking building users that assemble in large groups or engage in activities that include physical or close contact to suspend gathering for a time. This will help limit the spread of the virus.
Smaller groups, consider your options.
Smaller groups, if meeting is necessary, particularly to maintain recovery and support in a time of anxiety, consider meeting in smaller groups if at all possible. Consider inquiring if we can accommodate you in a larger room to provide more ample social distancing.
Gym use is suspended.
Ebenezer will suspend its gym programs effective Friday, March 13. We will contact groups when we feel it is safe to reinstate those programs.
Guidance for Ebenezer Church Attenders
Worship services continue, but not if you’re ill or at higher risk.
For now, Sunday morning and Wednesday evening worship will continue on site. As stated, PLEASE consider staying home if you are older or have health concerns. DO NOT come to worship when ill. We love you and will offer any care we can in other ways, but you can demonstrate care and love for God and neighbor alike by staying home.
As noted, worship will be suspended under the conditions set above. An online opportunity for prayer and preaching will be provided.
Changes in worship practices to help protect our neighbors.
For now, we will continue to offer Holy Communion on Sundays. Your participation is optional. Receiving the common cup is optional. The fullness of Christ’s presence is in the bread when received alone. Please reach your hands out to receive the bread so the server does not make physical contact when giving it to you. Intinction (dipping the bread in the cup), will not be permitted at this time, as it is the method most likely to transmit the virus from fingers to cup. Blessings and prayers for individuals will not involve touch.
All servers will sanitize their hands before serving. We will continue to share the peace in ways that avoid skin-to-skin contact. Consider spreading out in the sanctuary, and if you wish, make use of the balcony.
We will refrain from passing offering plates at this time. Offerings may be made in baskets on the prayer book table.
As the situation changes, we may suspend sharing communion in worship. This will be evaluated before each Sunday service.
Coffee fellowship will not include snacks or food until further notice.
Get creative with meetings.
If you are part of a ministry or group at Ebenezer, consider if you might accomplish your work or share with one another in another way: on the phone or online.
Together, we can do what is right in honoring our neighbors and friends, while continuing to encourage, pray for, and uplift one another and our community. Please contact us if you have any questions.
In Christ’s peace,
Pastor Michael Fick and the Ebenezer Congregation Council
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Christ and the Samaritan Woman, known as Photina
Brasov, Romania
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"In today’s gospel the Samaritan woman asks Jesus for water, an image of our thirst for God. Jesus offers living water, a sign of God’s grace flowing from the waters of baptism. The early church used this gospel and those of the next two Sundays to deepen baptismal reflection during the final days of preparation before baptism at Easter. As we journey to the resurrection feast, Christ comes among us in word, bath, and meal—offering us the life-giving water of God’s mercy and forgiveness.
"
See you Sunday!
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Morning Prayer:
God of wilderness and water, your Son was baptized and tempted as we are. Guide us through this season, that we may not avoid struggle, but open ourselves to blessing, through the cleansing depths of repentance and the heaven-rending words of the Spirit. Amen.
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Evening Prayer:
Enduring Presence, goal and guide, you go before and await our coming. Only our thirst compels us beyond complaint to conversation, beyond rejection to relationship. Pour your love into our hearts, that, refreshed and renewed, we may invite others to the living water given to us in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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Prayer with Children:
Dear Jesus
,
you teach us to give thanks for the good things we have in life. Help us to remember that your love and the people we love are the most important of all. Amen.
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In our prayers:
Bruce and Margo, David, Michael, Ben, Linda, Carol, Ben, Scott and Laurie, Sue, Pam, Dick, Michele, Jim, Judy, Frank, Johanna, Louis, Ruth, Ashley, Pat, Jim, Jim, John, Allison, Kari, Dem, Katherine, Jody, John and Sharon, Debbie, Velda, Dorothy, Bob, Howard, Gloria, Paul, Barbara, Chuck.
We also pray for our Bishops, Elizabeth and Yehiel.
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Celebrations, Concerns, and Condolences...
If you have items you'd like shared in this section, email
Pastor Michael
. Names may be added or removed from the prayer list by contacting
Pam S
.
For Sophia, celebrating her
quinceañera
For John Minor; and Louis, spouse of Vikki Ward-Martin, both in physical and occupational therapy.
For Jim, Barbara Ketter's son, who awaits a heart transplant.
For Jim, Carolyn's son.
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This Week's Commemorations
Patrick, bishop, missionary to Ireland, died 461
Tuesday, March 17, 2020
A native of Britain, Patrick was kidnapped by pirates at age sixteen and sold into slavery in Ireland. After a few years, he escaped, returned home, and entered the ministry. Returning to Ireland, he successfully served as a bishop and missionary there.
Joseph, Guardian of Jesus
Thursday, March 19, 2020
Though the Bible tells us little about the husband of Jesus' mother Mary, we know that he was a carpenter or builder by trade. He is also shown as being devoted both to God and to Mary and Jesus. It is assumed that he died before Jesus became an adult.
Thomas Cranmer, Bishop of Canterbury, martyr, died 1556
Saturday, March 21, 2020
Cranmer's lasting achievement is contributing to and overseeing the creation of the Book of Common Prayer, which remains (in revised form) the worship book of the Anglican Communion. He was burned at the stake under Queen Mary for his support of the Protestant Reformation.
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We gather on Sundays from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. for faith formation, learning, and spiritual growth.
Childcare IS available!
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March 15 & 22: What can we do about forgiveness? We know that God forgives. We also know that living as Christians we are to forgive. We say it in the Lord’s Prayer. We also know how hard forgiveness is. Come, as we talk together about how forgiveness works or doesn’t. This 2 week discussion will be based on Lewis Smedes’ book
, Forgive & Forget, Healing the Hurts We Don’t Deserve. Sessions will be led by Pastor Ann Hamilton Hicks.
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Edgewater Congregations Together Young Adults Group
Young adults (18 years old through early 30s) from Unity, Ebenezer, and Immanuel Lutheran churches, as well as others from the community, will be gathering once a month for social events, service projects, and faith and life discussions.
If you are a young adult and would like to connect with other young adults in the area, please contact
Pastor Emily Heitzman
to learn how you can get involved and/or to sign up.
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Lutheran Disaster Response
Lutheran Disaster Response is working to help those dealing with the aftermath of hurricane Dorian. Visit
community.elca.org/hurricane-relief
to learn more and donate. Designated checks and cash gifts to Ebenezer will be forwarded to LDR.
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Edgewater Congregations Together Youth Group
Edgewater Congregations Together Youth Group consists of youth in grades 6
th-12
th from Unity, Immanuel, and Ebenezer Lutheran Churches in the neighborhood of Edgewater. During the school year, they gather on the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month at Immanuel Lutheran Church for a meal, games, faith discussions, and worship.
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Lenten book discussion
Join us to consider together what meaning “sabbath” might have for us in the 21
st
century. In his book Sabbath as Resistance author Walter Brueggemann writes that the Sabbath is not simply about keeping rules but rather about becoming a whole person and restoring a whole society. Brueggemann calls out our 24/7 society of consumption, a society in which we live to achieve, accomplish, perform, and possess. We want more, own more, use more, eat more, and drink more. Brueggemann shows readers how keeping the sabbath allows us to break this restless cycle and focus on what is truly important: God, other people, all life.
We will meet 5 Wednesdays in lent, March 4 through April 1 from 7:30 – 8:30 pm following evening prayer in the sanctuary.
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Women's Book Group
Women's Book Group
meets at 7:00 p.m. in the Education Center Cafe. Come join the conversation!
March 16 –
Girl, Woman, Other
by Bernadine Evaristo
April 20 –
Killers of the Flower Moon
by David Grann
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Ebenezer Refugee Support
Ebenezer’s support group works with newly arrived refugees in the Rogers Park and Edgewater area. Sponsoring agencies offer a minimum of initial help when families first arrive. Ebenezer’s group works to fill the gap until families are self-supporting.
Follow the Ebenezer Refugee Support Group on
Facebook
to see updates on families and the what the current needs are. Interested individuals are encouraged to contact Norm Dynneson or Jackie Wood, as well.
Cash donations can be made out to Ebenezer Lutheran Church with the notation of Refugee Fund on the memo line. Questions can be directed to
Jackie Wood
or
Norm Dynneson
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Community and Announcements
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Give with Goodshop and Amazon Smile
Shopping online at
goodshop.org allows you to do the shopping you'd do anyway at your favorite sites, while supporting the ministry at Ebenezer! Simply register and then select Ebenezer Lutheran Church, Chicago, as the beneficiary of the donation Goodshop makes when you shop through their site. Check it out today!
Also, Ebenezer is designated as a recipient for Smile dollars on Amazon.
Any shopping you do on Amazon can benefit Ebenezer! Simply register at smile.amazon.com and designate us... same great shopping, but we receive .5% of your purchase amount!
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Office Hours
Monday 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Tuesday by appointment
Wednesday 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Thursday by appointment
Friday 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
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Our Mission:
God calls Ebenezer to be a Christian home for all who seek the sustaining nature of the Holy Spirit, to demonstrate faith and trust in God through the ministry of its people, and to let Christ's model of service, justice and love give expression to how we share God's gift with the world.
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Do you or someone you know need someone to talk to?
If you or someone you know is in crisis, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
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