Dear Friends and Members of the Ark and Dove Community,

We begin to emerge from the pandemic, much the way we went into it. We are constantly surprised by new experiences and information; many of the situations awkward.  There is every reason to hope, but we are dazed by a year of fear. We call this trauma.  There is no useful purpose to comparing one trauma to another.  There is no “right” way to recover from this ordeal. There are many paths to healing and different people will heal at different paces. For some trauma may linger for quite some time and certainly all of us will carry strong memories well into our futures.

For those of us who are disciples of Jesus, we can remind each other to remain compassionate. We can refrain from judging people who are emerging from the crises at a different pace than we are. We can treat people like children of God even when they are reacting or over reacting in a way that puts us off. Its going to take us a while to find our collective sea legs.

So when we gather for indoor worship on Sunday June 20, we will wear masks. We will wear masks because different people are healing at different paces. We will wear masks because we have not yet achieved “herd immunity.” We will wear masks because many of us have regular contact with children who are not yet able to be vaccinated.  Things will change. The sun will rise on this darkness and we will adjust our approach when it is appropriate. As for outdoor worship, masks are no longer required, but we are asking that for now, people wear masks to outdoor Sunday School.

On this healing side of this pandemic, I give thanks for our elders, deacons and staff who have operated on overdrive in this year plus of deep challenge. They have been faithful and diligent in their execution as leaders of the church, even as they faced their own family and or household and work challenges, situations and decisions. I am deeply grateful for their thoughtfulness and compassion. Ark and Dove has truly been the church as it should be.

Peace of Christ,

tstern@arkanddove.org

Dear Friends and Members of Ark and Dove,

Peace,

jnelson@arkanddove.org

PRAYERS OF HEALING AND SUPPORT for Patty and Steve Plander; Margaret Floyd; Alex Strobel; Ardeth and Bob Johns; Steven Kirby; Arlyce Lohr; Krista Klohr; Christa Kronser; Michelle Schoonmaker; Dick Paronto; Richard and Edie Budd; Vaughn Brown; Camille Dubois’ parents; Debbie Saylor’s sister, Christine; Ryan Stavely’s father, Brian; Sue Hanburger’s daughter, Megan; a member of the Tardiff family; Dionne Whitby's daughter and niece, Jannah; Brooks Emrick and her sister, Susan; Amanda Crose’s mother, and grandmother, Betty Davis; Dotty Kaufman, her son, Bill, daughter-in-law, Carol, granddaughter, Sarah, and grandson Nathan; Donna Anderson's brother-in-law, Tom Brown; Steve Debus' cousin-in-law, Stephan; Kathy Miller’s brother-in-law, Jeff Miller; Lewis Shorter and Lewis Shorter’s niece, Jennifer Schwandt-Gayle; Bob Fuller’s brother, Joe Fuller; Dot Forloines’ family, granddaughter Melisa Tucker Saatthoff and her great-grandson Luke; Debbie Arey’s sister; Debbie and Bruce Arey’s family in Connecticut and daughter, Allison, and niece, Naomi; Linda Taylor’s mother, Izola; Kennon Bauman’s uncle, Dan Johnston; Amy Goldberg’s grandmother, Ruth Cooper; Christy Yeager’s mother, Linda Jordan; Linda Jordan’s niece, Bonnie; Diane Johnson's Uncle Ed, Aunt Janet, and cousin Richard; Shelley Franklin's father; Hollis Butterworth’s daughter, Rachel Mershont; Amanda Wehage’s sister and father, Dave; Laurie Barrow’s nephew, Gunther Kurtz; Sabonna Keeney’s mother; Bernabe and Griselda Solano, and Griselda's sister, Irma; Laura Doughty’s brother-in-law, Carl Hahn, and Paul Doughty’s mother, Ruth Doughty; Laura Willoughby's father, Norman; Bill Ruble’s mother, Mary Jane Weathers; Ann Hirschy’s aunt, Cindy, and brother; Christina Nelson’s grandmother, Pat Dole; Kelly Burnett’s nephew, Justin; Patriceo Green’s cousin, Philip Brown; Lou Kareha’s aunt, Judy Kochis, and cousin, Thomas; Cheryl and Doug Walcutt’s grandchild, Gray Adacutt; Cheryl Walcutt’s mother, nephew, and sisters; Erika Sealing's grandmother, Margaret Schade; Lourdes Cordero's granddaughter; Linnie Girdner and Jan Hof’s friend, Grace Ligon; Paula Griggs’ friends Char and Jackie Pullen; and Kim Young’s friend, Kurt Kost.

PRAYERS OF HEALING for those with COVID-19 including: Kelly Burnett’s cousin, Laurie; Dot Forloines’ granddaughter, Abigail; and Jennifer Roman's aunt, Laura Clay, and grandmother, Louise Nothdurft.

PRAYERS OF LOVE, SUPPORT AND PROTECTION for all essential workers around the world, including: Mike Stiegler; Bill Gaurin; Tricia Gray’s mother, Sabrina Johnson; Becca Distad; Jack Burnett; Caitlyn Bussey; Emily Sanders; Audrey Miller; Linda Jordan’s nephew, Russell; the Ralston’s family members and friends; Simone Stiegler’s friend, Jean Marie; Amy Grimm’s mother; Jeff Grimm; Amy Goldberg’s brother, Joseph Alexander, and parents, Michael and Maryann Cooper; Judy Cooper’s daughter; John Mikeska’s son, Jonathan; and Hollis Butterworth’s sister-in-law, Cyndie.