Dear SVPC Family,

Perhaps it’s because of the changing of the seasons that is beginning to happen, or maybe it’s because I’ve now lived through two straight months of another online school semester with my kids…either way, I’m feeling the weight of the reality that we are living through more than a short-term disruption in our lives. I’m sure that many of you can relate, and that many of you are mourning this like I am.

We want to do something to shift our situation, but this is a global pandemic! What can we do?

A recent article about how we church folks should be living and leading during this time has offered me some perspective on how we might address this situation when it can be so easy to feel stuck. It raises the importance of maintaining trust between members of a community when we’re trying to navigate a crisis, and points out, “This trust begins not with concern for ourselves, but with concern for others. Almost uniquely in our lifetimes, every single person we will interact with…is experiencing vulnerability like never before…. Very few of us will get through this era without seeing someone we love suffer and very possibly die. Many are contemplating their own mortality in new ways. We owe to everyone we meet tremendous compassion, patience, and concern, before we involve them in our own needs.”

I think about how so many of you have worked hard to find ways to help others during this pandemic time, even as you face your own challenges. You have invested your time and energy in providing online forums for connection; you’ve volunteered to deliver materials or meals or gifts to community members; you’ve shared your financial resources so that our ministries can keep connecting with people in need.

I am grateful for all that our community has done, and am hopeful for what we will continue to do in the days ahead as we recommit ourselves to Trusting God in the Wilderness, offering our gifts and our own lives, so that we can encourage people to trust in the power of God’s good news to create caring community, even in times like these.

Giving thanks for you all, 

Dear friends,

It’s hard to believe it’s been seven months since we started sheltering in place. I am grateful for the leadership of our session that continues to put the health of the most vulnerable (and, of course, we can’t tell by looking who is in that category) at the center of their decision making.

You hear us thanking so many people who make worship happen on Sundays. We gather at least three times a week to practice and plan—staff and volunteers—all from our own homes. Most of our staff continue to do their jobs completely from home, with only those whose jobs require them to be on campus going in on a limited and very scheduled basis so they don’t overlap. When they do go in, there are sign-in procedures and temperature self-checks to be recorded.

I share all this just to say that as we emphasize that campus is closed, the church staff are also taking every precaution by serving you well from their safe locations.

Longing to be together is natural; taking these precautions is loving. Thanks for your partnership in continuing to create community together—while we’re apart.

Peace,