Dear Members and Friends of the Ark and Dove Community,

I never studied French, but my mother did, and apparently we never closed the door as children because half the French I know is the following phrase: Ferme la porte après toi s'il vous plait. (translation here)

She said it quite often. Sometimes other phrases were added, and lets just say I knew that "dam" had a homonymn at a tender age.   I also know (okay, I studied German in high school) RSVP--répondez s'il vous plait--basically means please respond.

As always you are invited and warmly encouraged to attend worship at Ark and Dove. Right now we are offering outdoor worship at 9:15 every other week and indoor in-person worship, which is also livestreamed on YouTube and Facebook at 10:30. (Don’t forget the Lobby at 10:15) We have been requesting that you RSVP for in-person worship.

Here is the homonym wrinkle: people are being pretty casual about the RSVPs.  The Session would deeply appreciate it if you would follow the link here in the Arkive, so we know how many are coming, and you are not the missing link. Why? What a pain. Seriously? Yes, seriously – we want to make sure we are prepared to accommodate you and just in case there is possible exposure to COVID, we want to be able to provide contact tracing to the Health Department if asked. At the very least we want to send you an e-mail to let you know that someone in worship had COVID. Yes, we are all masked and the danger is highly mitigated by the wearing of masks, but we are called to treat each other like children of God (you know get vaccinated), and we are called to protect all the children of God, especially those who are still children.

We are going to get through this pandemic, we are, with God’s help.

The piece of Christ be with you. (Think homonym.)

Dear Friends and Members of Ark and Dove,

"Let your prayer be frequent and brief," said the 4th/5th century Christian monk, John Cassian. I have been following Cassian's counsel, especially this week. On Tuesday, my Elias was off to preschool and I said many frequent and brief prayers. As I talked and heard from the parents of this church about their children off to school, I said several short prayers. I did the same as I remembered our teachers. And as I ran around a growing number of children and youth waiting at bus stops, I offered some quick prayers. The beginning of the school year is exciting and I pray it is fulfilling, but I am also praying for the safety of our children and teachers as they connect in a learning environment.

Connections are increasingly important. Several members and visitors have been returning to church in-person and it has been so wonderful to see one another. I imagine that joy is what many children and youth are experiencing this week. Safety is also our priority as we gather in person. This Sunday we will start something new to safely connect in person, while wearing masks. Upon entering the church, you will be able to choose from three nametags on which you can write your name. These nametags will tell others how comfortable you are connecting in the church building. Choose red if you require maximum social distance. Choose yellow if you are ok with an elbow bump. Choose green if a handshake is fine by you. There is nothing to be embarrassed about by what color you choose. We hope this is a measure to avoid any situation where you could compromise your comfort.

Our Session, Deacons, Staff, and ministry teams are praying to find safe ways to connect during this season. That is my same prayer for schools--that children and youth can forge healthy connections while maximizing safety and health. Speaking of prayer, I hope that you will join us outside on Sunday for a Mythbusters-type class on prayer.

PRAYERS OF HEALING AND SUPPORT for Liz Olson; Margaret Floyd; Carol Saylor; Wendy Wellington’s brother, Jeff Morgan; Russ Hester; Vaughn Brown; Patty and Steve Plander; Arlyce Lohr; Krista Klohr; Dotty Kaufman; Michelle Schoonmaker; Dick Paronto; Richard and Edie Budd; Amy Hagemann’s sister, Susan Pratt; Christy Hipchen's Uncle Frank; Mary Benson’s sister; Ryan Stavely’s father, Brian; Amy Carskadon Lifsey’s father-in-law, Bill Lifsey Sr.; Karen Dodson’s cousin, Miles, and Miles’ entire family; Tricia Gray’s grandfather, Paul; Cliff Wellington’s sister-in-law, Myeong Wellington; Helen Wilkens' mother, Jane Reinert; Christina Nelson’s grandmother, Pat Dole; Judy Cooper’s daughter, Jessica Quigley; Paul Doughty’s mother, Ruth Doughty; Tina Anthis’ father, Steve Bissel; Camille Dubois’ parents and the Dubois family; Debbie Saylor’s sister, Christine; Todd Stubbs’ stepfather, David Hopsicker; 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’s 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 sister, Beth Krauth, and brother-in-law, Jeff Miller; Lewis Shorter and Lewis Shorter’s niece, Jennifer Schwandt-Gayle; Bob Fuller’s brother, Joe Fuller; Dot Forloine’s granddaughter Melisa Tucker Saatthoff, and her great-grandson Luke; Debbie Arey’s sister, Denise; Debbie and Bruce Arey’s family in Connecticut, and their daughter, Allison; 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; Laura Willoughby's father, Norman; Ann Hirschy’s aunt, Cindy, and brother; Kelly Burnett’s nephew, Justin; Lou Kareha’s cousin, Thomas Kochis; Cheryl and Doug Walcutt’s grandchild, Gray Adacutt; Cheryl Walcutt’s sister Judy, and mother and nephew; Erika Sealing's grandmother, Margaret Schade; Lourdes Cordero's granddaughter and friends, Fred and Arelene Jones; Mike and Charlotte Davie’s friend, Dave Page; Paula Griggs’ friends Char and Jackie Pullen; Shirley and Bob Fuller’s friend, Cindy Schafer; Linda Lewis’ friend, Carol Fudge; and Maren McGillivray-Stubbs’ best friend’s father, Gentry Sims.

THE LOVE AND PRAYERS OF THE CONGREGATION go out to the Kirby and Michaels families on the death of Grant Kirby’s stepfather, Mike Michaels.

PRAYERS OF HEALING for those with COVID-19 including: June Nilsen.