Rev. George Schneider
| The Pastor's Desk |
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On Wednesday, July 22nd, the council met via video conference to evaluate our in-person socially distanced worship services. We considered the following: The Health Department of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is reporting rising confirmed cases of the virus in York County, There is a growing consensus among epidemiologists that the virus is transmitted primarily through airborne means and that it can be recirculated through heating and cooling systems, Recent attendance patterns showing drive-in parking lot worship is better attended than and in-person socially distanced worship, and The fact that we have confirmed cases of the virus among congregation members. Council voted to discontinue in-person socially distanced worship for the foreseeable future. We did vote to add another drive-in parking lot service of Holy Communion on Sunday mornings at 9.15am and we will continue on-line video worship well into the future. Beginning in August, we will host two weekly drive-in services of Holy Communion. We will gather on Saturday evenings at 7pm and again on Sunday mornings at 9.15am weather permitting. If you are uncomfortable sitting in your car for thirty minutes due to the temperature or in the event of an electrical storm, we ask you to please take advantage of our on-line video worship presentation. Please park in a space not blocked by an orange traffic cone and tune your car radios to FM 91.3. If you wish to bring a portable lawn chair and an FM radio, you may find a space on the lawn. Please abide by social distancing guidelines and remember to wear a mask. We are asking you to bring your own elements for Holy Communion. Please treat the elements respectfully. We are recommending that you bring only enough bread and grape juice for you and your family to consume during worship. I realize that drive-in parking lot services of Holy Communion are not optimal. They present us with numerous theological, liturgical, and environmental challenges. However, in a time when the pandemic is raging across these United States of America, I believe it to be our safest and most responsible option. It may seem odd that we are celebrating the Lord’s Supper in a drive-in setting. In the same way, it was considered to be quite controversial when David was served the Bread of the Presence by the priest Ahimelech as David sought refuge and physical sustenance. Later, when Jesus was asked why he and his disciples broke the laws and customs of Israel by plucking and eating grain on the Sabbath, he referenced David’s eating the Bread of the Presence. Desperate times call for desperate measures. If you have any comments or questions, please feel free to contact me at your convenience. This pandemic will last longer than we expect, but one day it too will end. We are diligently praying for an end to this pandemic and hope to gather together with one another for worship and mutual support in the coming future. In Nomine Iesu, Rev. George Schneider
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