Hope Lutheran Church is suspending all in-person ministry until until further notice due to COVID-19 safety recommendations. To see our action plan for operation - click here.
In the meantime, JOIN US ONLINE every Wednesday at 7:00pm and every Sunday at 9:30am. Also, if you're on Facebook, check out H2GO (Hope to Go) and get YOUR Daily Dose of Hope!
IMPACT of COVID-19
*Hope Lutheran Church is suspending all in-person ministry until April 5th. In the meantime, JOIN US ONLINE every Sunday at 9:30am beginning March 15th.
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Just 24 hours ago, things seemed different…please read carefully.
Priests and Shepherds
Allow me to put two ideas together for you:
“…you are a royal priesthood…” 1Peter 2:9
It is a foundational concept of Lutheranism that all God’s people are ‘pastors’. We all have a responsibility to live the Gospel of Jesus in this world…not just the called and ordained person, but all who follow Jesus.
The word “pastor” comes from the Latin word pastor which means shepherd.
Very few of us have much experience with actual, honest-to-goodness shepherds. If we did, we would know that a shepherd generally leads their flock to places of food and water as well as places of safety.
I put those together to remind us that we are all pastors. We are all shepherds. And we all have a role in protecting each other and the other as well as the congregation of Hope and the church as a whole. That is why this is so difficult.
As far as our society’s response to COVID-19, things have seemingly moved very, very quickly.
Unfortunately, the list goes on.
Therefore, out of an abundance of caution, the leadership of Hope Lutheran Church collectively decided to suspend all in-person ministry and resume worship on April 5th unless the situation dictates otherwise. Again:
Hope Lutheran Church is suspending all in-person ministry until Sunday, April 5th.
Yes…this could change in another 24 hours as this situation has been changing rapidly. For now, we feel this is the right decision from a moral, civic, and spiritual perspective.
Please know that leadership and staff did not come to this decision lightly. It is a very, very difficult situation. Nonetheless, we are doing our best given the reality of the world as it is at this moment.
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Creativity and Vision
“In the beginning, God created…” Genesis 1:1
If the Bible is authoritative at all, then its first words should be considered foundational. We gather because we believe in a God that creates…a God that created literally everything we know.
Creativity itself is theologically foundational to who God is and to who we are.
This is a difficult situation for sure, but it is also an opportunity. This is an opportunity for us to gather differently than we have before. We are careful to use the words “in-person” ministry, because this is an opportunity for us to explore creatively with love and grace new and exciting ways to gather. With the blessing of technology, we have the opportunity to gather on-line.
We will have more details early next week, but for this Sunday, March 15th we will be streaming worship at 9:30am. Again:
JOIN US ONLINE
SUNDAY, MARCH 15th @ 9:30am
Using the streaming approach, it makes sense for us to put together one online worship experience at 9:30 am. Then we can use our time as ministers and staff to create other, unique, creative and visionary faith experiences and connections with our congregation and beyond in fresh and imaginative ways. We will continue to post the service on the website the following day.
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HOPE Finances
We are well aware that this decision could have major financial implications for Hope and more importantly the people who benefit from the ministry done through this family of faith.
Remember, that even when services are temporarily suspended, we still have to pay our mortgage, utilities and salaries.
Please, if at all possible, keep this in mind as you consider your giving. If you have not yet done so, please sign up for automatic giving through our website to ensure the continuity of ministry at and through Hope Lutheran Church.
THANK YOU
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Questions…
We know you have a LOT of questions at this time, frankly so do we. We are doing our best to make the best decisions for the Gospel, this community of faith and for the community in which we exist. The situation is fluid and so must we be.
We will continue to keep you updated through our various means of communication.
Thank You and God Bless,
SEE YOU SUNDAY ONLINE!
Pastor Rob
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