Back to Worship in the Sanctuary!

Dear Friends,

I hope that you are well and able to enjoy the sunshine and warmth that is upon us. As I am sure that you are aware, the CDC has revised their guidance regarding mask wearing, and New York State aligned itself with the CDC’s recommendations as of yesterday. 

We rejoice over the CDC’s new guidelines and at what they mean for us all—that vaccines work, that vaccinated people are able to do more safely, and that the end of this pandemic is in sight. We thank God for this good news, for the hope and relief that it brings, for the wisdom that God gave scientists over the ages to get us to this point, and for the selfless sharing of those gifts with the rest of us! We also notice that the CDC still requires masks in hospitals, in care facilities, on public transportation, and for those who are not vaccinated.

Jesus constantly aligned himself with the most vulnerable—widows, women, children, the blind, the sick, the outcast, and the poor. I encourage us to follow his lead by loving all of our neighbors, especially the most vulnerable among us, by continuing to wear masks during worship. Church Council will discuss its recommendations in light of new guidance at their scheduled meeting on June 8, 2021.

Please join us after church on Sunday for a special outdoor fellowship time. Lemonade will be provided. While we are outside and studies show that the Covid’s spread decreases outdoors, please do your best to distance yourself when you are enjoying your lemonade.

And please wear red for Pentecost! I look forward to worshipping with you this weekend!

Blessings,

Kim

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Indoor Worship is back beginning Easter Weekend (April 3 & 4, 2021) on Saturday at 5:00 PM and Sunday at 9:30 AM.  Masks are REQUIRED and Social Distancing must be adhered to.

Church Council voted to resume in person worship beginning the weekend of Easter. Come to worship on April 3 at 5:00PM and April 4 at 9:30. Both services will be in Fellowship Hall. Please wear a mask. We look forward to seeing you! We will continue online services as well. Stay tuned for more information on that.

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NOVEMBER 20, 2020

Dear Friends, I hope and pray that you are well and healthy. The leadership of Macedon Center and South Perinton met last night. We decided that due to the rising incidence of Covid 19 in our region, for the safety of both of our congregations and guests, we will suspend in person worship beginning November 28, 2020 (Saturday Night) and November 29, 2020 (Sunday morning). This means that we will also worship on Christmas Eve service online (4:00PM for Macedon Center, 5:30PM for South Perinton). We want to keep everyone safe and healthy. We must be responsible and compassionate stewards with the health and safety of our congregations and communities. We will continue to lead with love and hold you all in prayer during these challenging days. Thank you to those of you who have volunteered to participate in worship with Advent candle lighting readings, Scripture reading, Children’s time, and special music. We can make this a sacred time of gathering virtually, and I deeply appreciate your participation. Thank you to those who will be decorating our worship spaces in order that our worship services will feel festive. We will worship in person this weekend (November 21-22). You should have already received the bulletin. We will continue using Facebook live, Youtube, and Zoom as we have been to continue worshipping together this weekend and in the weeks to come. I am holding you in prayer. Blessings, Kim

Please join us at 9:30 am on Sunday’s for Facebook Live worship.  The service will also be available later on our YouTube Channel and on Facebook.

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Indoor Worship is back on Saturday at 5:00 PM and Sunday at 9:30 AM.  Masks are REQUIRED and Social Distancing must be adhered to.

If you are not comfortable worshiping inside, you can watch the Sunday service on  Facebook Live.  The service will also be available later on our YouTube Channel and on Facebook.

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June 2, 2020 – Reopening Survey

Greetings from the Worship Team – We hope everyone is doing well, staying safe and healthy.  We miss being together in person as a church, but we know staying home has kept us all safe.  As our state begins to reopen, we want to get everyone’s thoughts on when and how to safely gather together again. We have created a 10 question survey to gather your thoughts and ideas on how we should proceed.  You may take this survey online at SurveyMonkey by clicking this link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/R72WSTN The survey should take less than 10 minutes to complete and we appreciate your time to share with us.  We would appreciate it if you could complete it by June 8^th so that Church Council can consider your answers at our next meeting. May God keep you in his warm and comforting embrace until we meet again, The Worship Team ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

May 18, 2020 Letter

Dear Friends, I hope and pray that you are well. I miss you! I miss gathering in church together. In Genesis 2 it says, “Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper as his partner.” And so, after creating animals, God created another human as a companion for Adam. Creating community was the beginnings of humanity. It is not good for us to be alone. We were created to be in community: family, friends, neighbors, colleagues, church, and all of the other ways we find community and support. In this season of distancing, I hope and pray that you have found ways to foster community. Some might feel overwhelmed by the many activities that have been thrust upon them or might feel touched out and just want a break from being together. Others might feel bored and lonely, longing to get back to normal life. Some might feel stress on their relationships. Others might feel deep joy for this gift of time at home. Some of us might feel nervous about returning to work, school, church, or shopping for necessities. Or, it is a combination of all of these feelings, depending on the moment! I once read that we are all in different storms. For some, it is a light, warm rain, while others experience a tremendous, life changing storm. And yet, we are never alone. When the Prophet Elijah fled from a leader who was trying to kill him, and the stress that he experienced threatened to overwhelm him so much that he contemplated suicide, God made God’s presence known to him in a still, small voice. (1 Kings 19:1-13).  Even now, right where you are, God is with you. Please know that I am praying for you. Please reach out to me and to others in our church. Your need for connection might help another’s need for connection. I also want to remind you of the ways that we are offering services until we can meet in person. Every Sunday, we have services on Macedon Center’s Facebook page, the Macedon Center Youtube Channel, and the South Perinton Youtube Channel. The links to these services are emailed out every Saturday. If you do not receive these emails, please let me know so I can update my list. Each church has coffee hour via Zoom on Sunday mornings. Macedon Center’s coffee hour begins at 9:30AM, and South Perinton’s coffee hour begins at 11:00AM. The Zoom link does not change each week. If you need it emailed to you again, please let me know. If you do not have access to the internet, you can call in and listen to the service and then participate in coffee hour. We would love to have you join us! On your telephone, call (929) 205-6099, enter the Meeting ID: 192 712 791. Press pound (#) twice, then enter the password, 011269, press pound (#), and you will be able to hear everyone and we will hear you. If finances are an issue, please let me know. If you need help with the technology or are unsure about how to install the right apps, please call Nancy at the church office, (315) 986-2306, and she will make sure that the right person can help you connect. We are beginning conversations about how to resume worship. Please watch for more information on how we can safely worship together. It is my hope that we will continue some form of online worship for each church for at least another few months or until everyone feels comfortable worshipping together in person. As Rev. Corey Turnpenny shares with her son every night, so I share with you. God made you. God knows you. God loves you no matter what. That’s how God feels about everyone. God wants us to love each other. Until we meet (in person) again, blessings and love, Pastor Kim