Rev. William Bills
June 30, 2021
FROM THE PASTOR
This Covid pandemic keeps taking on new dimensions. Things seem to be getting back to normal. But I often feel as though the fog is lifting very slowly.
The church building is now open on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday from 9:00 to 4:00. By the end of the summer we will be back to our normal Monday through Friday schedule. It is good to have worship in the sanctuary. I appreciate everyone’s help, especially in observing new rules. If Covid numbers keep heading in the right direction we should be back to normal for worship soon.
Sam Corey has been hired to take the place of Parker Garman as our REACH service director. You may know Sam as our saxophone player. Sam is pursuing his master’s degree at MSU. We are looking forward to Sam inviting friends and students to play with the band on Sunday mornings. We expect to have live band music again on July 11.
We have the cameras and switches and modems installed so that we can live stream our services online. We can put out a very high quality broadcast at any time. The issue is the learning curve. Our volunteers were getting good with running media presentations on the screens before Covid. After a fifteen month layoff from worship we have added a new layer of live broadcasting. If you have experience with live broadcasting please contact me if you can help. This may become a paid staff position that would be great for a student. We are now able broadcast performances, recitals, weddings, funerals and more. This will be great for sharing events with people who cannot be physically present.
We also received a donation for a digital sound mixing board. This should make things easier and better in the long run. But there is another learning curve to be mastered. (I only read directions after I have tried and failed a few times!) If you want to receive training to be an operator, contact me.
There are still post-Covid issues to be dealt with such as when or if children should be vaccinated. This may affect participation, especially in the fall. There may be more mutations in the virus. We need to be mindful that some are not vaccinated. We don’t want to put anyone at unnecessary risk. So we continue to work toward “normal” Sunday experiences. This means determining who is able to be ushers and greeters, determining when and how to celebrate communion and when it is safe to put the hymnals out. We do hope to have our choir and bell choir back in the fall.
People told me there was light at the end of the tunnel. Now that I am out of the tunnel I have been blinded by the light! Good thing I got some prescription sun glasses!
At University United Methodist Church, we affirm that as disciples of Jesus Christ, we are an open and inclusive congregation and welcome all persons into full participation regardless of race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic situation, age, ability, education, background and whether single or partnered.