2021 June news letter article

Our community and church is certainly in a different place than last year at this time.  If you recall, we were not even meeting in person last June.  Good things certainly did come from the pandemic period, which include our ability to live-stream services and a practical working upgrade to the audio-visual capabilities in the Fellowship Hall, and nursery.  Now, with Wednesday nights and Sunday School returning, activity begins to look more normal.  I am very thankful for that and will never take the simple privilege of attending church for granted.

To that end, Adult Bible study, IMPACT, and SONquest for kids and nursery are operating every Wednesday evening.  We will resume Sunday School on Sunday, June 6.  Since not all our teachers are back, here is a listing of classes that will be available:
 
Class                                      Teacher(s)                                         Location
Ruth Class                             Audrey Gillespie                                Ruth Class’ room
B.F. Johnson Class                Andrew Smith/Jimmy Newell        B.F. Johnson room
W.R. Assisted Living             Carol Wiles                                        on-site at W. Ridge
Nursery                                 Brenda White                                    Nursery
Children class                       Mark & Missy Moore                         SONquest room
Youth class                           Luke Long                                         3rd floor Youth room
Parent class*                         Ronald & Ann Watts                         third floor lounge
ALL OTHER CLASSES**       Gerald Spaugh/Jim Cohn                Fellowship Hall**
 
*I am very excited that Luke is starting a new class for the parents of children and youth during the Sunday School hour.  This will follow the curriculum being used for the children and youth, updated for adults, of course. 

**We will use the sound system in the Fellowship Hall to improve audio quality.  As attendance grows and teachers return, we will restart other adult classes as soon as possible.  Incidentally, we will restart our joint class with a study of Nehemiah and Ezra. 

Wednesday evening Bible Study and prayer is being held in the Sanctuary, and we are using a slightly different format.  As we continue our study of Romans, A.J. and I are working through the book in a more discussion-based format.  Let us know what you think.

We will also re-start our men’s small group on Sunday morning, June 27 at 08:15.  We have a great time together and look forward to getting that back.  Let me know if you are interested in participating.  This group meets in the lounge on the third floor.

Our Deacons have updated the current mask policy to keep pace with current federal and local governmental guidance on the pandemic.  Masks are optional in all adult and youth-aged gatherings, though you may certainly wear them if you are more comfortable.  SONquest will still wear masks until further notice.  It is good to see others’ faces as we begin to emerge from months-long mask mandates!  We will still have masks and hand cleaners available for you and your guests if you need them.

With all these events, we still have some who have not yet returned to church.  There are many good reasons, but I urge everyone to contact those you have not seen and invite them back.  We certainly respect those who are concerned about pandemic safety, but I look forward to seeing our church return.

-Pastor Jim