Siblings in Christ,
Typically, during this time of the year, clergy experience some anxiety as they plan Thanksgiving, Advent and Christmas worship and other celebrations. But if Facebook posts and ZOOM conversations are any indication, there is a marked, almost debilitating, increase in anxiety as pastors contemplate Advent and Christmas with COVID infection and hospitalization rates rising across Western Pennsylvania.
I hear you. In the midst of any anxiety you may feel, please take time to breathe in the powerful peace of the Holy Spirit and exhale the troubles of this world. Remember, God saw you through Easter during COVID. I am confident God will see us all through this season too.
I am continuing to mandate that clergy work with their lay leadership to make decisions about whether or not to hold in-person worship. If you have in-person worship, you must follow all state and local mandates, which, as of Nov. 18, include wearing masks indoors and outdoors whenever people other than those who live in our households are present. Please see the PA Health Department’s Coronavirus webpages for the current guidelines and FAQ’s.
Beyond these mandates, our Abundant Health Team has provided recommendations and guidelines to assist you in protecting everyone who comes into your building for any purpose, but particularly those who come for worship. Also, the PA State Health Department has recommended against gathering with people outside of our household for Thanksgiving or Christmas celebrations.
As you make your decision, weigh the risks of having in-person worship against the benefits of the warmth and comfort of being with the family of Christ in the flesh during worship. As you assess that risk, check the infection rates in your county using Georgia Tech’s tool (https://covid19risk.biosci.gatech.edu). Also, consider the fact you must legally adhere to all state mandates, and you should ethically adhere to our Abundant Health Team’s guidelines. Finally, consider that there are clergy and clergy spouses among us who have tested positive; some have experienced significant symptoms. Servant leadership does not demand that you risk your health in order to conduct in-person worship.
If you decide not to have in-person worship, I call your attention to the Reimagine Christmas resources our program staff put together to help enhance your virtual worship experiences. They are available at wpaumc.org/Adventresources .
I understand that deciding whether or not to have in-person worship during this season is extremely difficult because of the emotional and spiritual dimensions of worship during the holidays. In the former Evangelical United Brethren congregation I served, the Thanksgiving Day service was almost as sacred as the Christmas Eve service. When I was appointed to conference staff, I developed a tradition of taking my parents with me to the church on my district that had the best music planned for their Christmas service. It was a special worship time for us. This year, because of the regulations in Maryland regarding residents of Pennsylvania, I will not be able to visit my mother in person, much less worship with her on Christmas Sunday. This makes me very, very sad. I share this so you know I understand something of the agony these decisions bring.
Your District Superintendent and I are here to support you as you make your decisions. Contact your District Superintendent if you need any help in those difficult conversations.
“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” Psalm 46:1
