“…Let us go to the House of the Lord.” -Psalm 122
Dear Church,
Things are moving and shaking around FUMC! We are gearing up for our summer worship series, summer Bible and book studies, summer programs for children and youth, and a new website (coming soon)…wow! Who ever said the church was closed?!
As we get the summer going, we begin with an exciting change to our worship offerings. Beginning this Sunday, May 31st, you can experience worship via video from our sanctuary, led by our Pastors and worship leaders. The service will be similar to our usual Sunday service, from Announcements to Benediction, with a call to worship, hymns, scripture and sermon, vocal soloists, prayers, and plenty of organ music. We hope this will give you a piece of the experience of being present for worship in our beautiful sanctuary.
Providing a video worship service allows us to take a step toward sustainable online worship. While we won’t have a congregation with us right now, we anticipate the day when many of us will be gathered together again in person, and many more will still be able to join us online. We are taking a step in that direction with this new offering.
I am most excited to expand the ways anyone can experience worship at FUMC. With this new format, our worship service will now be available for anyone to access through YouTube, Facebook, or our website, in addition to our weekly Zoom time of worship. These additional platforms will allow us to extend our reach, living out that aspect of our mission—to invite all people to know the love of God.
Many of you have enjoyed the opportunity to see and connect with fellow church members each Sunday morning on Zoom; that option will continue. We will gather together just as we have, and after a brief introduction, we will participate together in the video worship service from the Sanctuary, right there in Zoom. You’ll still be able to chat with one another throughout the service, sharing greetings, prayer requests, and comments about how much the Pastor needs a haircut! 🙂 Plan for worship to last about 45-50 minutes, with additional time before and after for greeting friends through the chat.
No matter the platform, the worship service will be the same—you simply get to choose how to experience it, and now you can share that experience with friends and loved ones, inviting them to join us for worship. There is nothing else you need to do at this point. You’ll receive the links for worship on Sunday morning as usual—simply choose what works for you!
Friends, I know it has been hard on you—being apart, missing the worship experience you’ve grown to love over the years. You have shown great resilience in these days, adapting to changes in so many areas of life. I pray that our time of worship has been, and will continue to be, an extra measure of God’s grace, meeting you in the struggle and drawing you into the presence of God, where we are welcomed, fed, challenged, and sent back out with new inspiration from the Holy Spirit to be God’s people in this world.
I’m grateful for you and honored to walk with you through these days.
With love,
Pastor Taylor
