Dear friends in Christ,
Grace and peace to you in the name of the Father, Son+, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
Several months ago as news of the COVID-19 virus outbreak began to be shared, our community of faith heard these words from St. Matthew’s Gospel “…they shall call him Emmanuel”, which means “God with us.” Today as the coronavirus pandemic affects our daily lives in drastic and dramatic ways, God’s Word reassures us that God is with us in the midst of these uncertain and challenging days. As a people of faith we trust in God’s presence and we find reassurance, comfort and hope in God’s mercy and love.
As your pastors we have been spending time and energy over the past weeks preparing for our congregation’s response to this public health emergency. At this time, we want to share and recommend the following.
- The following websites provide important information and recommendations regarding the coronavirus.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
- Pennsylvania Department of Health https://www.health.pa.gov/topics/disease/Pages/Coronavirus.aspx
- Wellspan Health Gettysburg Hospital https://www.wellspan.org/coronavirus?utm_source=website&utm_medium=alertbanner&utm_campaign=Coronavirus
- Out of concern for the health and well-being of all worshippers, Sunday morning worship for tomorrow, March 15th has been cancelled. We are currently working on sharing a service electronically at 10:30 a.m. tomorrow. Stay tuned to our webpage www.christgettysburg.org and Facebook page for details. We will announce more at 9:00 a.m. tomorrow, Sunday, March 15.
3) In addition, all midweek activities have been cancelled for the upcoming week. The council
meeting will take place on Tuesday night, March 17th, with the option for members to call in to the
meeting. We will continue to work with the congregation council to monitor the situation as well
as adapt and improvise accordingly.
We care deeply and want to help as a church community in any way we can. We recognize that that there are those in our faith community that do not have family and close friends to turn for assistance. We are committed to working with the congregation to help us all stay connected as a community of faith and finding ways to help and support one another. Please contact us if you are aware of any needs or concerns. We are here and ready to serve.
We are in the process of developing plans to keep our community of faith connected during this time and to provide spiritual guidance and encouragement. The congregation council meets on Tuesday and we plan on working together to further plan, prepare, and address the impact of the coronavirus on our faith community.
We leave you with words from ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton. “Respect the disease. Do not take unnecessary risks. Provide for the spiritual and physical needs of the neighbor. Make use of medical aid. Care for one another, especially the most vulnerable.”
Our prayers are with you and all who are dealing with this pandemic.
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Pastor Stephen Herr and Pastor Jay Eckman