Updated: March 12, 2020
Stay Healthy During Coronavirus Pandemic.
We will follow directives from the State of New Jersey, Cape May County Health Department, or other state or municipal authority should they impose assembly restrictions, quarantines, or other constraints to prevent or contain virus exposure including cancelling or postponing worship services, events, and closing our facilities. (Check back often for updates.)
From our new Healthy Living Team
The session has established a Healthy Living Team to promote healthy living practices, especially during health crises like the coronavirus pandemic. Jonna Myers (R.N.) and Melissa Arnott (EdD.) are leading this team.
We encourage appropriate social distancing during the pandemic: Our sanctuary in the Red Brick Church is spacious enough to allow worshippers who choose to attend to comfortably practice recommended social distancing protocols. (Our average attendance is 70. Our sanctuary seats 300 including our balcony, leaving lots of room to spread out as needed.)
Live streaming of worship: Should services be cancelled due to the pandemic, visit our Facebook page for FaceBook Live video streaming, and/or our website for messages and music content. Stay spiritually nourished and connected!
What about Easter? Its possible that our two Easter services may be postponed, but they will not be cancelled! Should the coronavirus pandemic threat continue into April (Easter is April 12), we may need to postpone our services to a later, safer, date. Easter is one amazing event we don’t want to miss celebrating, so we will just choose a different date to gather if the April 12th events are postponed. (Stay tuned!)
What we are doing: We are re-doubling our efforts to ensure that Price Hall and sanctuary, bathrooms, other surfaces are clean, using disinfectants that are approved by the CDC. Boxes of tissues have been provided in center aisle pews. Hand sanitizer is provided. We installed automatic paper towel dispensers in our bathrooms that are safer to operate.
What you can do: We have our own special areas at home or at work that we need to pay attention to during virus outbreaks. Everyone’s cleaning list should include door knobs, handrails, and handles on your microwave, refrigerator, cabinets, and those toilet and faucet handles, too.
Check with neighbors! If you are able, reach out to your neighbors, especially those who are home bound.
Stock-up! Remember to have at least a three-week’s supply of food essentials and any required respiratory medications. BUT…
Please do not hoard – if you have extra soap and hand sanitizer – bring it to church – we will use it! Hoarding is not neighborly!
Contact the Deacons or call the office for assistance with essential shopping or doctor’s visits. We want to help!
Go Online! Shop for groceries, contribute to the church, listen to worship services, and even pay bills online. Follow us on Facebook, and please Like our page. It helps others discover our page!
You Can Prepare for Any Infectious Disease Outbreak
In light of the pandemic of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), resources are available for our congregation. Now is the time to prepare and be aware of safer community practices. According to a Preparedness for Pandemics guide published by the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, simple precautions can help everyone participate in healthy ways.
Everyday Musts During A Pandemic:
- More Hand Washing – Less Face Touching. Washing hands thoroughly and frequently is essential. Especially every time you go out in public. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers can be found in and around bathrooms in the Red Brick Church and Price Hall. Use sanitizer often, but hand washing is a must!
- Stay at home if you are sick. Remember you can stay connected to our community when you’re sick at home or away from home by visiting our website. Listen to sermons and music, watch videos, and connect to us on Facebook. Consider giving online. Staying away from others when you’re sick is a must!
- Simply smile and use your welcoming words, without handshakes. Welcoming hospitality takes many forms, and your smile is a wonderful gift others enjoy receiving! Social distancing is a must!
As we gather for events and worship, simply smile, and use your welcoming words, without handshakes. Frequently and thoroughly washing our hands is essential. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers (containing at least 60% alcohol) can be found in and around bathrooms in the Red Brick Church and Price Hall. Use sanitizer often. (Again, hand washing is better!)
Thank you for modeling protective health practices and praying for those most severely affected by the pandemic, especially the most vulnerable and isolated members of communities around the world. Should you have any special needs or concerns, please let a Deacon or session member know how we can assist you.
Night…To Light. Just a step into the light is all that’s needed. Just step closer, and your fear, doubt, and shame will be no more.
On Monday night, March 9, our Jewish friends and neighbors begin celebrating the fun festival of Purim. It commemorates the salvation of the Jewish people in the ancient Persian Empire from evil Haman’s plot “to destroy, kill and annihilate all the Jews, young and old, infants and women, in a single day,” as recorded in the book of Esther. Haman is the villain in the story. God brings the light of deliverance through the hero, Queen Esther! She carried so much about her community that she rescued those in danger, saving lives. You’ve heard of the corona virus , itsimportant to do whatever we can to keep ourselves healthy, and in a small way, care for our community, too. We can be a hero when we take health and safety seriously. Wash your hands. And use hand sanitizer. Here are packets of hand sanitizer for you and to share with your friends. Like Esther, you can help your community be safe, too, because Jesus loves the whole world!
We are familiar with vetting as a process. A fingerprint or Face ID is required to unlock our phones. Before you hire that contractor, you put them through a vigorous vetting process. Communities screen applicants before conferring an award, background checks are conducted before offering someone a job, fact-checking precedes making any decision. A Visa, passport, or immigration papers are received only after a successful vetting has concluded. Intelligence gathering has become commonplace.
Making good decisions is always a great idea. Sometimes its difficult! But Jesus knows exactly how we feel. He understands us. To be a good friend means we can know a little bit about walking in someone else’s shoes. Take a look at my boots here! One of you want to try to walk in them!? It’s hard to do! Jesus knows us and knows how hard we try to do good, treat others with respect, and show God’s love. And that’s hard work! But because Jesus walks in our shoes, we know we are never walking alone!
Ever feel like you really needed somebody to walk in your shoes? To truly understand you… for you. Pastor Kevin Yoho’s message, Who’s Walking In Your Shoes?, from John 1:14 will offer assurance that God loves and knows you so well because Jesus walks in your shoes! Knows where you’ve been and where you’re going. The Lenten journey begins as we walk with Jesus where we are. Then we can be empowered to walk in other’s shoes, too, as we serve the neighborhood and make new connections of hope.
They needed to know something…. Really know it to trust it. Actually, to know the real Jesus, not just the healing Jesus, the miracle worker Jesus, the leader Jesus. But know Jesus in his essence… he is God. And knowing he is really, really God in person, how does that’s truth inform our life?
Last week we learned that Cold Spring Church is the Church of Presidents! To become president, or any position you might seek in life, you must grow and learn every day in mind, body , and spirit. Jesus did the same. What things did you learn during last week? Tough question! (Thanks for sharing!)
When we take a minute to look around our world, what do we? What does God see? We easily can notice fear, hatred, injustice and oppression, people trying to not only cope with life experiences both welcomed and overwhelming. We also see people trying many different means to thrive with a life of meaning. But Jesus instructs his followers that our sense of meaning correlates to our behaviors towards others when he said:… be reconciled … be loving … be forgiving … be merciful… be accepting. It’s hard work! But Christ’s indwelling Spirit empowers us to be transformed into Jesus’ likeness because we know whose and who we are.