A Strong Community of Friends
It has now been three months since the world changed for all of us. Who would have guessed what changes we would see? At first, it seemed as if this would just be a temporary interruption of our lives but as time has continued we have realized that so much of what we have always taken for granted may never be the same again. Our church has always been an important part of lives, one which we never really questioned.
Suddenly, nothing was the same at all and there are questions about whether or not it ever will be again. Luckily we have strong leaders in our church, not just paid ones but "ordinary" people who have stepped forward to make our church a strong force in our community, both faithfully and economically. People had to start thinking outside the box. We started fairly quickly having on-line services, not on anyone's radar. I think it is proving very successful and we are forwarding them to friends who have no such opportunity. The "phoners" in the congregation made sure that everyone got a phone call to reassure others that they were not alone and to ask for their input as to what would be helpful. The lunch program and the pantry exploded and we are offering help to those in our broader community, thanks to so many volunteers who are displaying their Christian values. Then emerged the "Zoom" meetings. I was lucky enough to be in one of the first with our book club. We have now had several such meetings although sometimes they are just a chance to talk and catch up with each other. We have even been able to plan for the next year, as we must have hope. I have also participated in such meetings for our Sonica vocal group and the choir. These meetings are a wonderful way to stay connected. At first, we felt so disconnected but thanks to Krishan our learning continued through his listening series which is now being extended to all the church members. These are worth listening to and can extend one's knowledge. Last week for the first time we joined the Sunday coffee hour and got to visit old friends whom we have missed.
Major events have happened in the lives of our faith community. Thankfully Will Litwin's funeral was able to be held at McDougall and who would have dreamed that that would be the last one we could hold there? Both Cec Day and Marg Munden, two faithful members of our church, would have to forego that. Impossible!! Rudy Rumple celebrated his 80th birthday and several of us were able to drive noisily around the green area in front of his house then, while social distancing, sing "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow" and "Happy Birthday". What a unique way to celebrate. A couple of months later we repeated the experience when Gordie and Vern Giles celebrated their "70th" wedding anniversary. I feel they truly enjoyed the recognition and all it required was for them to sit outside on their front lawn while 40+ people celebrated with them.
While Larry has been making numerous phone calls to members of our congregation, I have been trying to forward up-lifting e-mails to others as that is more my style. I pray that one day we will again be able to resume services, I am thankful that until that time comes I am part of such a strong community of friends and delight in being able to be in touch no matter which way it occurs.