During the last 2 months, with the Covid-19 “Stay at Home” order that Gov. Walz has issued, there has been a lot of anxiety by our members. There is one thing that we can be SURE of. Our Heavenly Father is there for us and we can come to Him in prayer for assurance. He is watching over us and will bring this outbreak to an end while strengthening our faith in Him. We are not like unbelievers who have no hope. He is with us now and forever.
With less contact from our church leadership, I know that you have some questions and I will try to address them here. Feel free to contact Pastor Berg, Jan Tholl, our council members, or Tony Wimmer at 612-306-5329 if there is anything else you would like to discuss.
Question: When will we start worshipping together again?
Answer: Right now the Governor has limited gatherings to 10 people. When he allows us to meet for church services, we will let you know.
Q: Are there ways to receive the Word and Sacrament?
A: Pastor Berg has recorded 37 daily devotions which are available on Divinity’s Youtube page and our Facebook page. He is taking a break from that to focus on other parts of our ministry but you can still view the devotions already recorded. Every week a worship service is recorded and uploaded to Youtube and Facebook as well. We are planning to mail out DVDs to our members who do not have internet access.
A: We have started offering Holy Communion on Wednesdays prior to the 1st and 3rd Sundays of the month from 3:00-7:00. There is a sign-up for families with 15-minute increments. The next available day is May 27. Contact Pastor Berg or myself if you need assistance with this.
A: There is a weekly Adult Bible Study on Wednesdays at 7:00 PM. Contact Pastor Berg or myself to get signed up and for more information.
Q: When will we be calling a pastor?
A: Before we are ready to call a pastor, we need to finish going through the next phase of our Crossroads Consulting program. The next step will be to schedule the listening sessions. In these listening sessions, we will try to answer these questions: 1) Are we ready to call a pastor now and commit to changes in our outreach efforts? 2) Should we work towards combining with another congregation? 3) Should we move to another location? 4) Should we close and transfer our members to other WELS congregations? Derek will be working with our Guiding Coalition members to get these scheduled
Q: How are the mail in offerings going and what is our financial status?
A: Some of our members have been mailing their offerings to St John. We ask that everyone do this. At this time we are meeting our expenses, but our offerings have fallen in the last 2 months.
Q: What are the hours and duties of our church office secretary now?
A: Jan has been working a flexible schedule now. She comes in 2-3 days per week and also when needed to send out blogs, mailings, and other duties. She has been able to answer texts, emails, and voicemails from home. She also coordinates the mowing schedule. We are paying her the same as before.
Q: Is our custodian working/getting paid?
A: Our custodian is still emptying trash, cleaning bathrooms, adding towels and TP where needed, and spot cleaning floors when needed. His hours have been shortened.
Q: What recent repairs have we made?
A: Completed repair and update of our outdoor and bus garage lighting. Completed boiler repairs (water tubes).
Q: Are we renting or plan to rent our school building?
A: There are no plans for renting the school building at this time. CLUES has rented some space in the field for a community garden. They are paying $500 per month for this space.
Q: Are our leaders meeting together at this time?
A: The council has not met since March. We are using emails for the items that we need to discuss. Since the Governor has relaxed his stay at home policy, we are planning to have a council meeting on May 26.
Q: Will we be holding basketball and soccer camps this year?
A: Both basketball and soccer camps have been cancelled this year
Q: Are we planning to canvass our neighborhood this year?
A: We are planning to delay the start of our canvassing until later this summer.
Q. Are the home bounds getting visits?
A: There are no Home Bound visits as the facilities are not allowing any visitors. They are getting their weekly church mailing. They enjoy that very much.
Q: Is there anything I can be doing for my church right now?
A: Even though we have not been using our facility, there are still many things that you can do. General cleaning inside (mopping floors, dusting, window washing). Outdoor things to do (mowing, weeding, pick up trash, window washing). Let Mike Tholl know when you have completed any of these projects. There is a mowing schedule in the Link or you can talk to Jan.
May God bless you all, Tony Wimmer 612-306-5329
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