Physically Distant, Socially Close

Dear St. Mark friends,

            I continue to be amazed at the way that we are able to stay connected in this time of distance. Pastor Mark and I were able to have a phone call with Pastor Chuck today to hear of the ways he is maintaining his relationships with our permanently home-bound members. Over on Facebook, many of you are engaging with one another over Sunday School, Confirmation, and other highlights of our ministry. This past Sunday, we were able to see the faces of many St. Mark people in our online worship. 

            It’s a good thing that we are learning new ways to stay together because it seems we are in this boat for the long haul. As you may have learned from today’s news, Illinois’ stay-at-home order has been extended to April 30th. What this means for us is that we will have to wait even longer until we can be together again. 

            And yes, that means our Holy Week and Easter services will be online only this year. Our staff is hard at work to ensure that we can still journey together through these most holy days, even as we worship and pray from our own homes. We can mourn the loss of our traditional Holy Week practices, but we can also still observe these days with the same faith and fervor as any other year.

            Someday, we will again worship together. And when that day comes, I am confident that it will be full of joy, gratitude, and at least some relief. It will feel like the Easter worship we had originally planned. Even so, this pandemic is changing our lives. It will take even longer until we come to a new sense of normal. I am confident that God will be with us every step of the way, reminding us again and again of the great hope of Easter.

            Continue to stay socially close, even as we are physically distant. Call one another, write to those you miss, and most importantly, continue to pray for each other.

Walking this journey of faith with you,

  Pastor Chad