Each Sunday morning

Each Sunday morning this spring my wife and I have attended our church. We’ve enjoyed intimate and heartfelt messages and greeted our church family members. In recent weeks we sang “Happy Birthday” and shared communion. This past week we shared Memorial Day thoughts about people we miss. We’ve listened to beautiful, uplifting music. We’ve prayed together The Lord’s Prayer.

We sat in various places during the service. For us, we choose the family room couch or the dining room table. Regardless of where we sat, we could see and greet everyone.

Our video-based services have felt real and comforting. They’ve felt more participatory, too — we’ve felt more involved in the service. We are given opportunities to join in as little or as much as we want to. For those of us who are unable to join a regular service due to our health, the Sunday services have been an important spiritual and social lifeline.

We would not have this essential service if it were not for the diligent and hard work of Steve and Cindy Davis, our pastor and his wife. With assistance from our organist, from the office staff, and from various church members who sang, read, and prayed for us, the Davises have enabled this church body to continue to meet and find comfort in each other’s company. We feel God’s presence in our meetings.

We’ve experienced the inconveniences and frustrations of quarantine as a corporate body. And we’ve protected our most vulnerable congregants.

Our sincerest thanks to Steve and Cindy, and to all those who work to bring their churches together online every week.

We have a beautiful facility which I look forward to seeing soon. But our church is not built of brick. Our church is all of us, the members.

God bless you all.