During this global pandemic, First United Methodist Church has continued to be the church. We have continued to show our love of God (through worship) and our love of neighbor (through service). We did not stop gathering as a congregation in the sanctuary because Governor Kelly told us to, and we will not resume gathering as a congregation in the sanctuary because President Trump deems us essential. Both the governor and the president are outranked by our King, Jesus of Nazareth, who commanded us to love our neighbor as ourselves. We stopped gathering in person out of obedience to that command. We will begin gathering again when doing so does not violate Christ’s law of love. In the meantime, we will continue to show our love of God by worshipping in our homes, trusting in the power of the Holy Spirit to bind us together in this difficult time.