Those of you who give to the church online, by EFT, or by check will soon be receiving a letter thanking you for your giving for the first six months of 2020. I don’t know how many of you read those letters carefully—to be honest, when I’m on the receiving end, I tend to scan them at best. With that in mind, I wanted to draw your attention to the following first paragraph:

We are living in interesting, difficult times, with a lot of uncertainty about what is to come next. In these times, I am thankful for the opportunity to continue to serve First United Methodist Church. This congregation has worshipped with what may be the most rigorous COVID-19 countermeasures of any faith community in Abilene. I am not ashamed of that. In fact, I rejoice in it as a demonstration of your commitment to loving not only God but also your neighbor. Jesus calls us to care for one another, you have done that even when doing so means staying six feet apart. The countermeasures you adopted have meant some profound changes to when, how, and where we worship, but you have taken them all in stride. Thank you.

Thank you. I meant it. I mean it. We’re all in this pandemic together and together, we’ll all get through it.