Thursday, March 18, 2021

These Three Abide

Read: John 13:31-35

The last year has given us much to pray over! When we first “sheltered at Home” it seemed like a temporary inconvenience. Little did we know how much we would miss and how much we would need human contact and hugs. All of the challenges of COVID-19 have given us an opportunity to draw closer to our religious roots.

UMW is a basic part of my life and soul. No meetings, no events, no retreat (we were scheduled to leave on March 13th), no fellowship or food. But in spite of it all, we are alive and well. UMW has kept a steady contact with shut-ins. We provided a grab and go soup supper. We have received a large donation from Al Spaulding’s estate. Al’s widow, Jane, has written a heart-felt letter sharing the importance of GPUMC in their lives. We are gathering Valentines bags for our shut-ins. We look forward to a new normal of serving our church family.

Rummage?!?! As we have canceled 3 rummage sales and face an unknown decision on a fourth, we needed to face the mountain of rummage at Frisbie Moving. A very small group attacked the problem, spending Tuesdays in the warehouse sorting and sorting and sorting. We were all glad to have a purpose and a chance to be together safely. Of course, we had to have food. Tuesday pot lucks at Frisbie became famous!! Everyone wanted to work in the warehouse on Tuesdays so they could share in the bounty. We are now very organized for a rummage sale to be determined. Is this a faithful experience? Yes it is – we shared our faith as we conquered the mountain.

The prayer vigil that Lisa Sicklesteel started and has kept going throughout the Pandemic has been an anchor for my week. Almost every Saturday I have signed up for a specific time to spend in prayer. This is a powerful experience. I have never before had an organized prayer life. It has given structure to my prayers, and helped me to focus on prayer for 30 minutes. Our church lives in the time of COVID-19.

I was so happy to be able to attend church during the summer. I carried my chair into my regular place around the Memorial Garden and worshiped in person. We shared music, time as children, scripture, and a sermon. We were able to take communion. It was a special time in the life of our church. We also received a little bag of cookies or sweet bread as we left the “sanctuary.” I soon took part in providing some of the coffee hour goodies. (I am not sure they wanted me to keep volunteering as both of my Sundays were rained out. The cookies were frozen and thawed and bagged for the following week.) I have never made 160 cookies before!! It was a privilege to find a way to make our Sundays special.

I was so grateful for the church members and neighbors and family members who helped me survive the quarantine. Food, meals, groceries, driveway distanced happy hours, and phone calls. I felt surrounded by love.

Faith, Hope, and Love. All of these have made the last year a time of the grace of God.

Bertie See