Looking Forward to the 75th Anniversary

EMC Family,

Our long-awaited 75th anniversary celebration has finally arrived. The festivities begin with brunch on Saturday morning and conclude with a covered dish meal Sunday after worship. Guests will be arriving in the area over the next several days and all our many months of planning and preparation are about to come to fruition. I am confident that the Lord is going to bless our time together and I am excited for it!

Last Sunday we moved the worship service to online only as a precautionary measure. My family had contracted covid along with a couple others in the leadership circle of the church. To minimize the possibility that others might contract the illness and possibility bring it to church Sunday before symptoms had time to manifest, we simply closed the building down with an eye toward ensuring our anniversary celebration would be as safe as possible. I have not heard of any additional infected households associated with our cases, for which I am grateful to the Lord.

Normal church operations resumed yesterday. Our normal Wednesday evening activities will be taking place tomorrow (with the exception of Bible study which will resume September 8). All systems are go for the anniversary this weekend. Here is the complete schedule of events:

Friday, September 3rd, 2021
Families arrive and spend time together at home

Saturday, September 4th, 2021
10:00 AM – Brunch (Tent)
11:00 AM – Music and sharing from those who have gone out in ministry from EMC (Chapel)
Afternoon – Choir & ensemble rehearsal (Worship Center), Individual family time
5:00 PM – Catered meal (Tent)
6:00 PM – Music and testimony service (Worship Center)

Sunday, September 5th, 2021
9:00 AM – Sunday School with former pastors (Worship Center)
10:15 AM – Worship celebration (Worship Center)
12:15 PM – Covered dish meal (Tent)
2:15 PM – Prayer and benediction

Please note the following items as they pertain to the weekend:

1. All meals have been moved outdoors. This includes Saturday morning brunch, Saturday evening supper, and Sunday afternoon dinner. Beginning tomorrow there will be a large tented area over the parking lot outside the church office to provide covered, yet adequately ventilated, eating and fellowship space. The weekend weather forecast looks beautiful!

2. We are strongly encouraging the wearing of masks while in close proximity of others indoors. While the efficacy of wearing masks to prevent transmission is debated, with a larger amount of people in the Worship Center than normal we want to use whatever means at our disposal to ensure the space is as safe for others as possible.

3. We ask everyone to please exercise wisdom and caution for the sake of others. If you do not feel well at all, even with mild cold symptoms, please do not come (unless you have a negative covid test and are sure you are not putting others at risk), even if you have been vaccinated.

I understand there is a lot of anxiety right now about covid and getting together with others. Like everyone, we’ve struggled the past year and a half to make wise decisions. We neither want to be rash and unwise regarding the nature of this virus or to be given over to fear. Some will not feel comfortable coming at all, while others will not agree with any of the measures we have requested above. But I am optimistic that we can enjoy this anniversary safely and in a way that is glorifying to God if we all do our part in making decisions with the best interests of others in mind. We will not let this virus control us. We will be both bold and wise, entrusting our lives to the One who holds all things together.