The State of the Church – A peak into our weekly Elder Meetings…
I wanted to spend a minute or two to give you an update about some of the things that are happening in the life of the church. As many of you know, we are a Presbyterian Church. Our church is led by a group of people who are the spiritual leaders of the church – elders. These elders are collectively called the Session. Our session at MPC meets regularly once a month on the second Tuesday of the month and when there are urgent time-sensitive issues to address. When we gather, we discern the vision of the church, pray for people who are in need of prayer, evaluate programs, steward the finances, discuss service opportunities, and share all things related to the leading a healthy church.
Over the last year, we have spent quite a bit of time together discerning how to lead through the ever-changing environment from the COVID-19 pandemic. When the expectations for church’s change or when the guidelines from the county or state are updated, we have attempted to let you know what that means for MPC and how our approach to the current environment shifts or adjusts.
These shifts in guidelines from the state and county have allowed for us to meet these last few weeks in the sanctuary each Sunday while still holding to some essential safety protocols – masks, social distancing, and 25% of the capacity of the room. It has also has led to rethinking the way in which we take communion, the manner in which we take the offering and any number of other small practices that have had to change to accommodate a more safe environment.
In last night’s meeting, we shared how elders were experiencing the Lenten season, creative and new approaches to the finances of the church, Easter service times (9:00am in the sanctuary and 11:00 outside), as well as prayed together for the Church. Additionally, we specifically addressed one part of our worship that has not returned to normal quite yet – singing.
Based on the recommendations from the CDC as well as the WHO, the practice of singing is not viewed as a safe practice… at this time. As such, after much discussion, prayer and discernment, the session voted to continue the practice of not singing in corporate worship – inside or outside. This is not a permanent decision as the guidelines and recommendations are being updated and changed all the time. As we are given new information that warrants further discussion as to singing in our church, we will not hesitate to have a specially-called session meeting to reconsider our position.
Our strong desire is to continue to lead the church in a way that keeps our congregation safe as well as attempting to allow for people to worship. If you have any questions about things that are happening in the life of the church, please feel free to reach out and discuss with me or with any of the 12 elders currently serving on session.
Peace.
