From the General Presbyter

Happy New Year!!

I believe I speak for us all when we pray that 2022 will be a safer, healthier year.

As I bring you this greeting, I also bring with it some protocols we need to put in place for the next two months as we navigate the Omicron Variant of COVID-19. These words come from Lisa Allgood, an Executive Presbyter in Ohio and an epidemiologist by profession. She writes,

“Friends – be safe.  If you have virtual capacity, especially if you have had any exposure in the congregation, now is the time to consider going back to that. Choirs should be put on hold for a bit. Masks should be mandatory.  Distancing should be mandatory. All the precautions you had in place at this time last year should be under consideration. As before, it is up to each Session.“

I agree – and as always, check your county regulations for the latest requirements. Our Presbytery office will be mostly virtual until further notice.  I remain proud of each and every congregation in our Presbytery as you walked the fine line of sharing the Gospel and keeping one another as safe as possible.

Meanwhile, I do not leave you without hope.  We are in the season of Epiphany. Scholars say that it took three years for the wise ones to reach the house where Jesus and his parents were living. This means the star was guiding these individuals for that long. 

We trust that as we go into yet another year of COVID-19, we know that God is still guiding us through the twists, the decision fatigue, the isolation and the unknowns of this time. Look up and look ahead and claim this New Year as blessed.

– Jackie