Weekly Word from Pastor Curry: May 8, 2020
Happy Friday Friendship,
As promised last week, this update will now come out on Fridays. It gives me a little more time in an already impacted week. Thank you for understanding. Thank you for reading, viewing the video, and sharing the post.
OPEN, OPEN, OPEN! Do you remember that commercial? It’s on old Mervyn’s Department Store commercial (Mervyn’s is now long gone). Customer’s we frantically awaiting the opening of the store. This is what is taking place all across America and within the State of California. Many are frantically awaiting and demanding the “economy” open up, calling for businesses to reopen and for citizens to begin the process of recovery and to get back to normal. Reopening is on everyone’s mind. It is on my mind as a pastor-leader as well.
It seems reopening may come for churches sooner than we think. Pastors across the state are lobbying Governor Gavin Newsom to allow in-person worship in Phase II of his plan and to have pastors and their congregations able to worship together on Sunday, May 31st. Why May 31st? I am glad you asked. May 31st is Pentecost Sunday 2020. Pentecost Sunday is celebrated fifty days after Easter Sunday and commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and other followers of Jesus Christ while they were in Jerusalem celebrating the Feast of Weeks, as described in the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 2:1–31). In the Christian tradition, this event represents the birth of the early church. So, this move, if successful, would represent the RE-BIRTH of the modern church in a post-COVID-19 era. I am not sure we are post-COVID-19, but you understand what I mean.
I am not quite sure we are ready for this, but it is my job to get us ready to return to in-person worship. I am starting to think June may be a possibility. To be ready for in-person worship, I have charged my staff to begin to draft our return to campus plan. Our first step is a membership survey. You can find that membership survey HERE. Would you please complete the survey ASAP. My team and I are working to ensure that our return to campus keeps everyone safe. Thank you in advance for your participation and know that we will get you posted on our plans.
I just have a few things to update you on this week:
So there you have it. That’s all I have this week! As you can see, things keep changing. Last week, I had no idea when we might begin to regather. This week it seems it may be closer than we think. Things are fluid, and we are adaptable. Beloved, we need to continue to pray. We need to continue to take care of one another. We must continue to be the church. Everything is going to be alright.
Serving you and grateful,
Rev. Kenneth C. Curry, Jr.
Senior Pastor
As promised last week, this update will now come out on Fridays. It gives me a little more time in an already impacted week. Thank you for understanding. Thank you for reading, viewing the video, and sharing the post.
OPEN, OPEN, OPEN! Do you remember that commercial? It’s on old Mervyn’s Department Store commercial (Mervyn’s is now long gone). Customer’s we frantically awaiting the opening of the store. This is what is taking place all across America and within the State of California. Many are frantically awaiting and demanding the “economy” open up, calling for businesses to reopen and for citizens to begin the process of recovery and to get back to normal. Reopening is on everyone’s mind. It is on my mind as a pastor-leader as well.
It seems reopening may come for churches sooner than we think. Pastors across the state are lobbying Governor Gavin Newsom to allow in-person worship in Phase II of his plan and to have pastors and their congregations able to worship together on Sunday, May 31st. Why May 31st? I am glad you asked. May 31st is Pentecost Sunday 2020. Pentecost Sunday is celebrated fifty days after Easter Sunday and commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and other followers of Jesus Christ while they were in Jerusalem celebrating the Feast of Weeks, as described in the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 2:1–31). In the Christian tradition, this event represents the birth of the early church. So, this move, if successful, would represent the RE-BIRTH of the modern church in a post-COVID-19 era. I am not sure we are post-COVID-19, but you understand what I mean.
I am not quite sure we are ready for this, but it is my job to get us ready to return to in-person worship. I am starting to think June may be a possibility. To be ready for in-person worship, I have charged my staff to begin to draft our return to campus plan. Our first step is a membership survey. You can find that membership survey HERE. Would you please complete the survey ASAP. My team and I are working to ensure that our return to campus keeps everyone safe. Thank you in advance for your participation and know that we will get you posted on our plans.
I just have a few things to update you on this week:
- First, Happy Mother’s Day to ALL mothers! Mother’s Day is all about celebrating the women who have raised, influenced, and shaped the lives of children around the world. While we are experiencing a worldwide pandemic and are on quarantine, we do not want to miss the opportunity to THANK YOU for your tremendous impact on society and various aspects of our world. THANK YOU!
- Join us tonight, May 8th, for our Pre-Mother’s Day Service beginning at 7:30pm streaming on all of our media platforms. PLEASE NOTE THE DATE CHANGE. Come and listen to Sisters Pamala Ellens, Shani Nelson, Deborah Cunningham, and the Rev. Terry Abercrombie tell their loving and heartfelt stories of motherhood: strength, sacrifice, sorrow, and success.
- Don’t miss our next participation opportunity coming for you. There is lots of news out there regarding Essential Workers. We want to pray for and appreciate the Essential Workers in our worship community. If you are an Essential Worker, would you please send us a picture or selfie. Don’t overthink it. Send your picture to media@wearefriendship.church. You will be happy and surprised by our final product, which will be part of our May 17th Worship Service. Pictures are due today, Friday, May 8th. But I will give you until Sunday, May 10th if you need more time. ☺
- Also, Nurse Appreciation Week is May 6-12. I want to say THANK YOU to all nurses in our Worship Community! Though we are in the middle of a worldwide pandemic, and maybe because we are at a critical point in our history, I want you to know that you are greatly appreciated. Thank you for giving of yourself to make a difference for others. You are AMAZING!
- COVID Membership Assistance Fund: We are making significant progress in establishing our Membership Assistance Fund to help those hit hard financially by this pandemic. My goal is to raise $15,000 above our budget. Guess what? We are two-thirds of the way there. We have raised almost $10,000 through our various efforts. I appreciated your support. Please share our fundraiser on Facebook. Of course, you can still utilize the church app to give or mail in a check to the church. If you mail in a check, please note in the memo section that it is for the COVID Membership Assistance Fund. Let’s see if we can reach our goal by Sunday, May 17th.
So there you have it. That’s all I have this week! As you can see, things keep changing. Last week, I had no idea when we might begin to regather. This week it seems it may be closer than we think. Things are fluid, and we are adaptable. Beloved, we need to continue to pray. We need to continue to take care of one another. We must continue to be the church. Everything is going to be alright.
Serving you and grateful,
Rev. Kenneth C. Curry, Jr.
Senior Pastor
Posted in COVID-19