Updated Message from Father Nick 11/13
Dear St. Martin's family,
You have likely seen that the bishop has made the difficult decision to suspend in person worship until early December at the soonest. Having seen the recent COVID-19 numbers in our area and the new governmental measures coming out to control the spread, I think that it is best to prepare to operate digitally and dispersed for the foreseeable future. I pray that I am wrong and that strides are made to control this outbreak, but I think that it is always better to be prepared for whatever 2020 still has to throw at us.
However, this does not mean that we will be stopping services or programming at St. Martin's and I am currently working to build up our digital capabilities so that we can continue to be connected and worship together despite our physical distance. This will begin with digital worship on our new YouTube channel which will begin Sunday 11/15 at 9:00 AM and will be available whenever you wish to watch it. To view the service, simply go to https://bit.ly/StMGI and click on the video for the 24th Sunday after Pentecost. The bulletin will be emailed out to you as normal and will also be available for download under the title of the video on YouTube. While I realize that this is a poor substitute for gathering to celebrate the Eucharist as a community, I hope that it offers a level of connection to our church family during this difficult time.
In order to continue our charitable working the community at a time when it is desperately needed, I will also be opening the side door of the church from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM for the drop off of frozen turkeys for the City Mission and offerings/2021 Estimate of Giving Cards. As you can probably understand, we are in desperate need of the Estimate of Giving Cards to begin to plan for our life in 2021 and to plan programming in changing and difficult times. Your generosity and participation is greatly appreciated and I am thankful for the support of our community even when we are physically separated.
Finally, I have heard of interest in forming a Zoom Adult Bible Study to meet together for spiritual nourishment and social interaction and would love to get it started. If you are interested, please email me at Enable JavaScript to view protected content. and let me know what dates or times might work for you. I am also more than happy to help anyone who is unfamiliar with Zoom get connected if anyone has any questions.
As always, I am available to meet with anyone who is interested via phone or Zoom by appointment. Please feel free to contact me via email at Enable JavaScript to view protected content. or by phone to set up a time to meet. I would love the opportunity to get to know you all better as I continue to settle in here.
Thank you all for your faithfulness and generosity during this difficult time and it is a blessing to be able to be your pastor and a part of your community.
To the greater glory of God,
Nick+