St. Martin's Lutheran Church

My dear beloved siblings in Christ,

Earlier today I sent out a message informing you all that worship at St. Martin’s was going to continue with some slight adjustments to services and meals. However, the situation is rapidly changing. Earlier today, the Public Health Department of Madison and Dane County issued a county-wide order banning gatherings of 250 people or more. Governor Evers also issued an order today closing all public and private schools throughout Wisconsin until April 6.

Though our worship community at St. Martin’s is excluded from both of these orders, we have to weigh our social responsibility. At this point, to continue to gather in person and risk spreading disease no longer feels in keeping with our call as Christians to care for our neighbors as ourselves. Therefore, in conjunction with Council President Greg Valaskey, I have decided that we need to suspend in-person worship until further notice. This was not an easy decision to make, but I feel in my head and in my Spirit that it is the right decision for our community.

I know many of you will mourn this loss of time together in prayer, praise, and learning, especially during the season of Lent. However, I hope that we can take this as an opportunity to develop new practices for being in community with each other and with God. On Sunday mornings at 9 AM and Wednesday evenings at 7 PM, I will be publishing videos online with an abbreviate “virtual worship.” Look for those videos on Facebook and YouTube (links will be provided). Stay tuned for more information. In addition, here are some spiritual practices you may wish to consider during this time of unexpected social retreat:

• Continue to be in communication with each other, especially with those in our community who are not “online.” Pick up the phone and call each other, write letters, check in on each other across the distance and remind yourselves that you are not alone.

• Join our community in a time of prayer every day at 1:00 PM. Wherever you are, whatever you are doing, with whatever amount of time you have, take a moment to pause and join us in Spirit through prayer.

• During this time of isolation, you may find yourself with more time on your hands. I encourage you to give yourself permission to be still and rest. Or maybe you want to experiment with something new? Find what speaks to your Spirit and makes you happy.

• If you are isolated with family, take advantage of your time together to enjoy each other’s company. Share with each other the things you are grateful for and give thanks to God. Tell stories, play games, laugh, and be thankful.

• Read your Bible. Try to read a whole book you’ve never read before.

• Draw a picture or write in a journal.

• Continue the practice of stewardship and offering by making your donations online via the GivePlus app or the church website.

In my last message to you, I wrote about the need for worship as a means of resistance to the troubles of the world. This has not changed. We are still a community united as one body in Christ, and we will continue to praise God, our source of strength and hope, together across the distance. Know that wherever you are, whatever fear you have, whatever loneliness you feel, we are with you and we will prevail together.

Please reach out to me if you have any questions, concerns, or prayer requests at any time.

Peace in Christ to you always,