Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
I once again find myself writing to you during this ever-changing time. It has now been several weeks, but I have witnessed some amazing things from this church family and its leadership. As I think about the help many of you have provided. I am reminded of a verse, 2 Timothy 1:7 “For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” Many although recognizing their concerns and fears regarding this situation have found ways to care for others because God gives them a spirit of power and love and self-control. It would take this whole letter to share with you all the ways our congregation has reached out to people in need so I will just name a few. Some have provided meals to families in need, volunteered for organizations in need, made masks, made phone calls, helped get gas for people, and donated to the Deacon’s fund that has assisted members of our community who are facing financial difficulty from being out of work and much more. In these actions we have lived into our mission to be the hands and voice of God in our community and in the world.
Your session again has prayerfully and faithfully considered how to proceed in these challenging times. They have decided that we treat this week like we have done the past few weeks. This means that both Sundays will be available through Facebook Live at our regular service time and a video of the service will be available at the ESPC YouTube page and on our website shortly after the service. This also means that there will be no Sunday school. We are planning to have the Maundy Thursday service will be held in the same fashion. Details on time to be announced.
Again, I remind you that that this was not an easy decision and that it does not mean this is the way we will be forever. Remember God has given us a spirit not of fear but of love. We can love each other in different ways until we can one day be back to our usual Sunday schedule. Remember, even when we can’t be together in body, we are together in that spirit of love.
There have been some questions regarding how to access the live stream. So please see below for instructions and details:
You do not need a Facebook account to access the live stream. Just click on the link below near the time the service begins at 10:00am https://www.facebook.com/espresbyterian/
You can also choose to watch a video recording that is made available on our website and YouTube page shortly after the service is finished that can be found at https://www.espresbyterian.com/worship/ or https://www.youtube.com/user/ESPresbyterian
Additionally, so you can easily follow the bulletins and an online hymnal have been put on the website and can be found at https://www.espresbyterian.com/worship/sunday-bulletin/
If you need anything, please contact me at 610-533-5781.
In Christ Peace,
Pastor Nicki
