March 20, 2020
Calvary family & friends,
What a difference a week makes. In Matthew 6:34 Jesus says, “So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.” Indeed. We are all taking this one day at a time.
As we all navigate this new time together, know that you are in my daily prayers. There is a lot of information coming to us each day and we are continually making adjustments to what it means to be “church” in this day and age.
Even though our building is closed, the church is not. Now, more than any other time, we have the opportunity to truly be the “church” for the world and for one another. We must love our neighbor and ourselves well by staying put in our homes. This is absolutely crucial at this time. I encourage you to utilize technology as much as possible (email, ZOOM, website, enews, phone) to stay informed and to connect with one another. We know this is affecting many of us economically, physically, emotionally, and spiritually and we encourage you to reach out to myself or Pastor Alice or Pastor Mary. We are here for you, as is our entire staff.
Calvary continues to suspend all in-person gatherings for the foreseeable future. Staff continue to work from home. Our local government has banned gatherings of more than 10 people through April 17 and gatherings of over 50 people until May 11. So we are looking to mid-May before we might be able to gather in person again at Calvary. We will continue to follow the guidelines from our local and national leaders and will keep you informed of any updates along the way.
A final note: Our Director of Music, David Farwig, is experiencing symptoms consistent with COVID-19. Testing at most of our Colorado hospitals is only being done on those with severe respiratory distress, which thankfully, David does not have at this time. He started to experience symptoms on Wednesday and was able to finally get tested Thursday evening (March 19) at the VA Hospital. His results will come in 4-9 days. That said, based on his symptoms, doctors are advising him to assume that he has COVID-19 and to quarantine himself. David wants you all to know that while he does not feel well, overall he is doing okay, and appreciates your prayers. He and Greg have everything they need at this time. We have communicated with anyone who has been in close contact with David over the past 14 days, which includes staff.
Because staff have been exposed, we are not livestreaming our worship services this Sunday because that requires us to be in the same space. Instead, we will be prerecording our 10:30 a.m. worship in separate segments and producing a seamless worship experience for you which will be posted on Calvary’s Facebook page, YouTube channel, and website at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday morning. The Gathering will be recorded in the Horner-Nelson living room with Matt & Alice and will also be posted on Sunday.
Until Sunday when I see you virtually again, I share with you the same words Jesus shared with his disciples who were scared and huddled in the Upper Room, “Peace be with you,”
~Pastor Anne
Alongside Calvary’s COVID-19 Response Lay Leadership Team:
Co-Moderators - Sharon Murphy & Rick Breitenbecher
Chair of Safety & Security - Jim Comstock
Chair of Resource Management - Bill Warren
Chair of Staff Relations - Mick Davey
Church Treasurer - Virg Musil