Good afternoon everyone—
How are you? Really, how are you?
How is your body? Is anyone feeling sick? According to the statistics, some of us will get coronavirus. I don’t know any who has had it. Lots of people around the globe have and are now recovered. (One lesson from this: we human beings are actually one community living on a very small planet.)
How is your mind? How is the news working on your mind? Some people overreact and are pretty overwhelmed by fear, and others seem to fail to react passing the epidemic off as no big deal. The truth is we don’t know how to react. Earlier this week I was emailing one of our more mature members (See how I avoided the use of the word “old?) and I asked him if he had ever seen anything like this. He said in his memory we have never confronted anything like this. The combination of the health issue and the stock market dropping is particularly frightening. We typically default to old ways of thinking and old levels of anxiety. Take care of your mind. Reflect on your feelings. Why is your mind feeling the way it is? When you need to, talk with a friend.
How is your soul? A friend this morning asked, “Where is God in this?”
My body is well. I am not sick. A bit stressed. I can feel that.
My mind is wondering about a lot of things in particular how long this will last. My mind is waiting for something, and I am not sure what. That feels a little bit anxious.
And my soul? Even in this uncertain time, my soul is good. I can credit that to you. I just hung up from a phone call with someone who was just checking in. One couple emailed me this morning and told me that they were impressed that their neighbors had called to see if they needed anything. Lots of people are working from home and employers are doing all they can to make that possible. Cindy told me that a mother who has small children and lives in her neighborhood ran out of toilet paper. (What is it with toilet paper hoarding?) The mother made the rounds of the neighborhood. Everyone shared a roll and the problem was solved. Berneda sent me a lovely email yesterday that included a description of social distancing as an act of love. Maybe when Jesus was placed in the tomb, he was performing the greatest act of social distancing on behalf of all of us.
Where is God?
In between us as we stand at a distance and, like us, is longing for the time when we can come back together. Waiting with the power of resurrection.
Surrounding us, as we sacrifice convenience to save lives.
Within us, as our hearts ponder where children will eat if they can’t eat at school and as we wonder how our favorite waitress will pay her bills without her tip income.
Where is God? Where God always is. Present in the healing and the hope and the goodness.
Psalm 46:10 "Be still, and know that I am God”
So for the time being, we are still, quarantined, waiting and in the stillness, God is.
Read on for the plans here at the church.
Blessings and be well,
Pastor Cindy
Pastor Cindy Hickman
West Des Moines United Methodist Church
720 Grand Ave
West Des Moines Iowa, 50265
515-279-0826
Like us on Facebook or visit us at wdmumc.org. Due to the coronavirus epidemic, we are livestreaming our worship services at 8 and 9:30. And this Sunday at 11 am, Pastor Cindy and Pastor Trevor will be in the parking lot standing on the planter boxes offering “drive-by” blessings! Enter from the east, exit to the west. Stay in your car! Honk to share the love! Take that you nasty coronavirus!
This week at WDMUMC:
We are livestreaming our worship services at 8 and 9:30. You can find us on Facebook or go to our website and click on “Media”. From there you can get to the livestreaming. We are doing all we can to make this easy and accessible.
Join in #JustRead. Our Tuesday Bible study will continue—only now it is Just Read with Just Cindy. This link will take you to Pastor Cindy beginning a study https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Bar Church! Pastor Trevor is planning to hold Bar Church via Zoom. Watch for details.
And you are invited to use Zoom too. This can be especially good for groups like MitsWits, bible studies, and covenant groups. Email Pastor Trevor and he will set you up.
Two ministries continue at our church:
· AA will meet on Tuesday at 6. They will meet in an area in the church that does not impact staff. They are juggling the impact of one disease with the impact of another.
· Jane continues to fill our Little Food Pantry daily. She says there has been an uptick in use. We will monitor that and let you know if we need more food or funds.
The Cummings Family has contacted me and the funeral for Dick Cummings which had been planned for Tuesday has been postponed.
We will do all we can to keep in communication. If you know people who are not getting communications from the church, please let me know and we will work to link them.
And I hope you will continue to faithfully support the church financially. We want to continue to pay our staff and maintain our building as we wait out this epidemic.
Things seem to change day by day. We will do our best to keep you updated.
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