January 7, 2022.
Dear Participants of Peace Community of Faith,
My New Year hope for us is a grace that is light and life that enables you to dance through the heaviness of this wave of COVID Pandemic, and a peace that surpasses our understanding that even during COVID death, life always prevails!
During this Omicron surge Peace will continue to hold in-person worship services. But once again I want to emphasize the need to wear masks and social distance before, during and after worship. If you have any of the symptoms of the flu or COVID, I encourage you to stay home and take care of yourself. If you have underlying health conditions that make you particular vulnerable to COVID, please stay home. An on-line version of the Sunday morning in-person worship service will continue to be available Mondays for everyone to participate in who is not able to participate in an in-person worship.
The best thing you can do is take care of yourself! If you have not gotten a vaccination or booster, I strongly encourage you to; it is the best way to take care of yourself and others. Those who are unvaccinated remain the most vulnerable and most likely to be hospitalized and suffer from the impact of COVID, including the new strain of Omicron.
Friends, the next few weeks will be hard. The wave of the Omicron variant will continue to rise. I am asking you to trust that the Spirit of Life in us is stronger than the rising wave of pandemic we are facing. Trust yourself and commit to being a person of Resurrection, a person who knows the power of life is present even during pandemic waves of death.
For those who wish to read Bishop David Bard’s comments on the current situation of the COVID pandemic click the link below.
https://www.minnesotaumc.org/newsdetail/bishop-bard-path-to-real-hope-15841057
With Love,
Gary Walpole
Pastor, Peace Community of Faith