Christ Our Hope Lutheran Church
P. O. Box 961690
Riverdale, Georgia 30296
(770) 997-7117 (770) 997-3312
Jeffrey M. Halenza, Pastor
August 12, 2020
Dear Members, Visitors, and Friends of the Congregation,
This Sunday, August 16, at 10:00 AM we will have a Parking Lot Service of Communion. It will be an abbreviated service like we did in May and will follow the same protocols: masks, social distancing by parking in every other spot and standing by your vehicle, the pastors bringing communion to you. The communion cups will be pre-filled (by one person wearing a mask and gloves) and spaced apart in the trays. The wafers will be put on the plate without being touched. The pastors will not wear gloves but will apply hand sanitizer before distributing the bread and wine. In addition, the pastors will be careful not to touch your hands as they give you the elements. Observing these protocols should make for a safe gathering. It will be wonderful to see you, even from a distance, and be together again!
Also, please remember that we will resume in-person worship on September 13. I realize how tired many of you are of sheltering in place and other restrictions, but I hope you will continue to be very careful and will do those things that will help stop the spread of the virus and enable us to return to something close to normal (whatever that was!).
Below is the prayer I will pray during our Conference Call tonight. August 12, at 7:00 PM (as always, check Pastor Flanigan’s email for the phone number or link and the access code). Unlike last week’s prayer which was, I guess, a kind of “sermon prayer”, this week’s prayer is another “talking prayer” (almost a “chatty prayer”, which is how I pray sometimes) as well as a traditional prayer. As always, I hope you can pray portions of it or, at least, that it will give rise to you coming up with your own prayer.
May God bless you with belief enough to live with confidence and hope and even joy in these scary, difficult times,
Pastor Halenza
JMH/nvn