Ministers
John B. McCall
Elsa A. Peters
Nancy A. Foran

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'God is still speaking!'

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About: John McCall | Nancy Foran

Passing the Peace During Flu Season

Many of you have probably heard the amplified risk of H1N1 and other forms of influenza. As we do the rest of the year, our pastors have a particular concern about your health and well being during flu season. We trust that you are taking the necessary precautions to care for your body by taking whatever precautions you deem necessary – whether that includes a vaccine, coughing into your elbow or carrying a pocket-size bottle of hand sanitizer.

When you come to church, where we gather to by the Body of Christ, we hope you’ll share in the intimacy of our community. We hope you’ll continue to support each other in whatever ways you are comfortable. This may include cooking casseroles, lifting rummage or shaking hands during the Passing of the Peace. No matter how you choose to participate in this relational community, we hope that you’ll take care of yourself. We hope that you’ll stay home if you don’t feel well. We hope you’ll use the hand sanitizers and tissues supplied through- out our sanctuary and chapel to ease your comfort and your well-being.

Most of all, we hope you’ll pass the peace to one another. This tradition emerges from the letters of Paul reminding Christians to greet each other with love (Rom 16:16, 1 Cor 16:20, 2 Cor 13:12, 1 Thes 5:26, and 1 Pt 5:14). Passing the Peace is simply this: loving each other. In worship, it’s formalized through a greeting of word or gesture. It is a sign of reconciliation, love, and renewed relationships in our community. This is what we are all about. We’ll keep each other safe. We’ll trust each others boundaries and we’ll love each other through it all.

This reflection appeared in the October 19th newsletter written by both John and Elsa.

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Read more of my thoughts at Beautiful Beacon.

I'd love to hear from you! Elsa Peters