A Message from St. Mark’s Executive Team
Dear Friends,
Do not fear, for I am with you,
do not be afraid, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.
– Isaiah 41:10
During this anxious and uncertain time, the world desperately needs the good news of Jesus Christ. Please remember that even when our earthly powers fail, Christ still has the power over sickness and death. We pray that you would find hope in this good news and that Christ would use you to share his Light with the world at this time.
In our effort to keep St. Mark’s members safe, the Executive Board has adopted the following policies. These are effective immediately and will remain in place until at least April 6. We will continue to monitor the situation and make adjustments as required.
- All non-worship events have been canceled effective immediately. This includes:
- Sunday School
- Coffee Hour
- Bible Studies
- Scouts and other outside groups, etc.
- Wednesday Night Live will still provide meals, however, meals will be boxed and must be picked up at the door. Prayer requests will be taken and volunteers will pray for guests at the end of the evening.
- Lutheran Social Services and Wood County Area Ministries (WAM) offices will be closed. WAM applications can still be submitted online or by calling the church office (419) 353-9305
- Pastoral staff are on call for pastoral care emergencies, however, all other non-essential visits are canceled. The pastoral staff will be calling certain members weekly to check-in and monitor needs.
- All Home Communion and Stephen Ministry visits are canceled.
Worship. All three services will continue as scheduled, however, the following modifications will be made:
- All volunteers and worship assistants have been canceled.
- Bulletins and Offering plates will be placed on tables outside the sanctuary doors.
- There will be a children’s sermon, however, the mystery box will not be distributed.
- There will be no children’s church and no nursery.
- Sharing of the Peace Only verbal and non-contact gestures are to be used. The same applies to the greeting line following worship. (Bishop Beaudoin teaches how to share the peace using sign language in this video: https://bit.ly/2wQF2hl)
- Holy Communion We will not offer Communion this weekend (3/14 – 3/15). Moving forward, we will use individually packaged bread/juice which will be distributed by pastors.
- Online worship. For those who choose not to come to worship, we will be streaming the full service on Facebook Live. The audio will be available on our website and podcast feed.
These policies are effective immediately and will remain in place until at least April 6. Changes may occur as the situation continues to unfold. We will continue to keep you updated.
In Christ,
Pastor Rob Spicer
Brian Bushong, Council President
Roy Champion, Council Vice-President