Greetings to all. Prayers that all are safe and well. The Board of Stewards continues the weekly meetings to lead the church in these challenging times. We continue to give thanks to Valerie Slade and her staff for their ongoing effort to keep us informed about the finances of the church. Her words last night regarding the staff’s efforts were “extreme expense conservation.” With the influx of federal funds for salaries, utilities, and other related expenses and the staff’s expense management, we are making it through this period so far. The challenges will increase as we begin reopening the campus in June.
The focus of this week’s meeting was the report from the Opening Protocol Task Force. The Board approved a tentative plan to allow small groups, including Sunday School classes, to meet Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. effective June 1. These gatherings will take place only in selected rooms and must be booked in advance through the church office. Beginning June 14, small groups including Sunday School classes may meet on Sunday mornings. Safety protocol must be followed during these meetings, and written guidelines will be provided for all group leaders. You can find more information about this here.
The Task Force will meet again on Monday where the discussion will focus on the resumption of live worship in the Sanctuary and the CLC. Even with technical glitches, the virtual services are viewed widely and are much enjoyed. Ryan Kuecks and Kacey Brewer have done a marvelous job in handling the technical aspects of online worship. Please offer a prayer of thanks for them.
John Wesley’s second rule to live by was, “Do good.” He reached out to the poor, the imprisoned, and widows and orphans among others. I believe each of us has an opportunity to “do good” from our homes. We can pray for others, give of our resources to feed the hungry, join with others in the church to make sandwiches for the unsheltered through Haven for Hope and much more. I’ve personally made it a priority to fill out the Federal Census paperwork because the results of the Census affect federal fund distributions for food banks, education, health services, transportation, and a variety of other resources that we use here in San Antonio. I urge you to do all you can to help others during this time. As Wesley said, “Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.”
Blessings to all. Be safe. Stay strong.
Kathryn “Kitty” Meyers
Chair
