Dear Sister or Brother in Christ,
I hope this letter is finding you safe and healthy. I am happy to announce that we will be returning to the building of Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church on June 14, 2020 for both the 8 AM Worship Service and the 10:15 AM Worship Service. The nine members of the Reopening Task Force Committee have met and felt this was a good date for us to come together again to Worship our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in our beautiful Sanctuary.
As noted previously, the Sanctuary will be disinfected before our first Worship service and will be disinfected between the two services. When you arrive at the Church, all the doors will be open so you will not need to touch any door handles to enter into the Sanctuary. There will be hand sanitizer available at various places throughout the Church. We will not kneel or sing during the service or have any physical passing of the peace. The Sacrament of Holy Communion will be celebrated in a way to avoid spreading of any kind of germs.
The pews will be roped off and social distancing will be practiced. All people in attendance are asked to please wear masks. If you forget your mask, a mask will be provided. There will be no coffee hour.
For those who are feeling ill or are uncomfortable coming to Worship, the service will be posted to Facebook by noon each Sunday. If you do not feel comfortable coming in person, please watch the service online. The Daily Reflection will also continue on Facebook each day – Monday through Saturday – at 7 PM. The service and Daily Reflection can also be viewed on our website.
Thank you to all who have so generously given to those in need during this pandemic. The donations of cereal and large bottles of juice have been wonderful and our Church has certainly shared Christ’s love as we reached out to those in need in our immediate community. Thank you also to all who donated gift cards to the grocery store as well as donations to the Assistance Fund. We are presently aiding four families of our congregation who are in need. Thank you for sharing in the Name of Jesus Christ our Lord and May we continue to share God’s many blessings. We are continuing to collect cereal and large bottles of juice for the Whitehall Food Bank.
I look forward to worshipping with you on June 14th in our beautiful Sanctuary as we come together to hear God’s Word and share in His meal. May God be with you and grant you His healing presence and peace.
In Christ’s Love,
Rev. James W. Schlegel
Pastor