The Incomplete Body of Christ

On September 13th in a grass covered courtyard in Northern California, our church community met to hear the Word, share bread and wine, and listen to music in a worshipful setting. It was the first time our worshiping body met in person for over 6 months. The gathering was sweet and sad; a moving experience for most, but also, because we cannot now be all together, missing the majority of its body, we were also incomplete and therefore not fully celebratory.

As Pastor Nate and I have navigated this time of pandemic and had conversations with many of you, it is clear that this, our Body of Christ, will not feel comfortable gathering in person until a vaccine or clear course of treatment for COVID19 is found. We understand and respect this reality. Your safety matters, and we are glad you are choosing to be careful and responsible. With that said, we also are keenly aware that so many of us are tired of virtual meetings (called zoom fatigue in our kids’ elementary school), feeling deeply isolated, and in desperate need of Good News. So we wanted to offer another opportunity for our church family to come and connect with God and this community in some way. And so, Pr. Nate and I have made interactive art and faith stations a central part of this outdoor worship, and set them up on campus through the week. There are signs with questions that explain what you are seeing. And if you are on Facebook, videos posted on how to utilize the space. Our hope is that anyone might feel comfortable, if they want to, to come to campus and safely take part in the Faith/Art projects.
 
We hope you all are able to experience these works of art and faith. May they be a way that our incomplete body of Christ gets to safely connect with one another in these hard times. Until then, you remain in our prayers and in our most fervent hopes for reunion and celebration.