A Covid-19 Christmas
Yes, Christmas was celebrated differently this year at St. John's, as Covid-19 infections throughout Ohio continue in the red zone. On the brighter side, there are no purple counties, and several southern counties have reverted back to yellow. And the vaccinations have begun. But we are a long ways from herd immunity, which now Dr. Fauci says could be as high as 90%.
Our recorded YouTube Christmas Eve service was avaliable for viewing beginning at noon on Thursday. As of this writing, we have had 117 views, by far the most for any of our online services. We've received many positive comments. Many thanks to all who participated in the video, and especially to Heather who did all the editing and added the words to the worship and the liturgy. Well done everyone!
Drive-Through Holy Communion was offered from 2-4 pm, with about 20 cars total participating. Many thanks to my drive-through Communion helpers: Heather, Shaun and Michael assisted from 2:00 - 2:30, Dennis Bauer from 2:30 - 3:00, and Linda and Dakota joined me from 3:00 - 4:00. Helpers distributed the elements, and also offered January - March Portals of Prayer which are now available.
Earlier in the day, The Fellowship Team - Susan, Minetta and Hannah were working in the kitchen to prepare Christmas dinners for our seniors and other citizens. Numbers were down this year, but still 125 dinners were cooked and delivered. Well done good and faithful servants!
It certainly was a different Christmas Eve for me -- in fact it was rather pleasant to spend almost all of Christmas Eve with my family. That has rarely happened over the past 34 years.
Reminder about this weekend
A reminder that I will not be coming to the church on Sunday -- Heather and I recorded Sunday's service on Wednesday morning, and it will go live at the normal time of 8:30 Sunday morning. I have cancelled drive-through communion for Sunday, but will resume January 3. Also, I'll spend limited time coming in next week -- will do enough to get ready for the weekend and cover any emergencies.
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