God's radical love, lived out every day.
We believe that God loves all people, no matter what. So, we welcome all with open hearts and open arms. We gather together to learn about the radical love of God shown to us in Jesus' life, death, and resurrection. Through that learning we grow in our faith, love for one another, and then are sent out to bring the love of Christ to all people in our everyday lives.
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What to expect
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Sunday, 9:00 am
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Wednesday, 2:00 pm
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Come join us in loving and serving our neighbors and our world!
COVID-19 Update
COVID-19 Update from Pastor Nate (5-22-2020)
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
“For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;” –Proverbs 2:6
Wisdom biblically seems to hold particular importance for God’s people. Often times in the Bible, it is wisdom that is lifted up even over knowledge or understanding. Focusing on that distinction is crucially important for us. While knowledge is being able to retain necessary information and understanding is being able to fully think through something, wisdom takes things to another level. Wisdom is knowledge and understanding lived out. At its core it is being able to say or do the right thing at the right time.
In this time of the pandemic and quarantine, it is wisdom that we need most. There are certainly a lot of voices in the discussion about worshiping communities in this time. We’ve been looking at guidance from our neighboring churches, the synod, the state, the CDC, the federal government, and infectious disease experts. Within the last week, we’ve gotten new information from scientists and researchers, new guidelines from the state, new information from the CDC, and even a new proclamation by the president. Some of the churches in our community are continuing online worship, while others are intentionally defying the guidelines coming from the Governor. As with complex issues like this, many of these sources of information and guidance often put forth conflicting directives. Through taking all of that information in, we must pray and act with wisdom. Not only must we know the right thing to do, but we also must know the right time to enact that particular thing. Before I get to that particular issue, there are a few things I need to lift up.
In his guidance today, the President called houses of worship “essential” and stated that we should be open. I need to say that I believe that the Church has always been essential, regardless of executive statements and orders. We have not somehow become more important because someone in authority has proclaimed us as such. While I appreciate the sentiment, and the focus on the necessity of faith, I believe the way it has been talked about reinforces a misunderstanding of Church. We have always been essential so the Church has not closed. In order to keep people safe and to help protect the most vulnerable among us, the building has been closed. Keep in mind that the Church is not just a building; it is all of us. Just because the building has been closed, does not mean that our call to be the Church has stopped. If anything, it has become all the more important. Worship has also not been canceled. Instead, we have shifted how we worship. These moves have forced the way we participate in Church to look different, but it has not encroached on our validity nor on our call to love and care for one another in the name of Christ.
So, with a better understanding of the present state and work of the church, and with all the voices in the room, the questions become how do we act with holy wisdom? How do we best answer the call to be the Church in this time? This past week, the Church council met and voted to keep worship online for the time being. They also voted that the church building should be opened on June 1st for meetings with fewer than 10 people in attendance. People in attendance at those meetings will need to adhere to the prescribed distancing guidelines and sanitize the room before and after use. The feeling amongst the council was that we wanted to take a patient, prudent approach to see what happened when businesses and other places begin to open up. The council will be meeting again on June 3rd to reassess our position.
As we continue to look for God’s wisdom in discerning when we begin to gather for worship in person again, we must keep particular focus on our mission as Christians. Quite honestly, I find arguments about what business has been able to open, or what other churches are doing to be quite irrelevant. While it is important to hold our leaders accountable, to base our decisions off of a comparison to certain businesses or communities is an abdication of our own responsibility to think about and to care for those in our midst. The question at hand is not “if a yellow barn is safe, then why can’t we gather in church?” The central question is “how do we as members of this community love and care for our neighbors?” While we must listen to scientists, other experts, and those in authority, in the end, the decision is ours to make.
It is also important to understand that this is not a partisan issue. While many politicians and pundits want to make this into newsworthy rhetoric, we as the church must refuse to do so. Our actions as a church must not be founded on the talking points of any political party. Instead, we must be wise enough to think for ourselves. We must care enough to consider the impact on the people we actually know. We must also fight the temptation to compare ourselves to other church bodies. Churches are complex organizations. There are often other issues at play in their decisions. We must be wise enough to assess our own position, needs, and right path forward.
We will reopen for in-person worship at some point. That is absolutely the right thing to do. But we must be wise in terms of when. That decision will be made by the council, with input from the staff and me. The council has many things to consider in this discussion, and I appreciate their ability to look at this situation from a wide variety of views. They have sought to protect people, including me and my family. I appreciate their insight and desire to keep people safe.
We as a congregation are doing the best we can. I am proud that we are a place where people of a wide range of beliefs can feel welcomed and at home. But I am also aware that many in our congregation have differing views on this. I want you to know that we have heard you. We will look for more opportunities to get feedback from you as well. But I ask for your grace and understanding. The reality of the situation is that there is no way to keep everyone happy or to fulfill everyone’s wishes. But we will continue to listen and to do the best we can to choose the wise and prudent path forward. We have been in prayer for you all. I ask that you hold all of our congregational leaders in your prayers and ask for God’s wisdom and guidance as we try to navigate a very complex situation. Grace, civility, trust, respect, and faith will all be crucial in this time. We will get through this and I believe we will come out stronger on the other end. It will take time. I want to close this by reminding you all of Luther’s teaching on the 8th Commandment.
You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
What does this mean?
We are to fear and love God, so that we do not tell lies about our neighbors, betray or slander them, or destroy their reputations. Instead we are to come to their defense, speak well of them, and interpret everything they do in the best possible light.
If we are to come out of this stronger, we need to have trust in one another, and believe the best in each other. This is hard work. But it is a particular part of our calling in this time. May we all be blessed with the wisdom of God as we continue forward. If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to me or a member of the Church Council directly.
God Bless,
Pastor Nate
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
“For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;” –Proverbs 2:6
Wisdom biblically seems to hold particular importance for God’s people. Often times in the Bible, it is wisdom that is lifted up even over knowledge or understanding. Focusing on that distinction is crucially important for us. While knowledge is being able to retain necessary information and understanding is being able to fully think through something, wisdom takes things to another level. Wisdom is knowledge and understanding lived out. At its core it is being able to say or do the right thing at the right time.
In this time of the pandemic and quarantine, it is wisdom that we need most. There are certainly a lot of voices in the discussion about worshiping communities in this time. We’ve been looking at guidance from our neighboring churches, the synod, the state, the CDC, the federal government, and infectious disease experts. Within the last week, we’ve gotten new information from scientists and researchers, new guidelines from the state, new information from the CDC, and even a new proclamation by the president. Some of the churches in our community are continuing online worship, while others are intentionally defying the guidelines coming from the Governor. As with complex issues like this, many of these sources of information and guidance often put forth conflicting directives. Through taking all of that information in, we must pray and act with wisdom. Not only must we know the right thing to do, but we also must know the right time to enact that particular thing. Before I get to that particular issue, there are a few things I need to lift up.
In his guidance today, the President called houses of worship “essential” and stated that we should be open. I need to say that I believe that the Church has always been essential, regardless of executive statements and orders. We have not somehow become more important because someone in authority has proclaimed us as such. While I appreciate the sentiment, and the focus on the necessity of faith, I believe the way it has been talked about reinforces a misunderstanding of Church. We have always been essential so the Church has not closed. In order to keep people safe and to help protect the most vulnerable among us, the building has been closed. Keep in mind that the Church is not just a building; it is all of us. Just because the building has been closed, does not mean that our call to be the Church has stopped. If anything, it has become all the more important. Worship has also not been canceled. Instead, we have shifted how we worship. These moves have forced the way we participate in Church to look different, but it has not encroached on our validity nor on our call to love and care for one another in the name of Christ.
So, with a better understanding of the present state and work of the church, and with all the voices in the room, the questions become how do we act with holy wisdom? How do we best answer the call to be the Church in this time? This past week, the Church council met and voted to keep worship online for the time being. They also voted that the church building should be opened on June 1st for meetings with fewer than 10 people in attendance. People in attendance at those meetings will need to adhere to the prescribed distancing guidelines and sanitize the room before and after use. The feeling amongst the council was that we wanted to take a patient, prudent approach to see what happened when businesses and other places begin to open up. The council will be meeting again on June 3rd to reassess our position.
As we continue to look for God’s wisdom in discerning when we begin to gather for worship in person again, we must keep particular focus on our mission as Christians. Quite honestly, I find arguments about what business has been able to open, or what other churches are doing to be quite irrelevant. While it is important to hold our leaders accountable, to base our decisions off of a comparison to certain businesses or communities is an abdication of our own responsibility to think about and to care for those in our midst. The question at hand is not “if a yellow barn is safe, then why can’t we gather in church?” The central question is “how do we as members of this community love and care for our neighbors?” While we must listen to scientists, other experts, and those in authority, in the end, the decision is ours to make.
It is also important to understand that this is not a partisan issue. While many politicians and pundits want to make this into newsworthy rhetoric, we as the church must refuse to do so. Our actions as a church must not be founded on the talking points of any political party. Instead, we must be wise enough to think for ourselves. We must care enough to consider the impact on the people we actually know. We must also fight the temptation to compare ourselves to other church bodies. Churches are complex organizations. There are often other issues at play in their decisions. We must be wise enough to assess our own position, needs, and right path forward.
We will reopen for in-person worship at some point. That is absolutely the right thing to do. But we must be wise in terms of when. That decision will be made by the council, with input from the staff and me. The council has many things to consider in this discussion, and I appreciate their ability to look at this situation from a wide variety of views. They have sought to protect people, including me and my family. I appreciate their insight and desire to keep people safe.
We as a congregation are doing the best we can. I am proud that we are a place where people of a wide range of beliefs can feel welcomed and at home. But I am also aware that many in our congregation have differing views on this. I want you to know that we have heard you. We will look for more opportunities to get feedback from you as well. But I ask for your grace and understanding. The reality of the situation is that there is no way to keep everyone happy or to fulfill everyone’s wishes. But we will continue to listen and to do the best we can to choose the wise and prudent path forward. We have been in prayer for you all. I ask that you hold all of our congregational leaders in your prayers and ask for God’s wisdom and guidance as we try to navigate a very complex situation. Grace, civility, trust, respect, and faith will all be crucial in this time. We will get through this and I believe we will come out stronger on the other end. It will take time. I want to close this by reminding you all of Luther’s teaching on the 8th Commandment.
You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
What does this mean?
We are to fear and love God, so that we do not tell lies about our neighbors, betray or slander them, or destroy their reputations. Instead we are to come to their defense, speak well of them, and interpret everything they do in the best possible light.
If we are to come out of this stronger, we need to have trust in one another, and believe the best in each other. This is hard work. But it is a particular part of our calling in this time. May we all be blessed with the wisdom of God as we continue forward. If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to me or a member of the Church Council directly.
God Bless,
Pastor Nate
Announcements:
- The church building will be open again for meetings of fewer than 10 people on June 1st.
- All are welcome to join our Sunday School Email education@trinitysleepyeye.org if you are a NEW family wanting to register your children.
Sunday Schedule:Worship at 9:00 am
Coffee Fellowship at 10:00 am Sunday School & Adult Education 10:10 am High School Bible Study 11:00 am |
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Location & Hours
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Phone Number:
507-794-5051 Office Hours: Mon – Thurs 9am – 3pm Email us: secretary@trinitysleepyeye.org Address: 217 Brackenridge St SW Sleepy Eye, MN 56085 |
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