Pastor Lauren came to us on July 1st of this year. We are her first assignment–she was an Associate Pastor for four years at a larger United Methodist church but we are her first Pastor assignment. She is such a joy and truly wants you to feel Christ’s love. We were doing online worship when she arrived but our congregation wanted to find ways to bring us back together in person safely. We are now doing Outdoor Worship services in our parking lot. Pastor Lauren jumped right in and embraced our efforts. We started with just outdoor worship and are now also doing outdoor (parking lot) Sunday School for all age groups. People bring their lawn chairs and sit distanced apart to hear God’s message through Pastor Lauren. We still offer the worship service online via Facebook and YouTube and we broadcast on the radio so people can also come and sit in their vehicles and listen. We are right on Main Street in our small town and we invite our community to come. It’s like a small-town community revival! Our stage is a borrowed hay trailer. Pastor Lauren climbs a ladder to get on stage along with our musicians every Sunday morning (weather permitting). Since we began in August, God has blessed us with good weather on Sunday mornings. We’ve only cancelled outdoor worship once, still offerd online worship that day. Pastor Lauren has also done front porch visits to get to know our congregants and has held outdoor “Get to Know You” sessions. In a year when things are so unknown and uncertain, it is easy to want to take a back seat and wait. We are grateful to have a Pastor who wants to move forward, continue serving others and spreading the love of Christ.
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