My Dear Kindred in Christ,

It has been another rough week. Only a few of our counties have moved back down into Yellow-Falling. Almost all of our counties have either moved into the Orange zone or remained there. If your county is one where children are returning to in-person schooling, you can anticipate your numbers getting worse in the coming weeks. Pray for the safety of students, teachers and staff as they re-enter their buildings.

In the midst of this, please remember that your patience and forbearance are preventing the people in your faith community from being punished with illness for the poor judgment being exercised by others in your area. We quite naturally focus on the number of deaths, but the long-lasting symptoms experienced by COVID survivors are also potentially devastating.

For those of you who have come up with both innovative and time-honored ways of meeting the spiritual needs of your people at this time—thank you. Thank you for your deep reflection on what it means to be faithful, what it means to show devotion to the body of Christ in times like these. May the fruitfulness of your endeavors be like zucchini in August!

And for those of you who are not feeling quite so creative, who are worn down by the inability to meet the desires of your faith community—hang in there. You are not alone in yearning for some sort of consolation. Consider the spiritual practices that have lifted you up in the past. May they refresh you like a bowl of ice cream at the end of a long, hot day!

Blessings,

Terri

The Rev. Canon Terri L. Bays, PhD.
Missioner for Transitions and Governance
Emergency Response NGO/Government Liaison