A Message from Senior Warden, Sandra Provan
We have been unable to provide a monthly meal at St. Paul's since February due to COVID-19. Our regular attendees must have missed a good meal and a chance to socialize. The vestry had considered having the Harvest Meal as usual on the Sunday before Thanksgiving, but with the virus numbers going up we decided it wasn't safe to offer even a drive-by event.
Instead, we are urging you to donate items generously to our food pantry basket. It is outside the church office on Tuesdays and Thursdays, when Mother Michelle is in the office, and at the Harrison Street entrance to the church on Sunday mornings. If you prefer to give a monetary donation, please make it out to St. Paul's with a notation for "Food Pantry."
Everything will be given to the Salvation Army and we'd like to have all donations in by Nov. 22. This is a way we can help those less fortunate than ourselves. With the weather getting colder it is more important than ever.
This is an ongoing project, which only a few have supported. Can you please think about how much you have saved by not going out to eat the last few months and make a donation? The Salvation Army will be very grateful.
I wish you all a very happy Thanksgiving.
Sandra J. Provan
Senior warden
This Week at St. Paul's
Mother Michelle Walker
Dear St. Paul's Family,
COVID-19 seems to be getting closer and closer to us here in LaPorte. Most all of us know someone that has either contracted the virus or been exposed. We must continue to be vigilant to our safety and that of others. Masks, hand washing, social distancing, hand sanitizer are most stringent routines in 2020 ... and not just for Sunday morning.
In addition to our existing protocols for attending church, we are adding a temperature check at the door. Most of you have experienced these checks when entering medical facilities, government buildings, and more. After hearing about "close encounters" with the virus from several of you, our vestry has agreed to include a temperature check as part of our safety protocol. While we know not everyone with COVID-19 has this symptom, it is one more measure we can take, with relative ease, to increase all of our health and safety.
Therefore, beginning this Sunday (the Sunday of both the time change and All Saints' Day), we ask for your patience at the door as a quick infrared wand thermometer checks your temperature. In accordance with the guidelines of the county, if your temperature is below 100 degrees you are welcome to attend. If it's 100 or above, we politely ask you to return home and attend via our live stream. We thank you for your patience as we implement this extra measure. Our ONLY goal with this is to help keep us all safe.
On another topic, Election Day is only 4 days away. As in previous election years, we will all be thrilled once the political advertisements and phone calls cease. That will be good news! However, the results of the election, whether contested or not and regardless of which candidate wins, will likely bring even more turmoil for our nation for days, weeks, or more. As I've preached in several recent sermons, as Christians we are called to pray for the process, for the nation, for the candidates (winners and losers), and for the reconciliation that must occur regardless of the results.
We are praying daily our Season of Prayer: For an Election.
We are opening the church on election day for anyone desiring to offer prayers.
We will continue to shine the light of Christ through this tumultuous week, to the best of each of our abilities.
Friends, I pray for each of you by name ... for your health and safety ... for your feeling of welcome and inclusion at St. Paul's amidst the pandemic ... for your relationship with your Savior. Please don't hesitate to reach out to me if you need to talk, to share a prayer, or otherwise.
Be well! Stay safe! Say your prayers! And don't forget to vote (if you haven't already done so)!
Blessings!
Mother Michelle
priest@stpaulslaporte.org | 219-575-0226
