Covid Update 01.27.2022

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Dear Plymouth Family,
 
Last evening our Pandemic Team met set our course in terms of in-person worship and meetings. We looked closely at the Covid numbers in Larimer County and also considered that even fully vaccinated persons can be asymptomatic carriers of the virus. We also took into account that it is a challenge to feel connected to one another in the midst of another moment of pandemic isolation.

The consensus of the Team was that we keep worshiping and meeting remotely through the second Sunday in February, at which point we will once more examine the data from Larimer County. Our youth will start meeting outside for fun activities and fellowship. (And if your fellowship group wants to meet outside, go for it…just dress warmly!)

I was really touched by some of our folks who expressed the altruistic sentiment that we need to be sure that none of us is unnecessarily clogging up the healthcare system. PVH and MCR are currently overloaded, not only by an excess of patients, but also because many staff are out sick. To my way of thinking, it exemplifies the best of Plymouth: loving our neighbors as ourselves. I am grateful to the whole Pandemic Team for bringing their perspectives, both personal and professional, in guiding the decisions for our congregation.

I know that many of us feel as if we are in exile, which is a crummy feeling. Here are some ideas generated by the Team and staff:

• Pick up the phone and call someone from Plymouth you haven’t seen for a while, just to catch up and check in. (Make it easy to dial using the Plymouth directory on our church smartphone app!) Some of you are old enough to remember the Bell Telephone jingle: "Reach out, reach out and touch someone!" Our app makes it easy!)
  
• Join Zoom Coffee Hour or Cocktail Hour each Sunday at 10:00 and 6:00 respectively. Look for the link in the Saturday evening email from Plymouth.
  
• Keep up with worship. God is not locked down! We’ll continue our broadcasts at 9:00 and 11:00 each Sunday.
• Need some pastoral care? JT and I are available for telephone and in-person appointments. You can reach us by email or by telephone. Our direct email and mobile phones are listed in the Sunday bulletin insert, and you can always reach us via the main church line (which forwards to our mobile phones): 970-482-9212
  
• Get ready for a pre-Lenten surprise. More info to come!
• If you have ideas for other ways to connect, please email me with them! We’d love to hear your thoughts.

Thank you for being patient with the process. I know that it isn’t easy for any of us, and I appreciate the significant ways you are being faithful in the midst of hardship and separation. (The Babylonian Exile lasted for 48 years…I promise our exile won’t last that long!)  Be well and keep safe. I leave you with a prayer:
 
God of long-awaited reunitings and new beginnings,
grant us patience and make your presence felt within and among us.
Bless those who care for people in the midst of pandemic.
Bless and increase the wisdom of decisionmakers and policymakers.
Help us to be faithful to you in the midst of it all. Amen.
 
Shalom!