At this writing, we are roughly at the halfway point of the Great Fifty Days of Easter, which (as I’ve shared with you a number of times) is my favorite time of the church year. Looking back, we had a glorious start to the season, aided by a busy, but fruitful, Holy Week. Holy Week featured a variety of different worship experiences (both on-line and in-person) and an opportunity for fellowship during the egg hunt on Holy Saturday. Three services of worship—two of them in-person—on Easter Sunday, plus gorgeous weather, provided a fine beginning to the season. We couldn’t have asked for much better.
As we have resumed in-person worship, there has been a good energy and a sense of optimism now that wasn’t present during the re-start we had from August to the first week of October. I don’t think that comes from wishful thinking on my part; people are anxious to move forward. It’s good to feel that positive spirit at work.
As May approaches, I anticipate that vaccination numbers for the population, as a whole, will increase. While I am fairly certain that the virus won’t disappear completely, I anticipate that we won’t see the outbreaks and hot spots that were a part of last year’s landscape. What that will translate into with fewer restrictions in worship and when that will happen, is hard to predict. Our pastoral and music teams understand the anxiousness to return to the pre-pandemic ways of doing things. In this issue of Chapel Chimes, we will have an article that focuses on the issues involved with worship in this transition forward.
The Great Fifty Days will come to an end on May 23rd, as we celebrate the birthday of the Church of Jesus Christ: Pentecost. Confirmation for our third-year students will happen during the in-person worship at 10:30 a.m. “Plan A” (if the weather cooperates) will be for this service to be held outdoors, in which case we will have more options available to us for music. It will be a fitting day on the church calendar to mark this occasion.
Again, I thank all of you who have helped—through your time, talent, and treasure—to sustain the work of the church at Salem. In particular, I want to thank those of you who have helped with the ushering at the in-person worship services and I encourage others to be a part of this important worship/hospitality ministry.
Through the grace of God, we continue to move forward. May God’s presence sustain you and bring you joy in these days ahead.
Shalom aleichem—Peace be with you.
Rev. Jim Hoppert
