Dear Members and Friends of The United Methodist Church of Merrick,
Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Risen Christ!
I pray this newsletter finds you and your family well.
With the winter season upon us and the coronavirus pandemic still very much a threat to our country and our local community, our Resident Bishop, Thomas J. Bickerton of the New York Annual Conference has penned a letter directed toward all of our churches. In it he writes:
“Without mandating any closure of our churches, I would strongly urge each of our 421 churches in the New York Annual Conference to not conduct in-person worship or activities through the end of year 2020. Given the focus on infection rates in specific areas, each church will need to make their own decisions. However, my best advice is for you to plan for a virtual Advent/Christmas, not an in- person one.”
After consulting with our Parish Coordinator and the church leadership as well as prayer and contemplation, I have decided to honor the Bishop’s request and not conduct in-person worship through the end of the year 2020. Sunday worship will be pre-recorded and posted to our Homepage and FaceBook page Sunday Morning.
Our Mid-Week Church Prayer Time continues to be conducted over conference telephone call, and our Sunday Evening prayer conference telephone call has been expanded to every Sunday evening. Please join us to pray for yourself and others.
These continue to be difficult times, and we can see the turmoil continuing for a while longer. The Lord God never promised us an easy time, but He did promise us that He will be with us during those difficult times. And if God is with us, who can be against us.
11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
(Jeremiah 29:11-13 NIV)
As the congregation of Merrick UMC and I walk and live the Christian path together in this journey of life, we invite you to join us in this journey.
Blessings in Christ,
Rev. Akio Iyoda
