Letter from Pastor and Board of Stewards
UPDATE:
- Campus Events are being cancelled until after Easter. No activities on campus.
- Instead at 10:30 AM on Sundays join Pastor Carolyn on Facebook as she shares a message via Facebook Live. Search for “Carolyn McCall” to find her page.
- The Trial of the People versus Judas Iscariot will be continued in the future. We will update you when the Judge is ready to resume court.
From the desk of Rev. Dr. Carolyn McCall Livingston
March 21, 2020
Dear Fellow Servants of Christ,
One week later, we remain strong, wishing and praying away this season of not doing the things we love and not going to the many places that give us peace and joy. It is not easy, but when we falter and ask, Lord, when will it end? Remember that He is the rock on which we stand in every storm and crisis!
Yesterday, March 20th , members of the Board and I took part in another conference call hosted by the CEO OF Houston Methodist, Dr. Marc Bloom, Rev. Dr. Charles Millikan, Vice-President of Spiritual Care and our Bishop Scott Jones. The conference call centered around not spreading infection or comprising our health in any way in the face of the COVID 19 Virus in accordance with the guidelines set by the Governor of Texas and the Mayor of Houston. If you would like to hear the details of the conference call, you can insert the following link into your browser:
In light of the information received on the conference call and the answers to questions from Clergy and Laity yesterday, for us at Mission Bend UMC, this means that all activities of the church are suspended until after Easter.
I would like to underscore the decision to suspend all activities at Mission Bend by sharing with you an excerpt from an email from our Bishop to all Clergy of the Texas Annual Conference on March 20th
Friends,
Yesterday our governor issued the following executive order:
“Order No. 1 – In accordance with the Guidelines from the President and the CDC, every person in Texas shall avoid social gatherings in groups of more than 10 people.”
I want to support the governor’s intent and to follow its spirit whether or not the letter of the order applies to religious worship services. Cancelling worship for the next several weeks is the right step to protect our communities and minimize the health risks of this pandemic. I strongly advise you to do so.
During this crisis, we should work to use telephones, email, texting, and the internet to care for each other and provide worship opportunities. Many churches are already offering on-line worship. For smaller churches that want to connect with the Conference, I will be leading worship at 11:00 each Sunday through Easter (at least). Your people can watch by going to Facebook https://www.facebook.com/txumc. For those of you not on Facebook, our communications team will be posting a link on our webpage afterwards: www.txcumc.org/covid19.
My heart is deeply saddened because I miss being with my church family. You are my spiritual life source and my family. Yet, I am confident that God has a greater plan and when we return – not if, but when, we will move forward in a way that this church has never seen in its forty-year history! So I say, get ready, the best is yet to come!
This coming Sunday March 22nd, please join me once again at 10:30 am on Facebook Live. Go to Facebook and type in Carolyn McCall and hear my message. I will continue Facebook Live @10:30 am every Sunday until we can gather in community in the sanctuary.
For those of you who would like to continue your tithes and offering, you can go to our website: www.mbumc.org, click on the icon below, and the prompts will allow you to give accordingly.
Thanks to those of you who have used the opportunity for an “outing” to go by the church and drop your tithes and offering into the labelled mail slot located on the church building. The mail slot goes directly into the church office. It is safe and secure.
As we wait for this crisis to unfold, let us keep in touch with each other through all of the methods available to us. Our community lives on, even though we can’t see each other face to face. Be faithful.
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful . . .draw us closer to you and to your will.
Blessings,
Pastor Carolyn and the Board of Stewards
Letter from Pastor and Board of Stewards – March 14th, 2020
Dear Fellow Servants of Christ,
At this time, we all have many questions about our personal, familial and church community health. Uppermost in our minds is the importance of not doing anything to compromise our health in any way in the face of the COVID 19 Virus.
Today, along with other members of the Clergy and Church Leaders, I took part in a conference call with Doctors from Houston Methodist Hospital. The call was hosted by Rev. Dr. Charles Millikan, Vice-President of Spiritual Care and Bishop Scott Jones of the Texas Annual Conference to highlight the vital role of the church in limiting the spread of covid-19.
After hearing the facts and consulting with members of the Mission Bend Board of Stewards, we have decided on taking the following measures to protect our congregation:
- Worship Service this Sunday March 15th is cancelled
- All activities including Sunday School, Bible Studies or MYF are hereby cancelled
- The Church office will be closed for the week beginning March 16th,2020
The leaders of the church will be in close communication with the Conference to determine whether or not we can reconvene our activities beginning with worship on Sunday March 22nd
For those of you who would like to continue your tithes and offering, you can go to our website: www.mbumc.org, click on the icon below, and the prompts will allow you to give accordingly.
As your pastor, I will miss our worship time together, but I remind you of past sermons where we talked about faith over fear. Now is the time to exercise that faith as we are reminded that God does not give us a spirit of fear (2 Timothy 1:7). Let us come together this Lenten season in a spirit of prayer, seeking God’s will. Let us pray not only for ourselves but join others in praying for everyone across the world impacted physically, economically and emotionally by this virus –.
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful . . .draw us closer to you and to your will.
Blessings,
Pastor Carolyn and the Board of Stewards
