To Our Fellow Parishioners of Zion Cloverdale:
We miss you. It has been nearly ten weeks since the COVID-19 virus has interrupted our personal and church lives. We miss your smiling faces; your voices in prayer, praise and song; your handshakes and hugs; and your laughter while sharing a cup of coffee.
As your elected Council, we want you to know we have not remained idle and have continued to tend to the business of the church. Our guidance has been set by the State of Minnesota and the NE Synod ELCA. At times it feels like a giant yoke on our shoulders. We have been exasperated and sometimes confused by the ever changing directions given to us; none the less, we are marching forward. We, like you, want our church to re-open and we are making tentative plans to achieve that goal.
At our Council meeting, Wednesday, May 20th we have tentatively set our sights to re-open Sunday, June 21 at 9:00 A.M. for worship. That date was selected based on what we perceive will be the guidelines from the state. Prior to June 21 we will send you another letter with updated information.
You will notice some safety/sanitation changes when we re-open. Hand sanitation stations will be set up in the Narthex for your use before and after services. Some pews will probably be blocked off to ensure social distancing between family units. We will avoid using items that are porous and can not be sanitized. We will need to maintain social distancing when we arrive or leave. You will need to provide your own face mask if you desire to wear one (we hope face masks will be optional at that time). We may even need to have more than one service each Sunday based on state issued restrictions.
Most important, we will again be together to worship Him, which is our ultimate goal.
We also would like to hear from you. We know you have questions, comments and concerns. Your ideas for re-opening within Synod and State guidelines are more than welcome. We will share your ideas and concerns at our next Council meeting.
Please contact us: Pastor Carl: call 320-242-3000 (h) or 715-222-6712 (c)
Lena Scullard: text to 651-788-6320
Facebook messages to the Zion Lutheran Church Cloverdale FB page
Like you, we are walking with God through the COVID-19 virus. These weeks are another curve in our journey. We take comfort knowing we will soon be together again to worship and sing His praises. We miss you.
Rich Bruns, Council President
Tim Lehman, Council Vice President
Lena Scullard
Peggy Brant
Stephen Fischer
Patti Hocking
and Pastor Carl