There are A LOT of unique experiences fostered by these pandemic times we live in. How’s that for an understatement? Just think about all the hands involved in our recent outdoor Easter service. So many things had to be thought through (did you know we had to have a Fire Marshall inspection of our tent?) to make it come together as flawlessly and joyfully as it did.

As I write this, I am watching the promotion ceremony of Chuck Fosse on Facebook – he has been promoted to Rear Admiral (frocked if you want to get technical). Chuck, Karen, Ella and Lauren have been an integral part of our St. John’s community, and every single one of them has served our congregations in some capacity, Lay Assistant, Choir member, Acolyte and Crucifer, to name a few, sharing their talents and time with us. I am a sucker for any military promotion ceremony – or any event where I get to see someone express their heartfelt thanks for their friends and loved ones – so happily logged in.  By the way, they are a humble bunch those Fosse’s, and are likely wondering why they are the subject of this blog post.

Being invited to the virtual promotion ceremony got me to thinking…if we hadn’t gone through this last year, would I have known about this ceremony, this milestone event for the Fosse family?  In the before times, I feel like I breezed in and out of Sunday services, usually using the time to chat with family, sometimes saying hello to others, but maybe not interacting with any depth.  Certainly my time in this job, as Council President, has increased my involvement and interaction with the congregation. But in a weird twist, moving all of our interaction online has actually increased my fellowship with the members of St Johns. I know I am not the only one who has far more flexibility to attend online meetings then the before-times-in-person ones.

I don’t want to lose these connections that grew virtually when we get to be in-person more regularly. You’ll hear soon about efforts to become “A Fully Connected Community.” I look forward to continuing to grow in new ways with you all.