COVID-19 | Grace Lutheran Church

What can I do at Grace Lutheran Church during Phase 2?

Meet with a Staff Member

You can now arrange to meet with a staff member at Grace. Up to three people can meet with a staff member at a time, so long as they are from the same household. These meetings could involve things like youth ministry planning, pastoral counseling, or a conversation with the intern pastor.

Meet with a Small Group

Groups of up to five people from separate households may now meet on Grace's property. These meetings could be for prayer groups, committees, project teams, or other requests.

Follow Safety Guidelines

All meetings at Grace must follow COVID-19 safety guidelines! Wearing a mask is required for any meeting, as is washing or sanitizing hands before and after arriving at the church. Posters of safety practices are displayed upon entry to the church. But please do not come to the church without wearing a mask!

Scheduling a Meeting

To request a meeting at Grace Lutheran Church, please contact Jen Pearson-Gale at office@glcwen.org

You may also arrange a meeting with a specific staff person, but be sure to let Jen know when the meeting will be so she can be sure to reserve your time in the building.

Walk Around the Church Grounds

The Prayer Garden and Prayer Labyrinth are still open for use! So while you might miss the peace of the sanctuary, we would encourage you to take a meditative walk through the Prayer Labyrinth or spend some time reflecting in the garden.

Use or Donate to the Food Pantry

During the winter, the Little Free Pantry will be open from 11 am - 2 pm every weekday. You can drop off donations at any time, though!

Stay Connected!

It's hard to worship without gathering in our sanctuary, but things at Grace are still happening! We hope you will join us for our online worship every Sunday morning.

We invite you to tune into our 10@10 devotions on Wednesday and Friday mornings (via Facebook). Youth Group and Sunday School are live on each Sunday! Our Lectionary Study group meets online every Wednesday at 11 am!

And if you're looking for someone to talk with, Intern Bergen Eickhoff is always glad to schedule a phone call or a socially distanced meeting!

We cannot be church without you, so although we're still doing most of our ministry from a distance, we hope that you'll stay connected!

Should You Visit the Church?

Now that you can arrange meetings at Grace Lutheran, it's important to make sure that you are in good health before visiting the church! If you have any new or worsening symptoms on the CDC list, please do not come to church. And if you are ill, please do let us know so that we can pray for you.

Fever or chills
Cough
Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
Fatigue
Muscle or body aches
Headache
New loss of taste or smell
Sore throat
Congestion or runny nose
Nausea or vomiting

A message about coronavirus

12 March 2020

Greetings People of Grace,

Due to the need for caution among our community, all groups, meetings and gatherings at Grace Lutheran Church are cancelled until further notice. This includes groups who use the facilities of Grace. COVID-19 (coronavirus) will cause “a significant number of deaths” among the elderly and other high-risk groups, according to today’s statement by the Chelan-Douglas Health District. Another report states that by the time the virus runs its course, up to 70% of America’s citizens may be infected.

This decision has been made with a great deal of thought, care and prayer. I consulted with most of the staff of Grace, with our cluster dean Pastor Dave Haven, and with our congregation president Chad DuLac. I have also kept a close watch on the Chelan Douglas Health District’s website, and our denomination, the ELCA. It’s important to honor the wisdom and expertise of others in our community. There is sadness that opportunities to come together have been, in a sense, taken away from us - but we want to do our part to slow down the progression of this virus. We want to care for one another by limiting the chance that we are passing along a sickness that could be deadly to some. As the health district’s statement says: “The time to get serious about every available preventive measure is right now, today. Failure to do so will result in more deaths among neighbors and relatives, even though most of us will come through OK. To save as many precious lives as we can, WE NEED EACH OTHER.”

How will we worship? We need to be creative about this. Livestreaming will be an option as often as possible. Here’s the church schedule, starting this weekend:

· Worship (one service) 10:30 am, Sunday mornings. Some staff will be present in the sanctuary for worship, and we are exploring ways to livestream the service online in ways that are accessible to as many as possible. Our worship service will be a very simple format, and we are still figuring out those details.

· No 8:30 worship

· No Wednesday vespers

· Please check our website for changes (www.glcwen.org).

Please stay tuned about further developments and opportunities to be in touch with one another and with us. We want to stay connected with one another and not feel spiritually isolated. Do you have ideas for ways to build new connections with your siblings in Christ? We would love to hear them!

Together!

Pastor James Aalgaard

Learn More

Chelan Douglas Health District

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Grace Lutheran Church