The Book of Lamentations begins with these words: How lonely sits the city that once was full of people! How like a widow she has become, she that was great among the nations! She that was a princess among the provinces has become a vassal. She weeps bitterly in the night, with tears on her cheeks; among all her lovers she has no one to comfort her (Lam. 1:1–2a).
Commissioned Ruling Elder Lisa Allgood, a trained immunocytochemist and transitional executive presbyter for the Presbytery of Cincinnati, will present an update on Zoom about the most recent findings on COVID-19 and its impact on the human body.
Even when writing in times of national crisis (9/11) and personal loss, words never abandoned me as they have now. I’m not sure what to write because I don’t know what our lives will be like by the time you read this.
As a pastor, I am fielding calls now about getting back into our sanctuary for worship. It seems this desire to get back to “normal” is becoming the new virus sweeping the nation. In a way I can understand the longing to return to worship in a sanctuary. I have a rural congregation with older members who have not been all that quick to embrace virtual worship. I’ll admit, though, I’m in no hurry to return to traditional church. I find something exciting in what God is doing with video devotionals and sermons.
The world’s attention and concern is on a virus originating in China and spreading to other countries. Every day our news is filled with dramatic stories of this disaster and the efforts to contain it. Here at home we might pray for those affected and take some comfort in that the virus will not reach us and we are safe. The reality is a deadly virus is already in our community and potentially in our worship services.
On the day PC(USA) member Francis Ntowe’s sister was buried, there were six other funerals in her small community in Cameroon.
“One of them was a pastor, and all of them had died from HIV/AIDS,” he said.
