Dear Edgeboro Family & Friends,

It’s been over three months since I’ve written for The Envoy. In a time that has really been anything but normal, doing this again is giving me a small sense of normality. While our lives are not yet normal, there are some things beginning to return and open up again due to the downward trend of daily coronavirus cases in our state (which unfortunately, not all states are witnessing). As our county moves into the “green phase” and more things open up, the question for us naturally arises: So when do we get back to worshipping in church?

The short answer is we don’t know. Virtually none of us in the North American Church have had to do this before and there is no consensus on a correct way of when or how to open up a church for in-person worship. Congregations are doing many things based on the space of their property and facility, what they are able to do, and most importantly, what they are comfortable doing. Some churches are worshipping with precautions now while others, like us, have not come together in person at all yet. Upon writing this, the majority of the Moravian congregations in the Lehigh Valley do not have a date of when to come back yet.

In the meantime, you will see in this newsletter that different events have been created to help us at Edgeboro connect with us and with God. We’ve used many channels of communication to remain connected with one another. Local Moravian and ecumenical pastors are communicating with each other now more than ever. The Elders and Trustees have taken time during each meeting to discuss new information, ideas, and concerns regarding the church’s response to the pandemic. The boards agreed to merge their monthly meetings in order to meet more frequently as a Joint Board to further discuss and plan the ministry of the church.

While we don’t exactly know when we will be gathering in-person again for worship, please know that it won’t look and feel the same—and please remember that this will be so that we can keep each other safe. Some of those changes are captured in this short acrostic written by a board member of Calvary Moravian Church in Allentown: RESPECT: Remember your mask, Everyone’s health is important, Space yourself, Practice patience, Engage cautiously, Come to worship, Take God’s love into the world.

In closing, I want to thank you all for your cooperation, understanding, flexibility, sacrifice, care, and faith. Times with external stressors like this can unravel communities and wear down relationships. While we all desperately want to be with one another to worship, sing, hug, and laugh, your patience in waiting is truly a sign of your desire for everyone to remain well and healthy, which shows your love for your fellow brothers and sisters at Edgeboro. “I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.” (Ephesians 1:16)

In God’s Far-Reaching and Unbounded Love, Pastor Dan