Dear Friends,

How grateful I am for God's gift of prayer to us! How good it is to be able to reach out to God in anytime and anyplace! How wonderful that we can connect through God's Spirit even when we are apart!

I am an in-person kind of person. I only remember one snow storm when I was in high school that caused church buildings to close for corporate worship. My friends from a few blocks away walked through the snow, and we had worship together at our kitchen table followed by brunch. At the same time, I am so very thankful for our leaders who made decisions for everyone's safety and health. I am thankful that we have ways to stay in touch when we cannot meet together in the same physical space. Here are some ways we can connect through prayer:

• The prayer concern list will continue to be sent over e-mail. If you do not receive this but would like to, please let us know.

• Your pastoral staff is available to receive prayer concerns over e-mail, text, or the phone.

• We have 20 seconds of pause every time we are scrubbing our hands. We can prayer for brothers and sisters near and far - for doctors, nurses, researchers, grocery store workers, sanitation workers, government leaders, and those who are most in danger during this time. We can thank God for being God. We can express our love and trust in God. We can express our fears and our anxiety. God hears it all. God is big enough (and beyond big enough) for it all.

• I shared the idea of breath prayers in a recent pastor's paragraph. Feel free to call and we can do one over the phone if you'd like.

• There are many on-line devotionals and prayer apps. Friedens QUEST ministry uses the Bible app. I also use the Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals app. I will be sharing more resources in the weeks to come.

• If coloring or dancing or walking or woodworking help you relax and connect with the Creator, you can listen for God's Spirit as you enjoy your activities.

• We can find a song to sing or hum to the Lord and to calm our minds.

• You can join a zoom online prayer meeting from 4 to 4:30 p.m. on Mondays. For more information contact Pastor Sarah.

These are just a few ideas. Please be in touch if you'd like to talk about any of them or share others.

Thank you for uniting in prayer. Let us pray - God, You are so good! May we continue to put our trust in You. Thank you for the gift of caring communities. With hope in You, may we receive and share the love and peace of Jesus near and far. Amen.

Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with thanksgiving. (Colossians 4:2)