Busy, Busy Hands

It’s been another whirlwind week for our TVLC family. Yet just seven months ago, we wondered how we would go about being the church in a pandemic. The safety of our TVLC family was a priority.

We closed our campus and did a pirouette into the online world. Our pastors and worship leaders learned how to talk to a camera, how to figure out which camera to talk to, how to figure out which camera and software was needed, and how to enhance audio and lighting.

We did a check-in and attempted to reach you by phone or email. “Are you okay? What do you need? What can we do? We have toilet paper!” (Remember what a precious commodity that suddenly became?)

We learned how to wash our hands. Soap became our best friend. Some of us cleaned. Some of us talked about cleaning. We did yard work. Some of us talked about doing yard work.

We worked from home. We schooled from home. We did retirement at home. We homed.

And we Zoomed. We learned how to mute our microphones. We learned how to turn off our cameras. Or we wished we had learned how to do those things.

And since then, we’ve continued to monitor the advice from health experts about how to clean, how to meet, and what the best practices are given infection rates. Yes, we’ve now added the “R rate” to our vocabulary.

And, here we are. Seven months later and we’ve found out we’re still church.

We again reached out and attempted to contact you by phone or email to do a check-in and see how you were and to offer assistance to register to vote or to get to the polls.

Last week, we had a drive-thru food collection for our ministry partner, Interfaith Community Services. We collected toys and games for elementary children and their families who attend a Title 1 school — a school that serves at risk children. We wrote notes to welcome, encourage, and appreciate the staff who are returning to in-person learning.

We continue to collect meats and nonperishables to fill 50 baskets for Thanksgiving and 50 more for Christmas to help our community members who are struggling.

We continue to collect towels to provide Christmas gifts to vulnerable and isolated older adults served by Lutheran Social Services of the Southwest.

We adapted our ministries for children and students to best meet families’ needs during these changing times.

We’ve enhanced the beauty of our campus with new landscaping to provide welcome, respite, and sanctuary.

We’ve improved our web presence with a new Events page to help those who are new as well as our family stay connected with all that is going on here at TVLC.

We’re exploring new staff positions that will help our ministry be more effective in the digital realm.

We look forward to hearing from our musicians who are planning special music for us with masks and physical distancing.

We’ve opened our sanctuary for individual prayer and meditation.

We’ve initiated in-person worship on the patio while continuing online worship with communion.

Yes, we’re still church. Still welcoming, supporting, reaching out, and helping connect people into life and relationship with God. God’s work. Our busy, busy hands.

Thank you for all that you do!