Dear Members of St. James Lutheran Church and our Friends in our Community,
We hope that you are well and that your family is well during this time. We know that a lot of changes have happened in the last week or so, changes that we could not anticipate, and life looks pretty different than we could have imagined. Still, in spite of all these changes, our God remains the same, and His presence with us will never change.
Last week, you may recall that we posted an update about a member of ours who had contracted Covid-19. We wanted to let you know that this member has been isolated at home and is recovering – thank God for that! We thank you for your prayers in that regard.
We wanted to clarify something for all concerned. We have been advised, as has our entire country, to practice “social distancing,” which means working from home if possible, not meeting together in large groups, and only going out if absolutely necessary. We have taken this advisory seriously, which is why we moved our worship services last weekend to an online-only option (this can be found at stjlc.com/online-worship). Our church staff is also working remotely, and our preschool is following the Smithtown School District with regards to its closing.
“Self-quarantine” is a more extreme practice, meaning coming into contact with absolutely nobody, and not going out for any reason. In the absence of symptoms, this extreme practice is unnecessary. We should still be distancing ourselves from others as the CDC recommends. This is what we were advised by the Health Officials.
We hope that helps to clear up our position, and we thank you for your concern. We encourage you during this time, even as you distance yourself at home, to pray for our community, and to serve others if you are able – check in on your elderly friends and neighbors, and consider donating any extra supplies that you might have to those who cannot easily obtain them.
May God continue to bless and strengthen you and give you peace.
