My grandsons in Georgetown were watching a video of our service from last Sunday when Haddon (5 yrs. old) asked his mom, “They are going to church in the building?” His little brother Liam (3 yrs.) said “We don’t go to church anymore.” Haddon quickly replied, “But we will one day.” That conversation says it all.

I heard an astonishing fact last week about the effect on our planet of this abrupt halt in human activity – the earth is calmer. Seismologists have detected a strange silence. Seismographs are currently indicating the quieting of the earth’s surface in much of the world. The massive reduction in the everyday hum of humanity, people moving about in cars, trucks, trains and planes, is showing up in seismographic evidence. There is a 20-30% drop in noise. The morning rush across the world is now a morning quiet, enabling scientists to hear even smaller earthquakes.

As we rethink how to do church in this time of social distancing we start with the basics. Our vison and mission remain unchanged. We are still a church for the unchurched guiding people to take their next step with God. We’ve figured out how to meet for Worship and Small Groups. Really impressive are the creative ways so many of you have discovered how to serve others through Volunteer Ministry. But what about evangelism? Sharing the Gospel and Social Distancing seem to be mutually exclusive activities.

Music was a major influence on my spiritual growth as a child and teen. On Sunday mornings we sang hymns accompanied by the piano and organ, led by a guy waving his arms at us with a large choir standing behind him wearing robes. But Sunday nights were different. We often had a band with guitars, drums and an amplified upright bass. That’sthe music I really connected with.

This time next year we will look back and reflect on 2020 – what we lost, what we learned, and how it changed our world. That’s what I’ve been doing this year as I reflect on 2019. This time last year I wondered if I would even see 2020. I was awaiting test results to determine if my never ending headaches end were the result of a brain tumor.