Dearly Beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus,

Jesus taught his followers to “let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 5:16). What is often not noticed by the world is that the Church, and individual congregations like Trinity, have let our light shine brightly. We have in some ways been saltier and brighter than before because of the opportunities this pandemic has given to us.

During this extraordinary time, we have been given a great opportunity to be salt and light to the Savannah community and everywhere that we live. You know what? We have been! We have been salt and light as individuals and as a congregation. I hope that everyone will be able to hear or read about our stories. We need to tell each other how extraordinary we have been during this extraordinary time by the grace of God and the gifts that He has given to us through His Spirit. In a time when people have been living in fear and discouragement, some of us have been energized by God to do many good things for others as we have helped them in their time of need. It has been an exciting time for Trinity and for the Church as people have been cared for, loved, told the Good News, and prayed with! Praise God!!

During these extraordinary times that we have been Pandemic Exile we have not been able to physically visit with each other, gather in our Sanctuary for Divine Service, receive the Lord’s Supper, conduct Sunday School or Bible Study in our classrooms. Sunday School and our Youth Groups have been meeting over Zoom. Our Council, Elders, and other ministries have also met amongst themselves via Zoom. While we livestreamed the Divine Service on Facebook prior to the pandemic we now also have a You Tube presence where our Divine Services and other events can be found there. We have also just purchased a new camera for better picture quality and audio quality.

We were able to give away free Ice Cream to the community as a means of giving joy and hope to people. They were so thankful. On that day God gave us opportunities to speak with people and pray with them. We are going to do this again. We are continuing our ministry to the needy and others in need through Hearts of Compassion Outreach Ministry. They have partnered with ministries in our area and throughout Georgia. Every Friday they bring food and items to homeless camps. On May 16 we were able to bring a hot meal, beverages, shirts, pants, and packs of toiletries to a homeless camp. We will do this quarterly. Visiting these camps is a great experience as our Lord enables us to help and love others in Jesus’ name. There are many reasons why people are homeless, it is not just because of substance abuse or mental health issues. Some even have jobs. You will never see most of them unless you visit a camp. Most homeless do not stand at the street corners and many do not ask for money. Many homeless and others who are financially distressed come to Hearts of Compassion at Trinity because they are in need food, clothing, tents, and some guidance. We often need tents donated as well as pots and pans. If you would like to donate an item, please contact Ron Wolfe.

As you may have heard and will read about in this newsletter and a letter that will be sent to you by snail mail, we are endeavoring to gather together in the Sanctuary for Divine Service on May 31, Pentecost. Some of our sister LC-MS congregations have already started gathering in a safe manner and others will begin on Pentecost and next month. Our leadership has been discussing it and preparing for it. I have spoken with other pastors and have read advice shared by our Synod and District about safe practices. For Eight Days I used my Daily Devotion time on Facebook to speak about our Nehemiah Project of Gathering the Saints together. Our gathering together on Sunday mornings is definitely not going to be like it was before. It cannot be. We have placed the health and safety of everyone who attends the Divine Service to be our top priority. Every one of us must sign up for attending on SignupGenius. If you are unable to do this, please call the office and either Traci or I will sign you up for that service. A limit of 50 people has been set so that we are able to maintain safe distancing. If the 50-person limit is reach check back again and an 11 am service will be added. If you are in a high-risk category or are concerned about returning at this time I understand and encourage you to continue to participate in the Service through Facebook or Your Tube.

Every one of us attending the service will enter through the Social Hall Door under the carport. The Narthex doors will be locked to avoid congestion. Before we enter into the Narthex to sit in a pew, we will all have our temperatures taken by a “Non-Contact Infrared Thermometer”. If our temperature is below the guidelines set by the CDC then we will proceed through the Narthex to the Sanctuary where an Usher will greet us and guide us to a pew where we will be able to maintain social distancing. The Ushers will be trained how to do this safely so please listen to them and sit where they seat you. Every other pew will be blocked off and social distancing, except for family, must always be maintained. We ask everyone to please where a mask, if not for yourself then for the sake of others who could be at risk or concerned about contracting Covid-19.

I am excited about the prospect of us being able to be together and receive the Lord’s Supper for the first time in two months. Please continuously pray for the health and wellbeing of everyone in our Trinity Family, and for the ability to gather as Saints Returning from the Pandemic Exile.

If we believe that it will not be safe for us to gather on Pentecost, you will be notified through our phone tree and Social Media.

~ Pastor Webb