“I give thanks to my God always for you…” 1 Corinthians 1:4

Dear Ones,
My heart is full of gratitude for all of you! At the beginning of this time of “Shelter in Place” I was really concerned about how we keep the church together. I know the church is not a building, but church is by its very definition the gathering together of believers and not being able to physically gather is truly a shock to our system. But in many and various ways you are showing me and one another that the bonds we have in Eureka First UMC will not be broken. Staff continue to work, most in some modified way, but we are continuing to provide worship, bookkeeping, care of our buildings and communication. Thank you to the new volunteers who are helping us keep connected via telephone, and thank you to all who are finding ways to connect with one another and are continuing to support the church with your monetary gifts.
Many of you have tuned in on Sunday mornings at 9:30 to watch our live stream worship on Facebook. A few of you expressed frustration in not being able to connect on this past Sunday and we are trying to figure out why. We have posted links on the church web page (firstumceureka.org) to the recorded service, but that has not been available until Monday morning. Our first week of ZOOM meetings for our Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning study groups went well and we will continue that this week. If you have not received an email invitation to one of those times and would like to, please let me know.
I will be leading communion this coming Sunday, April 5, Palm Sunday, on our online Facebook service at 9:30 AM. To take communion at home, please have some type of bread (cracker, roll, slice of bread, etc.) and something to drink (juice, water, etc.) available if you wish to partake of the elements together. Remember that when Jesus instituted Holy Communion he used the ordinary bread and drink of his day, things that were already present on the table.
If you have prayer requests, please send them by email or phone call by Saturday so that they can be shared during the service. Please call the church office (707) 442-3015 during office hours (9 to noon Monday through Thursday) or me at any time (707 599-2295 with any questions or concerns.
Sometime this week our order of palm fronds will arrive at the church and we will let you know so that you can come pick some up with directions for making palm crosses. We will also arrange to deliver them if you need us to. Thank you to Pam Coen and others who have volunteered to provide a “Take Out” breakfast on Easter Sunday. The breakfasts will be available to pick up following our worship service – more details later.
I conclude with some questions for this time that were shared by a friend. Their source is The Greater Good Science Center, created by Brooke Anderson:
Daily Quarantine Questions:
1. What am I grateful for today?
2. Who am I checking in on or connecting with today?
3. What expectations of “normal” am I letting go of today?
4. How am I getting outside today?
5. How am I moving my body today?
6. What beauty am I either creating, cultivating, or inviting in today?

In Love,
Pastor Kathryn