“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all consolation, who consoles us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to console those who are in any affliction with the consolation with which we ourselves are consoled by God.” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)
Christiania Friends,
We miss all of you and, more importantly, we miss being together. In the meantime, we will continue to look for ways to connect and hope you will too. We are thankful for the varied technologies that have assisted us in connecting: phone and conference calls; streaming video and video; as wells as mail and email. You, like us, may have been surprised at how good it was to connect in ways that were clearly not our first choices.
Although it has been ten days since we cancelled meeting together for worship, education and other programming, it seems like we have been absent from one another much longer. Together, we’ve been learning and growing so much. We’ve learned how flexible and adaptable this community is; and our positivity seems to be shining through things that can only be understood as darkness.
This afternoon, Governor Walz issued a Shelter In Place Order for the State of Minnesota to begin Friday (3/27). You will be able to reach staff at the church using our church phone numbers and emails. Additionally, we will refrain from meeting for anything face-to-face until the State instructs churches and organizations that it’s safe to do so. We will continue to follow the lead provided by the Minnesota Department of Health (health.state.mn.us) and the Centers for Disease Control (cdc.gov).
Once it’s safe to return we will communicate details of our plan the same way we’re communicating this note:
• as an email (to those on our Constant Contact email list);
• on our homepage (christianialutheranchurch.org); and
• on our Facebook page (facebook.com/christianialutheran).
In the coming days, those who usually receive our newsletter will receive a special edition which will share special details and how-to’s for our new life together. You can assist us by passing this information on to your friends and neighbors. If you have a need and don’t know who to contact, please contact the church office at 952-461-2283 and your call will be directed to the appropriate staff person.
During this time our intentional financial giving will be a hospitality to Christiania and our people. Please consider giving electronically by clicking on the “How Do I” tab on the top of our homepage. This can be set up for a single one-time gift as well as recurring. You can also mail your offering to the church or put it in the black box by the main doors: Christiania Lutheran Church, 26691 Pillsbury Ave., Lakeville, MN 55044.
Be Blessed,
Pastor Jon in partnership w/Executive Council, Staff and Leaders
“Let us then pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.”
(Romans 14:19)