What to know about in person service:
- If the Lucas County Health Department has deemed Lucas Co. a level Orange or below we will meet in person the first Sunday of every month. This information is released every Thursday and can be found here.
- Masks are required for in person worship.
- Maintaining a social distance of 6 feet is required.
- Hand sanitizers will be available for everyone.
- Bathrooms are single occupancy and are required to be wiped down after each use. Please ensure you take part in this.
- Ushers will show you to your seats and release you from service.
An Update from Augsburg ELCA Council 12/01/2020
Dear Friends in Christ,
Grace and peace to you from God our Creator, and our Savior, Jesus Christ. Every month your Church Council has been busy making difficult decisions regarding opening the church for services and our various ministries as well as working to protect the health and safety of our staff and congregants. We do not take this responsibility lightly, and we are doing our best to keep everyone safe and healthy throughout the pandemic. Back in March, we had no idea we would be making these decisions for nearly nine months. From the looks of the number of cases in Lucas County, the coronavirus is not going away any time soon.
This virus has affected several of our own members, some which were hospitalized as a result. More members are awaiting test results even now. It is expected that in two weeks the number of cases will increase due to Thanksgiving celebrations. This means we are currently in a holding pattern. We thought that it was important to reach out to the members of our congregation to update you on the current status of things at Augsburg. Building Update Lori and George continue to work primarily in their offices; however, access to the church is by appointment only. At this time, the only ministries that are operating are Feed Your Neighbor and Food for Thought - both of which are operating with additional safety measures in place. These ministries are critical to the well-being of many people in our community.
Mama Marie's held a very successful online quilt auction, and our Outreach Director George has been working to bring Lifeline mobile health ministry to our building in the coming weeks. Lifeline will operate with additional safety measures and set up in a health bus outside of our building in the parking lot. Christmas Eve Service The current Governor's advisory is in place until December 17th. Council will be waiting until after the 17th to make an official decision regarding Christmas Eve Services. Regardless, we will be recording a Christmas Eve Service that will be available online December 23, 2020. If in-person worship should occur for Christmas Eve, our online service will be available for those who would rather stay in. It is so very important to us that all are included. Our service will be shared via email as well as posted on Facebook, the Augsburg website, and Augsburg YouTube page. Watch for the link which will be posted and emailed to you later this month. It will also be posted in the Augsburg Members Facebook group.
Finance and Outreach The Finance Committee reports that giving is down over $17,000 from this time last year. Pledge cards were recently mailed out to help in making the 2021 budget. (Due to the governor's advisory, our Budget meeting, originally scheduled for Sunday, December 6th, will be held in January with our annual Congregational meeting.) Many have asked, “Why should I fill out a pledge card or send in my offering when I can't even go to church?” That is a good and valid question. In order for the ministries of Augsburg to continue, we still need your financial support. The work of the church goes far beyond Sunday Service, and Augsburg continues to strive to do God's work in Christ's name through our outreach ministries. Feed Your Neighbor has served over 60 families and nearly 150 people just this past month. Food for Thought has served 140 people, and Mama Marie's quilts have warmed 112 people. This year our “Turkeys on the Run” served 720 meals. Our expenses have not decreased due to this pandemic. The building still needs to be heated, the real estate taxes and insurance need to be paid, and our staff is still working. Lori continues to answer phones, pay bills, make calls for building repairs and upkeep, and answer the bell for visitors and deliveries. George is busy working with Feed Your Neighbor, Food for Thought, and Lifeline, trying to meet the ever-changing needs of our community through food pantries, health care, and a new phone ministry. We have started a new online Lamentations Bible Study under George's leadership. Your financial support is necessary for these ministries to continue. Remember, offerings can be made by PayPal, through Thrivent automatic payments, sending it through the US Postal Service, and by dropping it in the locked mailbox in front of Augsburg.
Sunday Services We miss meeting each Sunday for our regular service, but until the advisory is lifted and/or Lucas County is no longer in the red, we want you to continue your Sunday church services. Please look for suggested Sunday services on Facebook and Augsburg's website featuring services from our area churches. This will give us an opportunity to share a service with our neighbors from the comfort of our own homes. In addition, we are working on resuming recorded services with our outreach director, George, who has ten years of ministry experience. Watch for them starting January 3rd, if we are still in the red. Virtual Coffee Hour Finally, Council would like to invite you to a weekly virtual coffee hour. We have missed being together, catching up on activities with each of you. We miss sharing coffee and cookies in the Welcome area.
Beginning this Sunday, December 6th, we will have a link to join us at 11:00 am on Zoom. Bring your coffee or juice and your favorite cookie or muffin and visit online with your fellow Augsburgers. We would like to make this a weekly visit, so if you cannot make it this Sunday, we hope to see you December 13th, 20th and 27th. Watch for the link which will be emailed to you this week! We thank you for your patience and understanding over the past months. The pandemic has affected all of us, including members of Augsburg through illness, disruption of our daily activities, and the loss of loved ones. All of us on Council miss you and lament the fact that we are unable to be together physically at this time. We cannot wait until we can meet again in person. Until that time, please, wear your masks, social distance, remain home as much as possible, and limit your contact with others. Please be kind to one another, pray for one another, and remember, God is with you each and every day. May the grace of God, the love of Christ, and community of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
Blessings from your Council, Lynne Jacobson, Jeff Thiede, Carol Wagner, Morgan Spitler, Cindy Bartley, Katie Breier, Rochelle Krolak, Abbey McArthur, Heather Meyer, and Donna and Katy Pushka
Grace and peace to you from God our Creator, and our Savior, Jesus Christ. Every month your Church Council has been busy making difficult decisions regarding opening the church for services and our various ministries as well as working to protect the health and safety of our staff and congregants. We do not take this responsibility lightly, and we are doing our best to keep everyone safe and healthy throughout the pandemic. Back in March, we had no idea we would be making these decisions for nearly nine months. From the looks of the number of cases in Lucas County, the coronavirus is not going away any time soon.
This virus has affected several of our own members, some which were hospitalized as a result. More members are awaiting test results even now. It is expected that in two weeks the number of cases will increase due to Thanksgiving celebrations. This means we are currently in a holding pattern. We thought that it was important to reach out to the members of our congregation to update you on the current status of things at Augsburg. Building Update Lori and George continue to work primarily in their offices; however, access to the church is by appointment only. At this time, the only ministries that are operating are Feed Your Neighbor and Food for Thought - both of which are operating with additional safety measures in place. These ministries are critical to the well-being of many people in our community.
Mama Marie's held a very successful online quilt auction, and our Outreach Director George has been working to bring Lifeline mobile health ministry to our building in the coming weeks. Lifeline will operate with additional safety measures and set up in a health bus outside of our building in the parking lot. Christmas Eve Service The current Governor's advisory is in place until December 17th. Council will be waiting until after the 17th to make an official decision regarding Christmas Eve Services. Regardless, we will be recording a Christmas Eve Service that will be available online December 23, 2020. If in-person worship should occur for Christmas Eve, our online service will be available for those who would rather stay in. It is so very important to us that all are included. Our service will be shared via email as well as posted on Facebook, the Augsburg website, and Augsburg YouTube page. Watch for the link which will be posted and emailed to you later this month. It will also be posted in the Augsburg Members Facebook group.
Finance and Outreach The Finance Committee reports that giving is down over $17,000 from this time last year. Pledge cards were recently mailed out to help in making the 2021 budget. (Due to the governor's advisory, our Budget meeting, originally scheduled for Sunday, December 6th, will be held in January with our annual Congregational meeting.) Many have asked, “Why should I fill out a pledge card or send in my offering when I can't even go to church?” That is a good and valid question. In order for the ministries of Augsburg to continue, we still need your financial support. The work of the church goes far beyond Sunday Service, and Augsburg continues to strive to do God's work in Christ's name through our outreach ministries. Feed Your Neighbor has served over 60 families and nearly 150 people just this past month. Food for Thought has served 140 people, and Mama Marie's quilts have warmed 112 people. This year our “Turkeys on the Run” served 720 meals. Our expenses have not decreased due to this pandemic. The building still needs to be heated, the real estate taxes and insurance need to be paid, and our staff is still working. Lori continues to answer phones, pay bills, make calls for building repairs and upkeep, and answer the bell for visitors and deliveries. George is busy working with Feed Your Neighbor, Food for Thought, and Lifeline, trying to meet the ever-changing needs of our community through food pantries, health care, and a new phone ministry. We have started a new online Lamentations Bible Study under George's leadership. Your financial support is necessary for these ministries to continue. Remember, offerings can be made by PayPal, through Thrivent automatic payments, sending it through the US Postal Service, and by dropping it in the locked mailbox in front of Augsburg.
Sunday Services We miss meeting each Sunday for our regular service, but until the advisory is lifted and/or Lucas County is no longer in the red, we want you to continue your Sunday church services. Please look for suggested Sunday services on Facebook and Augsburg's website featuring services from our area churches. This will give us an opportunity to share a service with our neighbors from the comfort of our own homes. In addition, we are working on resuming recorded services with our outreach director, George, who has ten years of ministry experience. Watch for them starting January 3rd, if we are still in the red. Virtual Coffee Hour Finally, Council would like to invite you to a weekly virtual coffee hour. We have missed being together, catching up on activities with each of you. We miss sharing coffee and cookies in the Welcome area.
Beginning this Sunday, December 6th, we will have a link to join us at 11:00 am on Zoom. Bring your coffee or juice and your favorite cookie or muffin and visit online with your fellow Augsburgers. We would like to make this a weekly visit, so if you cannot make it this Sunday, we hope to see you December 13th, 20th and 27th. Watch for the link which will be emailed to you this week! We thank you for your patience and understanding over the past months. The pandemic has affected all of us, including members of Augsburg through illness, disruption of our daily activities, and the loss of loved ones. All of us on Council miss you and lament the fact that we are unable to be together physically at this time. We cannot wait until we can meet again in person. Until that time, please, wear your masks, social distance, remain home as much as possible, and limit your contact with others. Please be kind to one another, pray for one another, and remember, God is with you each and every day. May the grace of God, the love of Christ, and community of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
Blessings from your Council, Lynne Jacobson, Jeff Thiede, Carol Wagner, Morgan Spitler, Cindy Bartley, Katie Breier, Rochelle Krolak, Abbey McArthur, Heather Meyer, and Donna and Katy Pushka
A Letter from Pastor Kelley
April 21 2020
Dear Beloved in Christ, Grace and peace to you in the name of our risen Savior, Jesus Christ!
By the time you read this update, it will have been over a month since we gathered in person for worship and other church-sponsored activities. This month has been filled with rapidly changing information, which has affected our daily lives as we adjust to the "new normal."
When the Augsburg council last met in March, we made the decision to suspend all church activities until Sunday, April 19. Since then, there have been two stay-at-home orders enacted by Governor DeWine and Ohio Director of Health Dr. Amy Acton, which currently extend through Friday, May 1.
On Sunday, April 19, the council voted to continue to suspend all church services and activities until Governor DeWine and Bishop Daniel Beaudoin advise that it is safe to return for small and large groups. We have not set an end date for the suspension, because we don't know what it will look like to resume activities at this time.
What this decision means is that Augsburg will continue to function as we has for the past month, with one change. Feed Your Neighbor has also suspended service as they no longer had the volunteers to assist with food distribution, and it was becoming difficult to keep both volunteers and clients safe. In addition, the Community Resource Fair has been postponed until the fall, so that we figure out how to proceed safely for both agencies and community members.
I have heard this situation compared to a light switch. When places began to close, it was like a switch was simply turned off. For a time, many of us - myself included - assumed that once we were free of the biggest danger, we would simply turn that switch back on. As time as progressed, though, we have realized it will be more like a dimmer switch - slowly turning from "off" to "on," and potentially even going back if necessary, until we resume our lives as completely as possible.
The good news is there will be an end to this pandemic. There will come a time when we can gather together safely, to worship and study, to share in fellowship and service to others. The one difference may be how we do those things. The council is already considering what might need to change in order to resume in-person activities.
So what can you do in the meantime?
May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord's face shine upon you and be gracious to you. And may the Lord upon you with favor, and give you peace. Amen.
Pastor Kelley
Dear Beloved in Christ, Grace and peace to you in the name of our risen Savior, Jesus Christ!
By the time you read this update, it will have been over a month since we gathered in person for worship and other church-sponsored activities. This month has been filled with rapidly changing information, which has affected our daily lives as we adjust to the "new normal."
When the Augsburg council last met in March, we made the decision to suspend all church activities until Sunday, April 19. Since then, there have been two stay-at-home orders enacted by Governor DeWine and Ohio Director of Health Dr. Amy Acton, which currently extend through Friday, May 1.
On Sunday, April 19, the council voted to continue to suspend all church services and activities until Governor DeWine and Bishop Daniel Beaudoin advise that it is safe to return for small and large groups. We have not set an end date for the suspension, because we don't know what it will look like to resume activities at this time.
What this decision means is that Augsburg will continue to function as we has for the past month, with one change. Feed Your Neighbor has also suspended service as they no longer had the volunteers to assist with food distribution, and it was becoming difficult to keep both volunteers and clients safe. In addition, the Community Resource Fair has been postponed until the fall, so that we figure out how to proceed safely for both agencies and community members.
I have heard this situation compared to a light switch. When places began to close, it was like a switch was simply turned off. For a time, many of us - myself included - assumed that once we were free of the biggest danger, we would simply turn that switch back on. As time as progressed, though, we have realized it will be more like a dimmer switch - slowly turning from "off" to "on," and potentially even going back if necessary, until we resume our lives as completely as possible.
The good news is there will be an end to this pandemic. There will come a time when we can gather together safely, to worship and study, to share in fellowship and service to others. The one difference may be how we do those things. The council is already considering what might need to change in order to resume in-person activities.
So what can you do in the meantime?
- Pray: for the staff and council of Augsburg; for our local, state, and federal leaders as they make decisions to benefit the safety of all; for medical professionals and those who help support them, as well as their families; for postal workers and delivery drivers; for restaurant workers and grocery store workers; for those who have lost their job; for those who are battling the virus; and for the families and friends of all those who have died due to the virus.
- Listen: Abide by local and state stay-at-home orders. Avoid gathering with those do not live in your home (this includes extended family members such as grandchildren, parents, or siblings who do not live with you!). Limit trips to stores for food and other essential items, and utilize curbside pickup or home delivery as available. If you must go out in public, wear a mask to protect others.
- Give: Remember that the mission and ministry of Augsburg is continuing during this time. In the synod staff led worship on April 19, Bishop Beaudoin asked us to prayerfully consider donating a tithe of your stimulus check to your local congregation. If you are financially able to do so, I strongly encourage you to consider this. (PayPal Giving link at top of this page)
- Reach out: Consider calling someone from Augsburg that you haven't seen in awhile to check on them. Take some time to listen to how your lives have been affected, and spend some time in prayer together. If phone calls aren't your thing, consider dropping a letter or note card in the mail. (I know I always appreciate getting mail that's not a bill!)
- Anticipate: Look forward to the time when we can gather in-person again. When we do gather, we will celebrate Easter. No one loves Easter worship more than I do, so this will be as grand of a worship service as safely possible!
May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord's face shine upon you and be gracious to you. And may the Lord upon you with favor, and give you peace. Amen.
Pastor Kelley