Dear Gardens Family,
Grace and peace to you in the name of Jesus! I pray that in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, you and your loved ones are healthy, well, and safe. Please take every precaution to guard your health and the health of others during this unprecedented time. I miss getting to be with you and share space and time together in person. I have been pleased with the ways Zoom has allowed us to establish some form of relationship and connection during this time (albeit imperfect), and have found our online times of Bible study and worship to be spiritually refreshing, as I hope they have been for you.
While the future remains unknown, one thing is certain. God’s love never changes, never fails, never gives out on us. God is present with us in the midst of this pandemic. Though we are “socially distancing” ourselves from others for their and our health during this time, we are not distancing ourselves from God, nor is God distancing God’s self from us. One of the great mysteries of the spiritual life is that in the midst of great suffering, we tend to grow the most in our spiritual lives. Suffering renders us completely dependent upon God. In your distress, worry, anxiety, fear, boredom, loneliness, and isolation, cling to the Spirit of Christ who is alive within you and who fills your homes with God’s presence. May you know that you are in Christ’s company despite sheltering in place and practicing social distancing. My prayer for you is that you will experience Christ’s presence in powerful and unprecedented ways during this time of separation and isolation. I pray that St. Patrick’s famous prayer, The Breastplate of St. Patrick, would be true for you during this time of our separation:
“May Christ as a light illumine and guide you; Christ as a shield surround you and protect you. May Christ be over you; Christ be under you, on your right, and on your left. May Christ be within you, and around you, lowly and meek and yet all powerful.”
We are committed to ensuring the ministry of Gardens Presbyterian Church continues during this time. The way we reach out to each other, and the ways we are able to be present with each other, have changed, but what will never change is GPC’s commitment to being One Spiritual Family. Gardens Presbyterian Church remainscommitted to fostering intergenerational relationships of spiritual caregiving across all ages.
As we seek to continue our vibrant ministry, your support is crucial for GPC’s future sustainability. Please do not forget your Faith Promise pledges to financially support GPC. Please do not forget to lift up the ministry of GPC in your daily prayers. In the coming weeks you will be hearing from various members of the Session of Gardens Presbyterian Church who will be sharing with you what GPC means to them, and why they are committed to continuing their support of GPC during this time of separation. Please join them in their commitment to support GPC financially, ensuring your church’s ministry is strong during this time of separation, and will continue to be strong once our separation is over. You can support your church by making donations online via Paypal on the GPC website, or by putting a check in the mail.
In concluding, I pray that the God who created you would bless you, Jesus who has redeemed you would heal you, and the Holy Spirit who sustains and sanctifies you would fill you with light. You remain in my constant prayers. To God be the glory.
Peace,
Pastor Kyle