After a summer sabbatical time way, it is great to be back in the saddle here at FCC!  I am, again, so very grateful that the church provides this time away for rejuvenation and restoration.  It is one of those things that you think will be a good thing to do but it isn’t until you actually take the time to unplug that you realize how necessary and deeply beneficial it really is. 

It truly reinvigorated my call to ministry.

As we, together, look ahead to Welcome Back Sunday on September 13^th, I hope you will keep an eye out for updates as our plans for a return to worship slowly solidify.  As promised, we will be back!

In the meantime, as we look ahead to this new program year, there is one thing that I do hope to change and that is our practice of social distancing.  Now, before you gasp and remind me of how important that is (which I do realize and adhere to—dare I say—religiously!) I’m talking about the phraseology.

I hope we can start using the phrase “physical distancing” instead of “social distancing”.  The same six feet or more of separation between people still applies, but I think that, just by changing our language, we can free up some energy to strengthen our church community.

This pandemic has caused us to alter the way in which we are social but it does not have to inhibit it entirely.  That is, we as Christians, are social people.  Christianity is a social faith.  We should not be trying to “distance” ourselves from the very “social” aspect that defines us.  We can stay physically apart and still be social.  Physical distance is necessary.  Social distance—understood here as the foundation of what it means to be in community—is not.

In other words, we can be socially close but physically distant.  That is my goal for this program year. 

As we navigate these challenging days we are strengthened by our togetherness.  We needn’t loose that because of this pandemic.  During this program year we will be constantly looking for ways to foster connection and social closeness while being physically distant.

The pandemic is no impediment to the Holy Spirit.  I am confident that, this year, First Congregational Church will thrive!

In Christ,

–Rev. Dominic