Dear Editor Rev. Lanning,

I write in reference to the article “The Church’s Response to Pestilence” by Rev. N. Langerak in the July 2020 issue.

I understand the absurdity of the following statement, but it would have been nice to have had this article to ponder before the pandemic broke out! We need the reminders of the church’s place in the world and in history.

Those of us in the elder’s bench should look back at all the arrangements, decisions and issues since the pandemic broke out, and consider what we can and should do next time. The article brings many considerations to our attention for doing just that.

The incredible bombardment of information was nearly overwhelming at the start. How bad is this disease? Where is it right now? How do I get it? How do I NOT get it? Who is most vulnerable? What is the government saying and ruling? What can we do to protect the congregation? At the outset, the elders, while working their everyday jobs were literally getting pounded by emails, texts, and social media feeds about it all. It was very, very difficult to sort it all out and make decisions, decisions that can have big consequences for the spiritual and physical lives of the congregation. It was and still is a heavy burden.

As our first experience with a pandemic, I will not judge that we did terribly. A good faith effort was put forth to maintain Sunday as a day of worship. Was everything done perfectly? Obviously not. Where opinions abound, only the righteous God holds the true standard. Certainly, we must all go to God in prayer and seek forgiveness for any wrong thinking or attitudes.