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Weekly E-blast

April 23, 2020

When Will We Meet Again In-Person? (Response to Gov. Kemp's 4/20 Press Conference)

"When will we get to meet again in-person?" expressesboth a question and a longing. We all desire toreassemble in face-to-face church activities andworship as soon as practical and possible. At an April 20 press conference, Governor Kempmodified restrictions that he previously placed oncertain businesses when Georgia went into "shelteringin place." The Governor mentioned "church" functionsas part of his statement. While permissible understringent preventative protocols, it was stronglyrecommended that churches continue livestreaming ordrive-in church services. Our church leaders held a meeting on the sameafternoon as this press conference. Everyone gotexcited when thinking about the possibility of returningto our campus for worship services. Simultaneouslyeach person felt anxiety when considering is this thetime to resume on-campus ministries. Also, it became clear that we will not operate with a "business as usual mindset" when we eventuallyresume meeting on campus. Many of our currentpractices and traditions need re-examining andadaptation to be in compliance with government andpersonal expectations. We want to do no harm and bea safe place when we eventually resume on campusworship. Making some changes is essential for us tolive up to this standard.

So, the question is, "When will meet again in-personon our campus for church activities?" The best answerwe can give at this point is, "We do not know when wewill be able to resume meeting on campus."

Here are four things each of us can do as we wait forthat day:1) Participate in online worship each week and inthe online ministries offered to feed your soul.2) Patiently wait as we work through the challengesrelated to resuming.3) Pray as we seek to care for the well-being of ourflock and pray for all those fighting the disease aspatients, care-givers, researchers, community healthleaders, and governmental leaders.4) Support others in our church family by reachingout to at least two people/families each day withChristian love, compassion and hope. Be the body ofChrist even as we are scattered.

Sermon Preview for April 26

This Sunday's sermon will focus on the GnawingQuestion of "Why?" Why the coronavirus? Whysuffering? Why does God allow this to happen?Why?, a thousand times why?

This gnawing question has a way of derailing ourfaith and stirring up our fear. How can we maintainfaith over fear?

Our online worship service will be availablebeginning at 9 a.m. on Sunday. You can access itfrom our website by clicking here, or by going toour church's Facebook page (Perry UnitedMethodist Church). Invite others to join you.Share the service with friends as you haveopportunity. God has a word of hope for each ofus.

We know some adults are missing Sunday Schoolclass and other occasions for study, fellowship, andprayer during this period of "sheltering-in-place."

Rev. Tommy Perkins will lead a four week Biblestudy on the Book of Psalms beginning on Sunday,April 26, at 5 p.m.

This "Virtual" Sunday School study will explorethemes and selected Psalms indicated below:

Sunday, April 26 5pm Introduction-Psalms 22 & 23

Rhythm and (Dis)Orienteering

Sunday, May 3 5pm Psalm 130

When The Bible Gets The Blues

Sunday, May 10 5pm Psalm 77

Between "Lord Have Mercy & Thank you, Jesus"

Sunday, May 17 5pm Psalms 40 & 121

"Psalming" A Newly Oriented Discipleship

Who is invited?Any interested adult may participate regardless ofyour Sunday School class or church membership.

How will we meet?This Bible study will be held using ZOOM videoconference calling technology.

How do I connect? What is the link?You may click this live link on Sunday at 4:45 p.m.to connect with the class: Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/5741347658

To dial in as conference call (no video)+1 646 558 8656 US

Meeting ID: 574 134 7658

What "equipment" will I need toparticipate?Participants can join the class byeither of these methods:1. By connecting to the Internet with a computer(laptop, desktop, tablet, cellphone). The computerneeds to have camera and sound. This will allowyou to be seen and heard as class participants.

2. By dialing-in on telephone or cellphone. You willbe less fatigued if the phone has a speaker phonecapability so you do not have to hold the phone forthe entire class. You will be able to hear the classdiscussion with the phone, but will not be able tosee or be seen by your classmates.

Brad Brady will serve as the host for the callto assist with technology issues so Tommywill be able to focus entirely on teaching theclass.

Information on how to connect to the classwith your device will be in next week's E-blastand on the church's Facebook page.

Please email Tommy Perkins by clicking here byFriday, April 24, if you are interested in participatingin the class. We will make sure you get the detailson how to connect with the class. Pre-registration isnot required. You can attend the class by using theZoom link above.

Our church office will remain closed to walk-intraffic during this period period of "sheltering-in-place" due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

Contact information during this period:

Emilee and Karen, our administrative staff,will primarily work remotely from homewith occasional trips to the office on an asneeded basis to handle tasks they cannotaccomplish at home. Their office phone

lines will be forwarded to Emilee andKaren. They will seek to answer as soonas possible during normal business hours.If there is a need to meet with a staffperson an appointment can be scheduled.

Alice, our custodian, and Rob, our buildingmanager, will work a flexible schedule tohandle whatever tasks are needed for upkeepof our facilities. All buildings will be lockedduring this high risk period.

Our program staff members will continueworking primarily from home. Most of youhave the cell phone of the primary staff withwhom you interact. You may call them asneeded. Leave a message and they willreturn the call if for some reason they are tiedup for the moment. Email is another way toreach staff. Go to the staff page on ourchurch website if you do not know a staffmembers email address. Click on the phototo get their email address.

If you have a pastoral emergency you maycall one of the pastors. We encourage you tosave these phone numbers in case you needto reach one of the pastors.

Dr. Brad Brady 478-550-1291 Rev. Tommy Perkins 615-691-3171

Please a leave message. We will respond assoon as possible.

Thanks for your understanding and patience duringthis most unusual period for all of us.

Thanks to everyone who is continuing to make

your contributions to the church's ministry. Our

staff are finding creative ways to be engaged with

and stay in contact with their primary groups.

Other expenses continue even though we are not

face-to-face.

You may make your gift by several means:

Text2Give

(See instructions at top of page in the left column.)

Postal Mail

(PO Box 73, Perry 31069)

Automatic Bill Pay from Online Banking

(This is a popular way to give. Set up a one time

or recurring transaction on "bill pay" from your

personal checking account. Please indicate in

notes any instructions about how you want the gift

directed.)

Prime Time Luncheon There will not a be a Prime Time luncheon in May

due to the Covid 19 pandemic. If you have anyquestions or need assistance, please email Tommyhere.

Children's Department News

Our children's department had a great ZoomSunday School class on Sunday morning. Our kidslearned about the two kinds of peace Jesus offers. We also introduced our friends to our pets, eitherliving or stuffed!

We will have a Sunday School for our kids onSunday at 10 a.m. The link to join will be postedon our PUMC Children's Department FacebookPage.

Youth Department News

We want to honor all of our seniors in our onlineservice Sunday, May 10th at 9:00 a.m.

Ben Arnold Emma Chloe Arnold

Beck BeckhamLauren BoothLauren DrewRiley Jill HamEmily Harrison

Colby Hill Matt HuckabeeRobert Kinnas Chris Kinnas

Sydney LawsonBraden McDanielTravis McDonaldGracie PearsonJackson Riddle

William Riddle Hunter Smallwood

Clay WaltonWalker Way

Scout Weesner

We need your help as we honor your child in ouronline service. Please email the items below toNichole here by Thursday, April 30th:

1. One baby picture2. One senior picture3. A brief description of what your plans are aftergraduation.4. A Bible verse or a special memory of your timeat PUMC.

Our Youth will be writing letters to one of our localnursing homes, Pinewood Manor. We are askingthat each youth write 2 letters and place them inthe black mailbox outside of the church office byMay 6. Nichole will take these letters to bedistributed.

We extend our Christian love and sympathy to the

families of:

June Vogt

Stanley Luoma

Both Judy and Stanley died this week. Funeral

services will be private due to the COVID-19

pandemic.

While We Are Out of the Sanctuary

Rob Tavalero, our Building Superintendent, hasbeen working in the sanctuary while we are unableto meet in-person for worship.

While the pictures do not do it justice, Rob has re-stained all the dark wood on pews, pulpit, and altarrail. The process included cleaning thoroughly,repairing scratches, and applying several coats ofmatching stain.

Rob has a few other items on his to-do list while heis in the sanctuary. We appreciate his eye for whatneeds to be done, his considerable skills to doalmost anything, and his cheerful spirit as he works.

Perry United Methodist Church--Perry, Georgia

Pastor Brad Brady / 1002 Carroll Street / Perry, Georgia 31069