A letter from the pastor:
Friends,
I wanted to update you with a few announcements and some information. As we have all begun social distancing and continue to help ‘flatten the curve’ this does mean that the Church will need to adapt and follow suit. As of today, March 18th, Bible Studies, and Worship Services are canceled until at least April 5th. We are hopeful that this will keep everyone healthy among our community, but also to provide us with one less commitment or stressful concern as we continue through this unique and difficult time.
I am working to find a way to record my sermons and upload them onto YouTube or Facebook for those who have computers, for example, my last posted sermon can be found here. I know this does not take the place of regular worship, but I am hopeful we can find ways to still pray, read scripture and hear how God is moving in our world over these next few weeks. To that end, I’ll be emailing the daily scripture readings to keep our Big God Story continuing over the next few weeks, and will be sending more emails with prayer requests or ideas such as a conference call (like the old party lines) for bible studies or a prayer meeting over the phone.
A few things have to change with the current world the situation, I’ll detail them here, and please feel free to contact me to talk about any of them.
- We will begin a phone tree that is shared among church leadership to contact everyone in our community. If we don’t have your contact info, please pass it along to me so that we can make sure you are reached.
- If you are immunocompromised or in the at-risk category or need assistance, please reach out to me or to others in the church, just because we are not meeting on Sunday does not mean we have stopped being the church.
Finally, while many are home due to offices or workspaces closing, some of us are blessed with fixed incomes or finances that are currently unaffected. The church still has bills we must pay, we are working on minimizing them, but we still need your help. We can still accept tithing via checks mailed to our PO Box, or via credit card. There is also a way to set up an online bill pay with your bank if you prefer. I am happy to assist you with any of these if you need it.
I know these are unique times that we are living in. This is my first major emergency as a Pastor, but we will get through this, and we will come out stronger. We cannot forget what it means to be the Church and to be Christians. I am praying for you all and welcome any phone calls or emails you wish to send.
Blessings,
Pastor Jesse
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Giving
Finally, while many are home due to offices or workspaces closing, some of us are blessed with fixed incomes or finances that are currently unaffected. The church still has bills we must pay, we are working on minimizing them, but we still need your help. We can still accept tithing via checks mailed to our PO Box or via credit card. There is also a way to set up an online bill pay with your bank if you prefer. I am happy to assist you with any of these if you need it. Some information you will need can be found here.
- PO Box/Checks
- Port Colden UMC, PO Box 215, Washington, NJ 07882
- Credit Cards
- Click here.
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When filling out the form, please make sure to include Port Colden UMC, church number 7068, in the Raritan Valley, that way we can make sure the tithes and offerings find their way to us.
SEVERAL WEBSITES ARE PROVIDING HELPFUL AND CURRENT INFORMATION: