Furry Friends joining us for Zoom Worship yesterday:
Top: Cayla and Brittney sent a photo of Millie and Vanillie.
Bottom: Anna didn't realize that Maggie was also closing her eyes for prayer.
Wednesday, March 25th 8:00 p.m. - Online Lenten Prayer
Thursday, March 26th 6:00 p.m. - Women's Group Zoom
Sunday, March 29th Fifth Sunday in Lent 9:30 a.m. - Online Worship
Grace to you, and peace...
I'm glad to be able to stat this message with some actual "people news" -- even it if's not full-on joy.
Sam Patton is home!
We are glad he is safely at home, even while we know it's terribly frustrating to have his Peace Corps work interrupted.
Don Hagan is on his way home!
He should arrive in Birmingham Wednesday. Again, it'll be good to know he's safe, while bummed out on Don's behalf that his trip had to end early.
I'll get you updates on both of these impressive fellas as they come in.
Don shared a prayer that I included in our service yesterday. It's by Cameron Bellm, a Catholic writer and mom in Seattle and I've included it below.
Further Prayer Requests:
Julie Kimbrough repeatedly asked for prayers for her wife, the Rev. Dr. Doris Chanlder, who is a pastor up in New York. Julie - I'm sorry I missed those in the chat, and we hold Doris and her congregation in prayer, and you both as you endure this from afar.
All our healthcare folks, of course. Parish Associate Lydia Casey is on the front lines in her work as a nurse at UAB and to say it's a struggle there is a huge understatement. Thank you to all of you who need to be out there helping the fight against this virus.
Anna Velasco -- pictured above with Maggie -- wanted me to pass on some helpful healthcare information about staying . It's in the red box below. For those who don't know Anna, she works for VIVA HEALTH and was a health care reporter for the Birmingham News before that.
One helpful note on Zoom:
Obviously, with such a large group, any time we have full audio there's going to be noise. And with the slight variance in internet speeds, it's always going to be a bit "Pentecost-y" in there. But one of our experts has pointed out that multiple devices in the same space are what gives us the whistling and feedback issues. I know that some of you need to be using separate devices -- please don't let this stop you! -- but anything you can do (that still allows you to worship) to move those devices away from each other or to turn off the volume on one of them will help with the sound. We're still figuring this out!
And, of course, we'll meet on Sunday morning for worship, adding new twists each week.
My plan is to post the recording of yesterday's service for any who missed it. Here's the Zoom link for Sunday worship on March 29th at 9:30 a.m. https://tinyurl.com/EPC-Worship-March-29
Zoom Help is available below, or by bugging your favorite tech whiz.
Please don't hesitate to reach out to me, or others, if you need anything at all or just someone to talk to during all this.
Be smart. Don't panic. Listen to scientists.
Peace be with you,
Joe
From Anna:
Many doctors are now doing telehealth visits for patients who can’t or shouldn’t get out.
Medicare is covering these visits as are most insurance companies like Blue Cross, VIVA and UnitedHealthcare.
These visits can be by video or even just by telephone if the patient doesn’t have video capability.
Patients need to ask their doctor’s office if they can be treated this way for their upcoming appointments.
Prayer for a Pandemic
May we who are merely inconvenienced,
remember those whose lives are at stake.
May we who have no risk factors,
remember those most vulnerable.
May we who have the luxury of working from home,
remember those who must choose between preserving
their health or making their rent.
May we who have the flexibility to care for our
children when their schools close,
remember those who have no options.
May we who have to cancel our trips,
remember those that have no safe place to go.
May we who are losing our margin money in the
tumult of the economic market,
remember those who have no margin at all.
May we who settle in for a quarantine at home,
remember those who have no home.
As fear grips our country.
Let us choose love.
During this time when we cannot physically wrap
our arms around each other.
Let us yet find ways to be the loving
embrace of God to our neighbors.
Amen.
-by Cameron Bellm
Zoom Help:
We are essentially having a big group video meeting, but with prayer and scripture and silence.
You can participate on your computer, tablet, or smartphone.
The link above gets you into the "meeting."
I have set the meeting to begin at 9:15 a.m. to give folks a chance to gather, as we might on Sunday morning. But we won't start our worship time until 9:30 a.m.
You can go ahead and click on that link ahead of time to get yourself set up.
Your computer or phone or tablet will need to download Zoom.
A desktop or laptop will likely figure out what to do on its own, aside from giving you a few prompts.
You'll need to download the Zoom app from your app store if you want to use a phone or tablet.
You can also join us via telephone call. Some caveats:
-You won't be able to see what's happening, of course.
-Zoom has been having occasional issues with phone calls due to increased usage.
To call in, dial -
312-626-6799
And when prompted for a meeting ID, enter: 186-235-326 for this Sunday's worship
[The phone number will be the same, but the meeting ID will change each week!]
Meeting ID for Wednesday Prayer will be the same each week: 805-177-513
Again, please remember that this is all brand new and will inevitably be awkward and goofy -- so, you know, just a typical Edgewood Sunday!
