I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord!” 
Psalm 122:1

a letter from Pastor Diane on returning to the Sanctuary

June 16, 2021

With joy, I write with news that on Sunday, June 27, our Sanctuary will once again be open for in-person worship at Mid-Coast Church! 

I know we have missed being together, but we never stopped “being church” and worshipping together; so, let us consider this another step forward in our shared journey of faith. In March of 2020, we made the hard choice to close our church building out of deep concern for each other and our community. In the time since, we have learned new ways of being the body of Christ, the living church. We answered God’s call to new ways of worshipping, sharing joys and concerns, singing hymns, and especially gathering at the Lord’s very expansive Table. In that time, we have also welcomed members and friends from far away with the opportunity to participate in worship online.  Joyfully, we were able to keep seeing faces we missed and kept our connections with one another strong. 

And yet, there have also been faces missing ever since we stopped worshipping in person. Whether due to technological issues or other concerns, they have been truly missed and we eagerly anticipate the chance to gather face-to-face once again. For those who are still unable to be present in the Sanctuary, we will continue to maintain our online presence through live webcasting of Sunday worship on Zoom and Facebook.   

The good news, and the bad news, is we will never return to “normal.”  Life before the pandemic has inevitably changed as we have become more sensitive to community and social needs. Let us live into a new “normal” that is never ordinary or routine again. I pray we will continue to strengthen our compassion and love for one another, our community, and our world.  

In joyful anticipation,
Pastor Diane