Kindred in Christ,

Last week was the one-year anniversary of serving as your Lead Pastor. After a year of pandemic, virtual church, and building demolition, it is safe to say that this year has been anything but ordinary. In the midst of it all, I am grateful that God has continued to be faithful. Despite social-distancing limitations, I’m thankful that I have been able to connect and to get to know many of you personally. We have had meaningful encounters, memorials, worship, and celebrations. And now we anticipate opening for in-person worship in September 2021; the exact date is still to be announced.

To assist pastors with focusing on reopening the churches they serve, our district has put together a sermon series in collaboration with several United Methodist Churches in our area. Each week during the “Anything But Ordinary” series, we will have a different guest preacher offering us a fresh take on the Abrahamic family in the book of Genesis. We will reflect upon the ways that God joins us in our everyday lives and reveals them to be extraordinary. You can still expect to see me every Sunday, as I lead our community in prayer and other parts of the worship service. I also look forward to seeing you in the comments and in fellowship hour.

Along with using the time off from preaching to re-open our church’s physical Sunday gatherings, I look forward to focusing on launching a new outreach project in collaboration with our friends at U Heights and solidifying the job search for our new children and families’ minister. More info on both these endeavors coming soon!

Alongside you,

Rev. Paul Ortiz