Prayers For Memorial Day • Online worship for Sunday, May 24, 2020
God of ages past and hope to come, we offer our gratitude for those who have gone before,
We offer our hope for those yet to come. On this Memorial Day weekend,
– Help us to remember the sacrifices bravely made in which one has given life for another and for all.
– Help us to remember those that stand in the breach where there is trouble and in which conflict threatens to undo your good creation.
– Help us to remember that we look for the day when every weapon will be replaced by an implement of peace, that all may be fed and live in your wholeness.

Our YouTube Sunday Worship Video Archive

Sunday, May 24, 2020
Join us online on Facebook and YouTube as we continue to shelter in place for prerecorded worship at home.

This is the last Sunday of our May Worship Series “At Home with God.” What have you learned about God’s presence where you live? For most of us, our homes provide a structure to house ourselves and things, some amount of economic security, safety from the elements, as well as a place for nurture and enjoying life’s pleasures. How can our homes serve as places of sacred connection to our Creator God?
Two psalms of comfort and hope give shape to our praise of God: Psalm 121 & Psalm 122. Two stories from the Gospel of Matthew help us discover the ministry of our homeless Jesus. Where did Jesus make his home? Where is the household of God to be found? What happens when “church” is in our homes? We will take the opportunity to reflect upon our homes as God’s household where tools of kindness, joy, generosity, and more are employed in making church happen wherever God’s people are found.

First UMC & the COVID-19 Pandemic: Worship, Reopening, and Ministry

Prerecorded online worship will be continuing through the summer season with weekly postings to our YouTube and Facebook pages. In-person & in-sanctuary worship will not be available until precautions for the safety of our congregation members and friends are installed and made accessible per the guidelines of the State of Illinois, Cook County and the Northern Illinois Conference of the United Methodist Church. 

However, opportunities for outdoor, small group, social distancing worship are being developed and will be published online at the church’s website and Facebook page. All decisions for re-opening will be consistent with our care for the health of all members and guests, old and young, those with sustained good health and those who are immunocompromised. 

Ministry continues! Opportunities for learning and serving continue online and, later in the summer, in small, socially-distancing options. These include meals to healthcare workers, cleanup of Axehead Lake, support of local food pantries, creation of face coverings for anyone in need, prayer squares for first responders, care for the clients of Avenues to Independence and outreach to the most vulnerable neighbors: the homeless, refugees, and the unemployed. 

We pray God’s blessing of good health and safety upon you and your loved ones. Check back here often for options to worship, learn and serve.

 

Office Hours, Staffing and Pastoral Care
The church office hours are now Monday-Friday, 9 am to Noon.

This reduction in hours reflects faithfulness to “shelter in place” mandates and the ongoing needs of both the building and the congregation. Staff can be reached by their cellphones and email addresses. As always, Pastor David Aslesen can be reached for any member and for church needs at 708.441.5179 (call or text) and pastordavid@parkridgeumc.org.

Our primary calling as church in this time is to keep our congregation safe and connected to God, to one another and to the people & communities we serve. There is great love to be made known in this time – for friend and neighbor alike. My prayer is this difficult sheltering-in-place decision may reveal our church’s desire to be proactive and caring as we listen to and follow the lead of the international and local medical community on helping to limit the spread of the coronavirus in our area. It is critical that we care for each other, listen for God’s wisdom, and support the work of the church.

Rev. David Aslesen, Pastor

First UMC Park Ridge • 418 West Touhy Avenue • Park Ridge, IL 60068
847-825-3144 • office@parkridgeumc.org

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