An Update From Pastor Patti

My friends and family of faith here in Livingston and beyond,
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I am sitting here lifting each of you in prayer this morning. These are anxious times. I remember hearing a month or more ago, “life will be disrupted by Covid19.” At the time I didn’t really comprehend what that might mean. But now we are living into this new reality of increased hygiene and social distancing. I am committed to both in order to prevent the spread of the disease and ease the load on our medical system. Therefore, all in-person meetings and worship gatherings are suspended until our situation changes. We can expect this to last through Easter, so we will have to adapt and get creative. When we do get to gather in person together, it will be a grand celebration!

Meanwhile, we will gather for worship via video conferencing this Sunday at 9:00 am. We will be using the Zoom platform. It is safe and simple. If you have a phone or a computer, you can join us! The instructions are at the end of this letter. Many churches are broadcasting livestream worship through Facebook, YouTube and other means. We may move to that, but for now I like the interactive feature Zoom allows for us. If you want to enjoy a full service, this link lists United Methodist Churches in our conference doing livestream worship. https://www.mtnskyumc.org/worship-resources-in-crisis Bozeman UMC services can be found anytime at https://www.bozemanumc.org/live/

In anxious times, I am reminded of Paul’s words in Philippians 4:6-7 NLT He writes, “6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” It is natural to be consumed with worry and fear for these are difficult times. Paul reminds us to turn those worries into prayers. Then the peace of God can soothe us.

I volunteered at the Food Resource Center yesterday. They have simplified and adapted their systems in order to make food available for anyone who needs it in a safe manner. On Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1-5pm, anyone can drive up and receive food. The Pantry Supper Club provides frozen meals for seniors. This is now open to anyone over the age of 60. Meals are delivered to your home. To sign up or get more information on any of their resources, call 222-5335. I am also happy to run errands, go to the grocery story, pick up medications for any of you. Feel free to call me for anything at (406)333-1388.

Also, a friendly reminder, while we are not gathering physically for worship, our expenses remain the same. Please mail in your financial gifts as you are able. We will adapt and find new ways to be the church in these days.

Grace and love,
Pastor Patti