On "Closing Church"

[Juvenal]

Do you need another thank you card?

(My card is propped up about five feet away from me right now .... )

[Cow Poke]

Do you need another thank you card?

I wish you would let me buy some -- those are beautiful. The ONLY suggestion would be that some of them get "squashed" in the mail, and some of the features on the cards pierce the envelopes --- but it certainly doesn't detract from the beauty of the card!!!

[Cow Poke]

So, one of our guys, a retired broadcast engineer, stopped by a bit ago with an interesting proposal. Our West parking lot (our bigger of the two) is pretty much "wrapped around" our main sanctuary entrance, the entrance being on a landing about 7 steps higher than the parking lot. Kind of a "built in" platform for addressing a crowd. He is proposing that we COULD do "drive in church", as he has a low power AM/FM transmitter where we could broadcast from our portico to the parking lot, people staying in cars and listening in on an AM or FM station.

Necessity certainly is the mother of invention. (You've probably seen real estate outfits use this when you drive up to a house for sale, and there's a sign that says "tune in to FM 105.5 to hear details")

[mossrose]

One of the things I've noticed when other churches locally announce their closing is that they seem to manage to pug "online giving" within the first few paragraphs. I simply refuse to do that. If people want to give, they'll give, and I certainly don't want it to look like "we care more about your money than we do your presence".

Amazingly enough, one of our members stopped by this morning and said, "I know, in these troubling times, that finances will be challenging, so I want to help out - let me know if you need more". He left a check for $25,000!!!

Do you need another thank you card?

[Cow Poke]

I can't do anything about my sense of humor.

I read that, thinking of the answer, "We've been married 60 years, why start now?"

Actually, this particular man has a similar sense of humor, and uttered durn-near those exact same words.

[Juvenal]

I said, "No, I'm going to tell you to listen to your WIFE, who will have to deal with your loss".

I can't do anything about my sense of humor.

I read that, thinking of the answer, "We've been married 60 years, why start now?"

[Cow Poke]

One of the things I've noticed when other churches locally announce their closing is that they seem to manage to pug "online giving" within the first few paragraphs. I simply refuse to do that. If people want to give, they'll give, and I certainly don't want it to look like "we care more about your money than we do your presence".

Amazingly enough, one of our members stopped by this morning and said, "I know, in these troubling times, that finances will be challenging, so I want to help out - let me know if you need more". He left a check for $25,000!!!

[Juvenal]

One of my terminally I'll members (Ive mentioned him elsewhere) asked me to stop by for a visit. He was VERY concerned that he needed to be in Church, but had a very compromised immune system. He told me that his doctor advised him to stay away from people, because if HE got this virus, he would certainly "be toast".

Then, before I could say anything, he said, "I bet you're going to tell me to listen to my doctor". I said, "No, I'm going to tell you to listen to your WIFE, who will have to deal with your loss".

(she was sitting across the room listening intently)

I told him he was BANNED from Church until further notice.

Hell^yeah, if you'll pardon my mathspeak.

[Juvenal]

Absolutely understandable - and we're considering that, of course. I have a hard time, though, putting the Church at the lowest rung of the totem pole when folks seem to be gathering everywhere else for just about anything else, and even our restaurants remain open, grocery stores are PACKED....

("rung of the totem pole"... hmmmm)

I hear ya ... but when everyone else is jumping over the cliff, it's all the more important to set a better example, or so it seems to me. Somebody's gotta lead. You've built a reputation. This would be a good time to use it.

[Cow Poke]

One of my terminally I'll members (Ive mentioned him elsewhere) asked me to stop by for a visit. He was VERY concerned that he needed to be in Church, but had a very compromised immune system. He told me that his doctor advised him to stay away from people, because if HE got this virus, he would certainly "be toast".

Then, before I could say anything, he said, "I bet you're going to tell me to listen to my doctor". I said, "No, I'm going to tell you to listen to your WIFE, who will have to deal with your loss".

(she was sitting across the room listening intently)

I told him he was BANNED from Church until further notice.

[Juvenal]

We're even practicing something as simple Facebook Live because a lot of our older people can manage that!

We need more tools than that, natch. I need to share a browser window for Airsketch Pro ... that's the tablet in tablet professor for me. Others will want to share PowerPoint presentations. Everyone will want to share PDFs, and point, and highlight, and whatnot.

But the basic package is great. I put up a youtube video yesterday, showing faculty how to get online with a PowerPoint presentation, from first time login to Blackboard, in 90 seconds.

[Cow Poke]

I'd keep in mind that though older folks are more at risk for serious infections, everyone's at risk for infection, and the more folks infected, the faster this will spread. The less we gather, the more we'll flatten the curve.

Absolutely understandable - and we're considering that, of course. I have a hard time, though, putting the Church at the lowest rung of the totem pole when folks seem to be gathering everywhere else for just about anything else, and even our restaurants remain open, grocery stores are PACKED....

("rung of the totem pole"... hmmmm)

[Juvenal]

Meanwhile, our H-E-B and Walmart are JAMPACKED this morning, and people stand in line at registers with their hoarded goods in MUCH closer proximity than they would be at Church.

H-E-B (our biggest grocery store) has had an absolutely FULL parking lot, with cars parked up and down the streets nearby - it's CRAZY!

Now that's wicked scary, too. Social distancing can't be paused for grocery shopping. Our Wallyworld lets folks order online for pickup. As many as can, should do that.

[Cow Poke]

Funny you should mention, lol.

Half the faculty (pulling a number out of nowhere) have never taught online. I'm in a session this afternoon (as a faculty resource, but not as the facilitator). I've already done three online sessions with my kids using the tool the campus is pushing, and not so coincidentally, the tool we'll be using to host the workshop this afternoon.

We're even practicing something as simple Facebook Live because a lot of our older people can manage that!

[Juvenal]

So far, every one of the "at risk" senior adults has agreed it's best to stay home. Still going down the list, making phone calls.

I'd keep in mind that though older folks are more at risk for serious infections, everyone's at risk for infection, and the more folks infected, the faster this will spread. The less we gather, the more we'll flatten the curve.