As you know, our community, our country and our world are trying to adapt to the needed changes we have to make in order to keep ourselves and others healthy and safe in the midst of this COVID 19 event.

Several members of our leadership team met Tuesday evening and the following decisions have been made in order to practice safe protocols over these next several weeks:

  • We will not be worshiping in our sanctuary space until Sunday, April 13. This is Easter Sunday.
  • There will be no Sunday School classes held until Sunday, April 20, as we were already encouraging families to worship together on Easter Sunday.
  • There will be no group meetings or committee meetings held until after April 14.
  • Our annual egg hunt is on-hold and a decision about hosting this event will take place in about two weeks when we can better see how things in our community are unfolding.

We will be hosting worship in creative ways over the next several weeks so make sure to look for announcements in the mid-week news, on Facebook, and our website. I will try to be creative about the use of Zoom to engage our children and youth over the next several weeks, so watch for announcements about those opportunities and how I will work with our Confirmation students as they finish their program.

Our church continues to need your support as we work, as best we can, to be in mission and ministry even at this time. If you have your financial gifts automatically shared with Hope UCC, thank you! If you do not, please consider it and contact Deb Strunk, 319-270-8341, to find out how you can set this option up. If you want to send your financial gifts via mail, please address your gift to Hope UCC, 150 9th Avenue, Hiawatha, 52233, Attn: financial secretary.

The leadership team will continue to monitor the situation as it unfolds and make adjustments to our protocols as needed. We are striving to make the best decisions possible with the information we have in order to keep everyone as safe and healthy as possible.

Even though we are not meeting face-to-face in worship or in classrooms, reach out to each other. Connect in safe ways via phone, email, messaging. Pray for our church, our community, our country, the world. Stay safe. Stay healthy.