I bring you greetings from your staff and clergy. As we enter this second month of 2021, I have much to share with you. We continue to pray for those who are struggling with health issues and with the coronavirus. As our healthcare workers and you and I begin receiving the vaccine, I believe we will begin to see some semblance of normalcy in our daily lives begin to return.

By now, you have received three recent letters from us sharing more information concerning the “HI Neighbor” program building phone calling networks within your neighborhoods setting the stage for small groups soon.

Then we have asked for your help in updating our records with emergency contact information and insuring we have your correct information. Over the course of the recent months, we’ve discovered many phone number changes and even some address changes we didn’t have.

Finally, we shared some of the ways in which you can stay in touch with your church family and the growing list of events as we gradually begin opening opportunities for both in-person and on-line activities. I hope you’ll send your emergency contact information back as soon as possible and that you participate with your Hi Neighbor group.

We have now had about two months of in-person worship. My thanks to the ushers for their essential efforts of warm greetings, safety, and great instructions guiding worshippers in and out of the building. Everyone is being very careful and cautious and following our guidelines, so Iam thankful for your care. We will continue to monitor and adjust as needs demand.

Thank you Re-Connect team. Your input, oversight, and prayers have enabled us to open for in-person events with care. We are slowly bringing more live components back into worship, but I expect we’ll have some pre-recorded portions for some time to come. Be sure and thank our Media Arts Team lead by Glade Kynaston without whom we would not be where we are today.

If you plan to join us on a Sunday, we have space but we do ask you to pre-register on the website or by calling the church office so we can plan accordingly. Please know, if you don’t feel safe yet, or if you don’t feel well on a particular Sunday, we will continue to support all on-line and phone-in services.

This year we are planning a different kind of Ash Wednesday service. To make this accessible for as many people as possible, we are hosting a drive through service on February 17, between 10 and 11:30 am.

When you enter the campus by either access, you will tune into your FM car radio (channel to be announced) where you will park for a few minutes to hear a short message and some music.

When you are ready, you can proceed through the lot to the Bus Shelter where you will have ashes imposed and receive a short prayer of blessing and then proceed out of the lot.

You are encouraged to remain as long as you would like to pray and listen to the music. We are working on a process to impose ashes without cross-contamination to others or clergy.

Each person will have ashes placed with a soft, cotton or foam applicator. Pastors will be masked and gloved.

Currently, your Lakeviewer newsletter is mailed to all who wish to receive it and we automatically email a copy to you. If you no longer wish to receive the paper copy, please email Irene or call the office and we will remove you from the paper copy only.

This does not affect the weekly e-news sent by the Media Arts team every Saturday with updates on weekly events and news articles from conference and other sources. The weekly e-news is a separate email from the Lakeviewer. You can subscribe by request on the website.

After much prayer and deliberation, I have decided to retire at the end of June 2021. As many of you know, Valerie retired in June 2020. Our plan had been for both of us to retire then, but in late 2019, God led me to continue another year. He was not releasing me for retirement yet.

Though, I thought it was for another reason, I believe God was planning how to help Lakeview through this season of Covid 19. That hold from God is now over even though we are still managing through this season. We have purchased a home and property in Cottonwood, AZ where we plan to relocate. This will place us between Flagstaff and Phoenix as we have family in both towns.

For those who may not be aware, we have an appointive process every year, so our appointment is one year at a time even though some pastors have been in a church for many years. The appointment process works through the bishop’s cabinet with the District Superintendent (Nancy Cushman) coordinating with the local Staff-Parish team. As they learn information, you will be informed as soon as possible.

Both Valerie and I give thanks to you for you are Lakeview and we have grown to love you deeply in these three years. We will have more to say on that in the near future.

With God’s grace and peace, much love,

~ Pastor John