Weekly pandemic update from Mitch

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I pray that you are all well and safe. Lately I have been hearing a lot about COVID fatigue, which seems to manifest itself primarily in two places. Like ambient light fills a room, the first place COVID fatigue manifests itself is in a general sense of tiredness that comes from living in the midst of the ambient stress of a pandemic that permeates every aspect of our lives. Going to the grocery store, e-learning, regular learning, family functions -- all now require extra thought and extra considerations. It's tiring, and if you have felt yourself being more tired as of late, please know you are not alone. Personally, I know Denise and I have felt it, and I have listened to many others who have felt the same thing. There is added stress. Added stress can be hard. Hard is tiring. 

The second-place COVID fatigue seems to be manifesting is in a relaxing of rules. I've heard some say, "We can't live like this forever," or "I have had enough." These folks are the people you see who constantly drop their mask below their nose, or wear them around their necks. Despite COVID numbers rising, these folks are determined to live like "normal." To them,

I want to say, "I want to live like normal too, but I believe the safest and fastest way to eradicate this disease is by listening to the doctors and scientists." Our faith says, "Love your neighbor as yourself." During COVID, loving your neighbor as yourself means wearing a mask. It means sacrifice. 

To keep you safe, every member of St. Martin's program staff will be tested monthly on a staggered basis so that each week a core member of our staff will be tested. We are doing this in order to follow CDC guidelines and in order to keep you safe. It's just one of the ways we are trying to love our church. We are also looking into how we can use the U-Drive as a Forest Acres drive-up testing site. Our goal is to make it as easy as possible for our members and our neighbors to be tested regularly.

COVID fatigue is real, but we are fighting something that does not get tired. It is a disease that knows no feelings. It's important to keep your guard up. It is also important for us as a church to emulate the Good Shepherd, who works to keep the flock safe.

In Christ,

Mitch+