Weekly pandemic update from Mitch

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I hope and pray that you are safe and well. This past Sunday was a day of prayer and information sharing for St. Martin’s. Once again, thank you to Drs. Mayson and Tomlin for spending their time teaching us about COVID-19, the vaccines, and their rollout. The session was recorded. After some editing, we will share the video with the congregation. But before that, I wanted to share some of the takeaways that I found particularly helpful.

First, in full disclosure, both doctors have taken the vaccine and encourage everyone in our parish to do the same. I know that for some the sign up process has been hard or not as smooth as people had hoped. With that being said, stay patient, try, and if you need help, please reach out to the church. On this note, if you have time at home and are willing, please consider joining our group of vaccine-sign up volunteers.

My second take away is that the pandemic is going to get worse before it gets better. We have some hard weeks in front of us. I know this anecdotally in that I know five families in our parish currently dealing with COVID-19. Hospitals are full or nearly full. In the days ahead, please stay vigilant and careful. The advice at the beginning of this pandemic is the advice today. Wear your masks, wash you hands, and practice social distancing.

Finally, my third takeaway is this: While we may have longer to go, there is hope. The effectiveness of the vaccines is extremely high. If we each continue to do our part, we will see an end to this COVID-19 pandemic. If we hold tight to proper social distancing and we use the vaccines when they become available, we will make it through this.

Again, this week's panel discussion will be made available. Thank you to all who participated in it. May God’s blessing be on all of us as we navigate the weeks and months ahead.

In Christ,

Mitch+