Grace and Peace to You from Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
I’m coming to you today, Father’s Day, in a new format. Many of you know that over the past few months I have, with the help of members of the Church Council, our administrative assistant Patrick, my son Mark, and a number of other members of the congregation, been striving to find new ways to reach our congregation and others in the community while we navigate the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.
One of those ways has been to do video devotions and worship brought to you on Facebook and YouTube. Another new way in which we’re trying to reach you and the broader community is a new website, created by Mark K. & Patrick C., that is still in progress. This site, which easier to update, has tools that will allow us to reach further, an important addition to our ministry as we grow online. The new site will ultimately help newcomers to find Saint Paul online.
One thing we’ve done that HASN’T been online is our Drive-In Worship. We’ve evolved over the weeks, from a small toy bullhorn to a larger, more powerful megaphone donated by parishioners. This week we went high-tech, with a new FM radio transmitter that allowed us to broadcast far over the airwaves—over 1500 feet! All wanting to listen can tune-in and listen on FM 92.1. But it’s not without some hiccups, but the feedback in general has been positive so far. Pastor enjoys giving his arm a rest from the heavy bullhorn.
The funny story came during my testing of this new transmitter. Roughly an hour before worship began on Sunday, a passing motorist—later discovered to be a Methodist family—was dialing through their car’s radio and picked up our broadcasts. They decided to investigate so they drove by to check out why this odd minister is speaking to no one in an empty parking lot. It’s lucky they didn’t catch me warming up for my comedy hour or they may have driven in the other direction. My hope, however, is that by giving up the bullhorn for a bit to try new things, from our devotions, to the FM radio transmitter, to this new site and blog, we may be able to reach further than before.
In the coming days and weeks, I hope to update you with more stories and thoughts outside the devotions. In addition to better communicate in what I’ve been conducting behind the scenes during these difficult times.
If you are in need or just want to keep in contact, please don’t hesitate to call or email me.
I will be always be in touch.
Take Care, God Bless, and Happy Father’s Day,
Pastor Frank
