Hello RMC,
I just received word from John Dorhauer that General Synod 33, set for Kansas City in the summer of 2021, has been rescheduled for an online experience, no longer an in-person gathering. Of course, this is due to the presence of COVID-19, and the decision was made out of an abundance of caution for the people of our church and communities.
I know this comes as disappointing news to many, including myself, and yet, when John asked the Council of Conference Ministers last week what was our disposition toward an in-person meeting, I was among those concerned about large gatherings — as I have voiced time and again in other Conference communiques, until there is a readily available and reliable treatment, or until there is a widely available vaccine, I believe large gatherings are too risky.
Synod 23 will still be conducted as an electronic gathering, and the Synod delegates the Conference has elected in prior years, and some additional delegates to be elected at our Annual Celebration this summer, will be notified under separate correspondence how that meeting will occur.
It’s been a tough year; some quip on social media that we should just return it and get our money back. I sure wish it were that easy. And I once again want to bring a moment of hope — my grandparents on my father’s side birthed three of their six children during the Spanish Flu — and they survived; had they not, I wouldn’t be writing to you today. We are all made of sturdier stock than perhaps we have been given credit in the past — but now that we are being tested, let us know that working together and working wisely, we will make it through this challenge, too.
Praying you the best of Christian perseverance and endurance, and bless you all
–Sue