Last week our Director of Christian Education, Allison Shearouse, shared with us on staff a very insightful article entitled "Living in An Ice Age." (You can click the link here to read it.) What the author suggests is that when the pandemic first hit, most of us thought it would be like a blizzard. It would be something we all "hunkered down" to get through which would not last that long, and then things would return to normal. But as it dragged on, most of us realized this is not a blizzard-like event which will be over shortly and everything will return to normal.

Some have suggested it is more like a winter storm which is longer in duration. It may start with a blizzard, but like the season of winter, it requires making plans to adapt to the longer time-frame. For those of us in churches and schools, we are having to make plans based on what new things we are going to do in the fall -- between now and the end of the year.

However, there is also the thought that this may last even longer, like an ice age -- until the virus is tamed and vaccines are widely distributed and become effective. Like an ice age, this will be a very disruptive and life-changing event with things never really going back exactly to how they were before. Some suggest 12 to 18 months as a more realistic time-frame.

Churches and non-profits are encouraged to make plans given this new post-storm norm -- even though no one knows exactly what that is going to look like because of the ever-changing, fluid conditions. Next Monday night, our session will be looking at plans which consider these longer time frames. I would ask you to be in prayer for our session and our staff as we seek to discern God's will for the mission of our church in the coming months and years.

This week's message is called "The Post-Storm Norm." We will be looking at Paul's words of comfort and hope found in Romans 8:18-28. Come join us on campus for the Drive-In Worship at 9:30 a.m. or On-Line on our JCPC website!