Restarting the Kessler4Methodist Program

by Rev. Eric Folkerth

In our efforts to continue to serve our mission field and respond to the pandemic, we are restarting our “Kessler4Methodist” program.

You hopefully recall that this was our effort to support the grossly overworked healthcare workers at Methodist Hospital Dallas as they heroically respond to the Covid Pandemic.

There are three easy ways for you to be involved:

1) Contribute “Care Package” snacks for the healthcare workers.
We invite you to contribute snacks that will be delivered to the hospital staff as they work long shifts. (This project is in conjunction with the Pastoral Care office of Methodist Dallas)

2) Write Supportive Cards to healthcare workers
We will also collect short, handwritten cards of support for the workers at Methodist. We have gotten feedback that these cards were immensely encouraging to the healthcare staff, and so we encourage you to consider writing cards.

3) Make a financial contribution to the cause (info below…)

Very soon, collection boxes for these items will again be placed in the Narthex of our Sanctuary (just inside the 1215 doors) and inside the Parking Lot entrance (North side) of the building. Feel free to drop off your donations to the cause there.

If you would like to simply contribute funds to this effort, you may give a financial contribution HERE. (Please denote “Kessler4Methodist” in the comment section)

100% of financial contributions goes toward the purchase of additional snacks for the care packages in bulk. (In fact, your continuing generosity to this cause means that we will in fact be able to purchase an initial round of snacks for the Methodist Hospital staff using funds already received).

I know that NONE OF US wants to be here right now. As you recall, we just *shut down* “Kessler4Methodist” a month ago. It’s almost unfathomable to me that we are again dealing with this so soon.

But I ask you consider that no collective group of responders is bearing more of the brunt of this crisis than healthcare workers. They are overworked and over-taxed. They are already suffering from the trauma of last year’s pandemic, and now our society is asking them to step up again.

Please pray for their safety and for their mental and spiritual health as they deal with the Delta Variant wave. And please consider participating in “Kessler4Methodist.”

I know you join me in agreement that this project is a part of serving our mission field and that even in the midst of our own frustrations at the Delta Variant surge, we are grateful to be able to help in this small way.

Grace and Peace,
Eric Folkerth

Hellos and Goodbyes

by Rev. Eric Folkerth

Even in the midst of a Delta Variant surge, we continue to try and engage in “normal” ministries. This morning, I’m writing this from Davis Street Coffee. It’s my first time here in more than a year, meeting with a visitor to KPUMC. 

And I met with another church member in the office yesterday. It feels good to do small, normal things in the midst of this continued craziness.

Which leads me to say, if you’ve been interested in connecting over coffee or lunch, please don’t hesitate to call. I’d love to set up a time soon.

The news of the week is about Troy’s departure. As I’m sure you’ve heard by now, Troy Doucet leaves for Florida —and a new ministry job— early next week. We had a final staff lunch with him at Trinity Groves yesterday.

We have begun the search for his replacement and will continue to post the job and accept resumes, then conduct some interviews and hire a replacement. A hybrid interview team —made up of Staff Parish Committee members, and Youth Ministry stakeholders— will do the interviewing. So, stay tuned and pray for our process please.

As the Church, we are always both welcoming and saying our goodbyes. We’ve welcomed three new members in recent weeks and are likely to have more soon. But modern life is such that we always have folks whose path will lead them elsewhere. And so it is that in the Church we ritualize our “hellos” (church membership) and our “goodbyes” (sending prayers).

I hope you’ll plan to be present Sunday as we see Troy off. We’ll end worship by praying a “sending prayer” for him and then we’ll have a short reception for him afterward. His entire family will be present as we say our goodbyes.

I’m grateful for the gifts that Troy has brought to us during his time at Kessler Park. I will forever remember him as an important part of our team during this truly unique year of “virtual church.” We will all carry stories of the year with us, where ever we go from here.

He leaves a part of himself with us, and he takes a part of us with him.

Hope to see you Sunday.

Grace and Peace,
Eric Folkerth

Masking Up Once Again

by Rev. Eric Folkerth

After consulting with our Trustees and Staff, we will return to a mask requirement for all people, during worship and other in-person events at Kessler Park UMC.

I didn’t want to have to write these words to you today, and I’m confident you don’t want to have to hear them. If you’re anything like me, you’ve spent much of the past week dreading this very news.

But, here it is. And in the effort to be both consistent and safe, we will make this change, effective immediately.

Throughout this past year, we’ve tried to be as clear as we can that we will follow CDC guidelines related to COVID-19. The new guidelines recommend masks for *all persons* for anyone in a “hot spot” area. Dallas County is currently considered one of those areas based on the data.

And so, we invite you to do the following:
— Even if you are vaccinated, please wear a mask at all KPUMC in-person functions.
— If you are concerned about transmission, please consider staying home and watching our livestream.
— If you are unvaccinated and eligible, PLEASE get your shot today. And please stay home and limit your contact with others until you do.

Some might even question whether or not we should continue in-person worship at this time. There are rational reasons to believe that continuing in-person worship is still reasonable:

First, the anecdotal sense that the vast majority of our members are vaccinated.
Second, the factual data that more than 80% of our zip code is vaccinated.
Third, the reasonable assumption that some of you may well now self-select to stay home in your own desire to be cautious.

Again —and I can’t stress this enough— we will continue to livestream worship for the foreseeable future. (In fact, we’ve just upgraded our livestream camera this week!) So, if you are at all concerned, please feel free to worship via livestream.

We will continue our “plans” for more in-person events —possibly outside gatherings— once things cool off a bit. But we will make this change for indoor events, for now, and prayerfully ask your participation.

I must say, I HATE writing this to you.
I returned from a renewing vacation last week, full of excitement about planning for our “return to normal” Fall. Having been fairly off the grid in Big Bend Country, I hadn’t been following the news much until we got to staff meeting and started talking over what was likely coming.

It hit me like a ton of bricks. I was *super* depressed most of last week as I dreaded this moment today. I think it’d be fair to say that the whole staff was fairly solemn last week as we meditated on all of this.

But, by yesterday’s meeting, the announcement had been made, and our Trustees and Staff knew what we had to do. “It is what it is,” and we realize that this affects us all.

Perhaps you are still somewhere along this same path. Perhaps you are angry at the unvaccinated. Perhaps you are fearful for those in your family —including children— who are still not eligible. 

Just know that you are not alone. We are all in this boat together, and while this feels like a setback, we will do what we can to keep the boat safe. In fact, for those of you who *are* vaccinated, I’d suggest that you’re being asked to do the most self-LESS thing yet. The data is that vaccinated persons are not dying, except for a few with pre-existing conditions. 

Therefore, in choosing to “mask up” again,  you are selflessly protecting even those who perhaps won’t protect themselves.

I’m reminded of Rev. Dr. Zan Holmes’ reading of the “Parable of the Good Samaritan.” Zan points out that Biblical scholars have now understood that the road from Jerusalem to Jericho —the road the unwitting Jewish travelers were taking— was KNOWN as a place where bandits and thieves worked.

It was probably UN-safe for him to be traveling alone, and he was probably warned of this before the journey. (In fact, Zan suggests that perhaps these bandits went down the road and set up again…eventually attacking the three folks who walked by!)

Perhaps the three religious leaders pass by the wounded man because they think, “He deserves what he gets for traveling by himself…”

We might say this about the unvaccinated today.

But the Samaritan has compassion, even for the man who has apparently put himself at risk. 

To be clear, I don’t always have this level of compassion myself. As I write these words, I’m beyond angry, frustrated, and tired with those who can, but won’t, get vaccinated.

But I also hear this call to an unconditional love of even those who won’t keep themselves safe. And I invite you to consider that this is the deepest, and most profound, level of Jesus’ calling to us to “love our neighbor.”

Thank you for your patience and for your continued support for KPUMC in this time.

And please continue to urge the unvaccinated to get their shots and to pray for all those affected by this surge today.

Grace and Peace,
Eric Folkerth