Melissa Podruchny, Minot

Lloyd Omdahl,

I am the secretary at the Minot Congregational United Church of Christ. I just read your (Nov. 21-22) weekend article in the Minot Daily News entitled “A COVID-19 Message for the Clergy.” While I couldn’t agree more with most of what you had to say, I also feel that the article left little room for nuance. I am writing you today to declare that we are that nuance. We have been uploading our services to YouTube each week for our members and others to “attend” church safely from home since March.

Our minister and church council believe that even one preventable death is too many and would rather stay apart until the pandemic is under control so that when we can safely congregate in our church again, everyone will be able to return. Our church is the people, not the building, after all. It is unfortunate that many have fallen prey to the myth that churches must physically gather in order to commune with God. Our pastor has demonstrated how participants can do just about everything from home that they would normally do in the sanctuary, including the sacrament of Holy Communion. He blesses the elements (whether bread, crackers, or less traditional options like cookies) they have pulled from their kitchen cabinet and they are able to serve each other in their own homes. God is not bound to a building, but to people. God is omnipresent. As stated in Joshua 1:9, “…the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Perhaps some believers just need a reminder that God cannot be defined by our narrative, but rather that we should be defined by God’s narrative.

One verse I have heard Pastor Rick reference often since March is Matthew 25:35-40. The last line of the verse is quite revealing: “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” This falls right in line with one of the greatest commandments we, as Christians, are called to follow: to love our neighbors as ourselves. We adhere to this commandment by socially distancing ourselves with online services and wearing masks when we are working in the office together. We do not need to be encapsulated by the constraints of a building when we are encapsulated with God’s unlimited love wherever we go. Our statistics show that our online services have even reached individuals outside of Minot. All are welcome to view our services under the “Worship Services” tab on our website at uccminot.org. We leave the judging to God.