Register for Faith Camp 2021

December 29, 2020 by cfaulkner

FAITH CAMP 2021 – The Great Adventure
WEEK 1 – JULY 12-16, 2021
WEEK 2 – JULY 19-23, 2021
WEEK 3 – JULY 26-30, 2021

2021 Updated Registration Process:

January 1, 2021: Registration opens with 50 slots available per week. Any subsequent registrations will be placed on the waiting list.
March 1, 2021: Current COVID-19 trends will be evaluated, and more registration slots may become available. Any registrations on the waiting list will be officially registered, and the credit card on file will be charged the registration fee based on the date the registration was submitted.

When Will We Return to In-Person Worship?

November 22, 2020 by cfaulkner

A message from Pastor Kerry,

I encourage you all to read the document prepared by our Church Council regarding their thinking about the issues around returning to public worship. To that, I will offer this:

For 33 weeks in a row now there has been a weekly conference call with local leaders from the medical, governmental, and faith communities. As of today, here are the significant local numbers that were presented to us:

The transmission rate (Rt) is 1.08 (it needs to be below 1.)
The positivity rate is 5.5% (it needs to be below 5 for three straight weeks.)
Current 7 day rolling average of new cases is 866 and it has increased every week for the past 7 weeks (it needs to be decreasing for three straight weeks.)

The hospitalization rate has increased by 10% in the last week alone and officials at the Texas Medical Center expect the REAL PEAK to begin in the 2nd week of December and to continue into the new year.All of this means that the local metrics tell us that we are not planning to reopen public worship. On a personal level, the local situation is getting worse and all of us need to return to the practices that marked the beginning of the pandemic. Especially during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.

The lone bright spot on the horizon is that plans are already underway to make potential vaccines widely available as soon as possible. Realistically, that means that the majority of the general population will be able to receive a vaccine by June. Until then, we all need to pay special attention to the three W’s: Wear a mask in public, Wash your hands frequently, and Watch your distance when with others.

Personally, every part of me wants to create a very special way for us to celebrate Christmas Eve. We are considering all of the options available to us but we are very cognizant that one of those options is to do it virtually rather than publicly. Unless we see substantial changes in what the experts are currently predicting, we will continue to exercise extreme caution.

Why? Because we love one another. Because no one is expendable. Because we trust that the ties that bind us can reach us as we do all that is necessary to stay safe even as we keep others safe.

Join a Group!

November 22, 2020 by cfaulkner

Fall Learning Groups have begun! After online worship in English at 8:30 AM, stick around for virtual family learning at the end of worship around 9:30 AM (streamed at live.faithbellaire.org). Following that we will gather in our virtual Fellowship Hall at 9:45 AM (using Zoom). At 10:00 AM we offer several Learning Group options for children and adults (using Zoom). There will continue to be other opportunities for gathering online throughout the week. Click the buttons below to join a group.

Sunday:

(Password: Church)

Monday:

Tuesday:

Wednesday:

Thursday:

Saturday:

Surviving the Holidays

November 9, 2020 by cfaulkner

As we all know, the holidays can be a mixed blessing for many people. Especially those grieving the loss of loved ones or those struggling with the heartbreak of divorce. Pastor Kerry will be hosting several online events this month and next month to be helpful to those who are hurting.

“GriefShare: Surviving the Holidays” will happen on Sunday, November 15, from 5:00 – 6:30 PM and again on Wednesday, November 18, from 10:00 AM -12:00 PM. To participate, go to griefshare.com and put the church zip code, 77401, in the search box for Surviving the Holidays. Follow the links to register. There is no cost to register but you will be invited to purchase a booklet for $5 directly from GriefShare.

“DivorceCare: Surviving the Holidays” will happen on Wednesday, November 18, from 7:00 – 8:30 PM and again on Sunday, November 22, from 5:00 – 6:30 PM. To participate, go to d ivorcecare.com and put the church zip code, 77401, in the search box for Surviving the Holidays. Follow the links to register. There is no cost to register but you will be invited to purchase a booklet for $5 directly from DivorceCare.

We are looking forward to adding these learning experiences to what we do at Faith and hope some of you will participate. Also, feel free to forward this information to anyone else you know who might be anticipating the upcoming holiday season with a heavy heart.

Midweek Advent Worship

November 1, 2020 by cfaulkner

We will gather online for Midweek Advent worship on Wednesdays in December:

Wednesday, December 2
Wednesday, December 9
Wednesday, December 16
Wednesday, December 23

There are two opportunities for worship each Wednesday:

12:00 PM – Service of word, prayer, and song
- Join on live.faithbellaire.org or on Facebook
7:30 PM – Holden Evening Prayer
- Join on Zoom or on Facebook

Coronavirus Update – October 12

October 12, 2020 by cfaulkner

Faith Lutheran Coronavirus Update – Tuesday, October 12, 2020

From Pastor Kerry…

In July, not knowing what would happen with the virus in the near future, our Church Council made a decision. They would postpone reopening to public worship until, at least, November, and they would take the question back up again in October. We’re there now.

Tomorrow night, at the October Church Council meeting, we will re-visit the question of when we will re-open. All members of the congregation are welcome at church council meetings. We will begin the council meeting with a discussion about re-opening. If you want to be part of that conversation, click here and you can join our ZOOM meeting at 7:00 PM.

I have very mixed feelings. I miss seeing everyone. Just as much, as you all miss seeing each other. At the same time, I am aware that, when three of our congregations returned to worship, it resulted in all three pastors, and several of their members, getting infected with COVID 19. That hasn’t happened at Faith. The only possibility that it might would follow after we begin public worship. The numbers keep changing but the virus hasn’t gone away.

We will let you know what we decide. Meanwhile, life goes on. We are already making preparations for our November congregational meeting. It is scheduled now for November 8 at 10:00 AM and will be a virtual meeting on ZOOM. As in the past, there will be three pre-meetings on the Sundays before the annual meeting for conversation about next year’s budget.

Our Day School has been open for a month now. Our numbers are quite low as many parents are choosing to keep their children home. So far, so good, no one has gotten sick and the safety protocols we have in place are working.

May God continue to give us patience and strength as we do the best we can through these trying times.

1. Worship services continue to be available online. Everyone is invited to have Holy Communion AT HOME every Sunday.

As you prepare for Sunday worship, be sure to have some bread and wine or grape juice available. At the appropriate time, you will be invited to eat and drink with the words “The Body of Christ, broken for you” and “The blood of Christ, shed for you.”
Theologically, the heart of the “for you-ness” of Holy Communion is a shared, public, communal experience. But these are abnormal times, never before seen. We do well to make them as meaningful, and memorable, as possible.

2. MANY THANKS to those of you who have been shopping for the on-going CCSC Food Drive. During the Covid-19 crisis, CCSC food pantries have seen three times more than its normal numbers. Grocery donations from individuals and churches are very much needed since CCSC’s suppliers can’t meet the growing needs of its food pantries. Here’s a list of items that will help the most:

Bags with handles for packing groceries (paper, reusable, plastic)
Pasta
Hearty soups (with meat or beans)
Canned tuna or chicken
Boxed dry cereal
Canned vegetables (all types)
Canned fruit (all types)
Cleaning wipes
Toilet paper
Bar soap
Baby wipes/diapers (sizes 4, 5, and 6)

You may drop off non-perishable food donations at Faith – just text Pastor Kerry first (832-492-3858) to make sure that we can be ready to help you unload. Or you can bring them to CCSC at:

3230 Mercer St., Monday-Friday 9 a.m to 2 p.m., or
6856 Bellaire Blvd. Mondays and Tuesdays or Thursdays and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

3. The Prayer Team of Faith continues to pray for the needs and concerns of our congregation and the world in the midst of the coronavirus. To submit prayer requests click here to email Pastor Tan.

To see a full list of gatherings for this next week, click here.

Our pastors always have their cell phones with them (Pastor Kerry, 832-492-3858; Pastor Tan, 832-540-6802) and are always available for conversation and prayer. IF YOU NEED HELP, please let us know so we can do what we can. Stay safe and be well.

Trunk or Treat – October 31

October 12, 2020 by cfaulkner

In light of things being different this year because of COVID, we decided to have a little fun for Faith Families with safety protocols in place. To make sure this event is safe, we will be socially distanced, wear masks at all times, and limit participants to only church families. We need your help!!!

We need Trunks
We need Volunteers
We need CANDY! Can be dropped off in the bin by the gym.