Center Grove Family and Friends:

I pray this note finds each of you well. This week, I simply want to use this opportunity to encourage those who have not yet had the COVID-19 vaccine to make an appointment to take it as soon as possible. On April 5th, all individuals in the state of Alabama age 16 and older became eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. For more information about the vaccine and where to register, visit the website of the Alabama Department of Public Health (https://alcovidvaccine.gov). If you need assistance, please feel free to contact our church office (church.office@centergroveumc.org or 256-851-6223) and we will help point you in the right direction.

This has certainly been a difficult year for so many of us; however, we see glimpses of hope around us. On this weekend, I was able to gather a small group of family members at my home and felt very comfortable knowing that not only were we protected by the love and grace of God, but each of us had gone to take the COVID-19 vaccine to add an extra, and extremely important layer of safety and protection for one another.

As Christians, who choose to live out our faith as United Methodists, we believe that faith and science go hand-in-hand. God has gifted us with so many extraordinary health professionals in our community who have the wisdom and knowledge to provide us with the best healthcare possible. Many of these individuals have risked their own lives during the pandemic to ensure that our communities are safe. And for them, we give thanks to God! Therefore, it is our job to encourage one another to take appropriate steps to protect ourselves and one another. Simply put, I hope you will join me in trusting that God is at work in the world to work things out for our good.

Each day someone asks me: “When are we coming back to in-person service?” I honestly feel that we are making steps in the right direction and I look forward to the day we return with great rejoicing. In the next few weeks, our Center Grove Church Reopening Team will give us an update on where we are as it relates to our church reopening process. Let us continue to pray for our community, our church, and our leaders (especially, the Senior Pastor) that God will give us the wisdom we need to ensure we make the right decisions in this season.

The future looks bright!

Grateful to be your pastor,

Pastor Cowser