This morning I engaged in one of my daily rituals and looked at the COVID-19 Key Indicators in King County to see what is happening with the infection rates. At the end of last week, the rate rose to 2000 cases per 100,000 residents, a staggering number when you consider that anything over 100 is considered HIGH transmission. Well, today, the rate had dropped down to 1,400. That’s still a shockingly high transmission rate, but in the past week the rate has dropped almost as steadily as it was rising last week.
Is this good news? I don’t really know. The rate is still high, but at least the trend is in a good direction. We have been through wave after wave of COVID variants, and this may not be the last, but at least we know how to function. We have a good system for offering live-streamed services and carefully moderated in-person worship. We are launching new adult Christian formation classes in a few weeks for Lent and Easter. Our Annual Meeting will run just fine as a virtual event, just as it did last year.
When you are in the surf, when wave after wave is coming in, you can fight the waves and you will find yourself tumbling and sputtering, or you can get up on the wave and surf. I still remember the rush of riding a big wave, crashing down the face and skimming the board up onto the sand. Surfing is better than fighting, so that’s what we’re doing with this pandemic.
Please continue to be careful, wear your mask, keep up with your vaccinations, and avoid exposure. We will keep offering our Sunday morning worship in person for the small congregation that is coming and online for the rest. We will offer classes and events online when we must and offer in-person options when possible. Let’s keep taking care of each other as we surf the COVID waves.