Greetings! The following are the Announcements from Sunday May 2, 2021

1. Thank you from the family of Bill Zahner: “Dear Brothers, Sisters, and Friends, We wish to thank you all for the love shown to Bill and us over the years. We certainly were blessed by your kindness. May God continue to shower his blessings upon you. In His Love, Rick and Will Whitman, Wilma and John Foley, and Linda and Augie Leite."

2. Thank you from family of Sis Betty Gottier: “Dear friends and family, Words can not express how thankful we are for all the love and support we have received in caring for our mother (grandmother) Betty. Every visit, phone call, card, meal etc. was so uplifting to her. Sincerely, the Bazzano, Delaney, and Gottier families. 

3. Thank you from Sis Nancy Zahner: To our church family, Bro Scott and I would like to thank all for the food, flowers, cards and especially the prayers during my surgery and recuperation. We are blessed to be part of such a loving and supportive brotherhood. May God reward all kind deeds. 

4. Plans for next weekend:
- Memorandum will be Saturday evening at 7:00 here at church and will be available on zoom and ac central. The memorandum document will be available on our website and copies will be available here at church.
- The ordination service will be on Sunday afternoon at 1:00. We hope to hold the afternoon service outside but will see how the weather unfolds.
- To clarify - there are no plans for after the ordination service. 

5. Notes related to Sunday School: 

A.) There will be no Sunday School next Sunday, May 9th, as the ordination service will be the afternoon service.

B.) Beginning Sunday, May 16th, Sunday School will start in the main assembly area at 12:45 with singing and an opening prayer before classes are dismissed to their individual rooms. This will be our practice continuing forward and the online option will be discontinued.

C.) We are looking forward to the Sunday School picnic, which is planned for Saturday, June 12th, at the East Windsor Park. Everyone is welcome to attend.

6. Update on Re-opening: overall
a) Online Signup for services will be discontinued starting Sunday May 16.
b) We will continue to maintain a section on the sides for those desiring greater distancing.
c) We ask for your continued patience to endure for a bit longer, hold off on the handshake, and continue wearing masks. This is especially important this next weekend when our attendance is high and we have visitors from other congregations. 
d) We will be thinking through during May how and when to move towards no masks and greeting with a handshake. If you have perspectives we would welcome them and be glad to hear from you.

7. Our church sponsored Annual Red Cross Blood Drive will be held at Ellington Senior Center again this year - Monday, June 7 - 12:00-5:00.
Contact Sandy Koch to make an appointment to donate blood.