PAN – dem – IC

PAN – dem – IC

I found myself edging toward a panic mode this week … not actually to the point of having “wild unthinking behavior” but becoming stagnant while looking at all that needed to be done in a very short period of time. Of Course, the longer I hesitated, the less time I had to accomplish those things, while that list of things was not getting any shorter. In that light I guess I should more realistically admit that my stagnation was wild unthinking behavior – or, better yet, wild overthinking non-behavior!

Richard MacArthur

Richard MacArthur

On Tuesday, January 19, 2021, Richard MacArthur, loving husband and father, passed away at the age of 87. In 1963, he was married, and together with his wife, raised four children. He received his law degree from Detroit College of Law in 1962 and practiced workers’ compensation and asbestos litigation law for 58 years, practicing the last 28 years with his son.

VAC’ … 1, 2, 3

VAC’ … 1, 2, 3

We arrived at Meijer’s yesterday afternoon, ten minutes prior to our 3:45 appointment, and the line extended to the back of the store. There we met a friendly employee putting blue tape on the floor to be sure that everyone in the ever-extending line stayed six feet apart. The line moved quickly, and each new worker we met seemed to be friendlier than the last. The system was very efficient … before we knew it, we had filled out the form, given them our medical ID, and were meeting the “needler”. I asked her to let me know when I would be getting the vaccine – and her reply was, “We are all done – you can move to the next chair for 15 minutes to be safe, and then head out.” I had not even felt the COVID vaccine needle enter into my arm!

Pastoral Care, 2020 Style

Pastoral Care, 2020 Style

In 2020, pastors found ways to care for their members responsively, creatively, and faithfully. The following is one way a Michigan District pastor found to do just that during Holy Week and beyond. Rev. Mark Hetzner has been a pastor at St. Thomas, Eastpointe for 25 years. One of the blessings of his longevity is that he is fairly familiar with the congregation’s constituency. The following is an account of St. Thomas’ journey in 2020.