Holy Spirit Lutheran Church

Grace and Peace Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

We have been living with the reality of a global pandemic for months. It has affected almost everything we do including worship, ministry programming, and general administration of the church. In conjunction with many other congregations throughout the ELCA and the suggestion of Southeast Michigan Synod Bishop Kreiss, we have been on a fast from Holy Communion all through the season of Lent and Easter. During this time, pastoral leaders throughout the synod have been meeting weekly via Zoom to discuss this and other practical concerns related to ministry during the pandemic. And what we have heard and shared are stories of congregations adapting and trying new approaches to ministry.

This adaptation seems especially appropriate as we approach the Day of Pentecost. In Acts 2:4 Luke writes, “All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.” It was on Pentecost that the Holy Spirit started doing new things among the disciples, and so, after discussion and agreement, the HSLC council and staff believe Pentecost is a fitting day to celebrate how the Holy Spirit continues to do new things among us by celebrating Holy Communion as a part of our livestream worship.

To be clear, receiving Holy Communion outside of worship in the church building is not without precedent. From its earliest days, the church has distributed Holy Communion to those who were not able to gather with the assembly as part of worship on Sunday. And under normal circumstances at Holy Spirit, we include a prayer for the “Sending of Communion” to those who are homebound each month. What is unique is the reality that the entire assembly is “homebound” but still connected as a worshiping community via technology. So with this in mind, we plan to celebrate Holy Communion at the end of the Pentecost livestream liturgy.

To continue reading the full text of the letter, click here.  The letter answers some common questions that members may have.

On Saturday, May 16, Holy Spirit will resume its annual food distributions on the third Saturday of each month, May through October.  The May distribution will begin by 9:00am, so we advise you to arrive in advance as food will be distributed on a "first come, first served basis."  Because of the stay-at-home order, please note there will be NO access to the building for restroom facilities, and no refreshments will be served.  We encourage recipients to bring a mask to wear when they drive up to receive food for their safety and for the safety of volunteers (who will also be required to wear a mask).  Food will distributed in our normal drive-up process.

Even though we have had to temporarily suspend our worship to do our part to keep our community safe and healthy, you can still worship with us online by clicking on our Facebook or YouTube buttons to the left or on the links below: 
The Holy Spirit YouTube Channel

The Holy Spirit Facebook Page

We normally go live at 10:00am on Sunday mornings.

Click on this link to Pr. Nathan's Blog for a more detailed update regarding HSLC building operations in response to Governor Whitmer's "Stay at Home" Executive Order.   In order to abide by the Executive Order, only identified essential personnel for daily operations will be on site and only for as long as needed to complete essential operations.  All other work will be done remotely.  Please contact staff or council members with any questions.  

Please click HERE to view the letter from the Church Council and Pastor Nathan to learn how HSLC will be handling events and worship over the next serval weeks.