ESUMC News­let­ter

Dear friends in Christ,

Greetings and peace to you all! At long last, the summer heat has finally abated, and the cool air and autumnal colors have arrived. We give thanks to God for the start of this new season, and for the fresh blessings that have come upon us, our loved ones, and our congregation.

With the turn of every new season comes change, and in this moment we have a significant change in our community. As some of you may be aware, early this week a fault was discovered in the ceiling of our church sanctuary. Repair works are now underway, which has led to the temporary closure of our church sanctuary. At present, we are not exactly sure how long the sanctuary will be inaccessible, but we have been told to expect that the repair work could take about two to three months. The repair and renovation shall be coordinated and supervised by the property management office of the UMC in Austria.

In light of this development, we have made arrangements for our congregation to gather every Sunday morning at 11:15 in the fellowship area on the first floor of our church building. As you enter from the street into the church, our ushers will guide you to this temporary worship space. Sunday School for children shall continue every Sunday as usual, and Coffee Hour Fellowship will be held in the downstairs fellowship area following worship.

Unfortunately, the online worship livestream will not be available this Sunday 29 September. We hope to have the livestream available again soon. Also, this development will impact our plan to celebrate Harvest Festival on Sunday 20 October. I will keep the congregation updated regarding this important event.

On behalf of our Church Council, I thank you for your understanding and support. As we shall be sharing these common spaces with our friends from the German-speaking congregation, we appreciate the patience and flexibility of both communities. I look forward to gathering with you in this more intimate space, as we continue our mission of loving and serving God and others.

Yours in Christ, Pastor John