I quit going to the gym when it was first shutdown during COVID and I haven’t been back since. It’s so easy to stop and very hard to resume. The spirit may be willing, but the flesh is weak.

It’s the same with attending church on Sunday morning. Although Eastrose didn’t skip a beat providing services—online—when we closed our doors due to the pandemic, many people stopped attending. It’s understandable: some folks just can’t relate to online anything, especially church services; children were the least interested of everyone. Bad enough that they had to attend online school; forget about online church!

Well, a lot has changed since those days. Now you have a choice of attending in person or watching the service on our YouTube channel every Sunday morning. We have been a lay-led congregation since Rev. Pomerantz retired last June, but the Eastrose Worship Team has engaged some wonderful Sunday speakers since then.

Also, last year Eastrose hired a Family Ministry Coordinator, Tara Toler, who works tirelessly to engage families with young children. She and Kathie Loveall provide children’s programming every Sunday. A large section of the chapel has been turned into a family-friendly space with stuffed animals, a small table and chairs for coloring, and other toys for the youngest attendees. It warms my heart to see the parents of the babies sitting back there on a Sunday and to once again sing the older children to their classes in the middle of the service.

Our music and visuals for services are the best in the area (I may be biased!) thanks to our dedicated music director Mary Reese and our AV team of Jon Netherton, Dakota Wright, and Phyllis Adams.

So, if you’re not attending church on Sunday, either in person or online, what’s preventing you? Are you just out of the habit? Come back and experience it now. I promise you won’t regret it.

Cynthia Hopkins
President, Eastrose Board of Trustees