LIVE STREAMING OF
SUNDAY WORSHIP

Join us this Sunday for Worship at 10:00 a.m. on our Facebook Page:
Clinton Heights
Lutheran Church.
The video will also be available to view later on
Vimeo. Use the link in the update to the right to access this weeks' worship service.

IN-PERSON WORSHIP
AND SUNDAY SCHOOL

All In-Person Worship and Christian Education opportunities have been suspended at this time until further notice.

Below are links that will allow you access to the past two weeks’ services. May it be a blessing to you during these times of waiting for God's healing to occur.

Sun. February 28, 2021
The Second Sunday iof Lent
https://vimeo.com/517798908

Wed. February 24, 2021
Mid-Week Lenten Devotion
https://vimeo.com/516182617

Sun. February 21, 2021
The First Sunday in Lent
https://vimeo.com/514944523

Read & View
Pastor Ralph's
Weekly Update
for
February 24, 2021

February 2021 Bellringer

UPCOMING EVENTS

15 Clinton Heights Ave.
Columbus, OH 43202
(614) 267-4991
(One block south of N Broadway on N. High St.)
Click here for a map

Welcome To Clinton Heights Lutheran Church

Updated 2-28-2021
11:30 AM

Hello Clinton Heights Family and Friends,

The Transition Task Force meeting just wrapped up and I want to share some decisions which came from that meeting:
The ELCA recently released, "Resuming Care-Filled Worship and Sacramental Life during a Pandemic" - a document that was produced by an ecumenical committee of worship and science professionals. In the document, three criteria were cited for congregations to gather safely for worship, both indoor and outdoor:

Indoor
A. The positivity rate for testing in the area/region is less than 5%.
B. The rate of new cases per day in the area/region is less than 10 in 100,000.
C. ICU beds are filled to less than 70% capacity in the area/region.

Outdoor
A. The positivity rate for testing in the area/region is less than 10%.
B. The rate of new cases per day in the area/region is less than 20 in 100,000.
C. ICU beds are filled to less than 80% capacity in the area/region.

We will base our decisions on resuming indoor and outdoor worship on these numbers as reported from local authorities for the Columbus Metropolitan Area. These numbers should hold steady for one to two weeks, based on the Task Force's discretion.

According to www.covidactnow.org here are the current figures for these three criteria:
A. Our positivity rate is currently 7.2%.
B. Rate of new cases per 100,000 is 18.8.
C. ICU beds are currently filled at 80% capacity.

What does this mean for us right now?
We will not resume indoor worship at this time. If the weather was better, we could resume outdoor worship. The Task Force will be meeting again in three weeks - on March 13 - to examine the criteria again, and to see if any changes are warranted based on the numbers in our area at that time.

We are also hoping to have outdoor worship experiences on Palm Sunday (March 28) and Easter Sunday (April 4). I will plan to video services for these two days and virtual worship plans will be made for Maundy Thursday and Good Friday as well.

My comments
Please keep the Task Force, Church Council, all of our congregation and me in your prayers. While we are hopeful that the trend of the numbers of new infections and hospitalizations will continue to go down, we also do not want to contribute to any spike or local outbreak by resuming too early. The entire Task Force is anxious to be back in person and recognizes that many folks in the congregation feel the same way. These decisions are difficult to make when, emotionally, we yearn to be together. Acting in love and out of concern for each other, though, is very important as we continue to recover from this once in a lifetime threat to our health and lives.

May God bless our congregation and may God bless you in the weeks and months to come.

Pastor Ralph Wolfe

Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 

The mission of Clinton Heights Lutheran Church is summed up in our initials - CHLC: Calling Hearts to the Living Christ. Through worship, Christian Education, fellowship and service, our church family is committed to reaching out to all who yearn to  experience God's presence in their lives. On the pages of this website, you will see much of the programmatic ministry that goes on within and outside of our walls, but what I have experienced is that the real strength of Clinton Heights is its people. We are a group of friendly, welcoming Christians, forgiven by the grace of God, eager to share the joy that we have experienced with others.

While our building may have a few confusing twists and turn, our mission to Call Hearts to the Living Christ is clear cut. Please know that you are welcome to join us for any and all of the activities and gatherings of our congregation, and may God bless you this day.
                                                 
 Pastor Ralph Wolfe