LAFAYETTE CHRISTIAN CHURCH

Beloved Church,

Grace to you, and peace, in God our lifegiver, Christ our brother-Savior, and the living Holy Spirit which sustains us.

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I’m writing to you with an update regarding my health and especially my voice. Many of you know that I suffered a long-lasting cold in late September through the first half of October. That viral infection has now resolved, but it caused a persistent laryngitis that is lingering long past anything I could’ve expected. Over the last two weeks, I have practiced extreme vocal rest – several days of total silence followed by brief speaking sessions with hours of silence in between. I then scaled up to speaking at small groups, and was encouraged with my progress, but then I had a setback from overuse (mostly related to casual conversation at home with my family whom I miss so much).

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At this point, I am concerned about deeper damage to my vocal tissues. I’ve asked my doctor for a referral to an ENT to assess. I’ve been advised to strictly limit any speaking until an ENT can evaluate my throat and advise me on a safe recovery and reentry plan without doing further damage. This Sunday, Nathan will be preaching my sermon again – she did such a great job last time! Much of this sermon is prayerful, and I want you all to know that I am on the sidelines, listening to my words from her mouth, and praying every piece of that prayer with all my heart. Sadly, I won’t be chatting before or after service. I want everyone to know that this is not a slight, but a medically advised measure of safety for recovery. I plan to attend our small groups, which have just begun, but I’ll be limiting my verbal participation. Beyond worship and those small groups, I am rescheduling and postponing meetings as much as possible over the next week or two.

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I want you all to know that I am still here. I am still your pastor, even through all of this. I miss our conversations and casual interactions so dearly – and I am praying for and with you, silently and persistently. If you have a pastoral care concern you want to discuss with me, please reach out. We can meet about those things. I will limit my verbal responses, and I can still listen, nod, pray, and even type or handwrite some responses when necessary. (Perhaps I will be an even better listener with this condition!) My office is not closed – as always, you are most welcome.

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My calendar is lighter from these postponed meetings – and I am using that time to work ahead on the parts of my job that I can do silently. I’m worship planning, researching, sermon-prepping, and planning programming that we can work to incorporate and put into action once I am back to my fully speaking self. I hope earnestly to be back in the pulpit on November 2. I will keep you all posted regarding updates and my healing timeline once I am able to see the ENT and put a plan in place. In the meantime, I covet your prayers. This is a lonely time for me, and it’s especially hard on Junia who doesn’t really understand why I’m not talking to her the way I normally would. Please pray for me, as I do for thee.

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You are so loved. I’m so deeply committed to this work, this church. My voice may be gone, but my prayers are constant. Thank you so much for your grace and understanding.

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Peace –
Rev. Remi Shores