Like many of you, I’ve been following the Covid-19 news pretty closely. I should say right up front that I’m not an alarmist. In the months prior to Y2K I did not stock up on food, water, gasoline or ammunition (although I knew people who did all of the above). As Christ followers, I do not believe we are meant to live in fear. We live in the love of Christ, and perfect love casts out fear.
But I do believe there is a difference between being fearful and being wise. So I have been thinking about, praying about, what is the wise response to this coronavirus situation as it begins to work it’s way into our region. How should we respond as a church? Are there things we should do differently? What is the wise response?
Don’t forget your devotions! Let’s make this a season of growth as we head towards Easter.
As the situation develops, I think it is very likely the level of appropriate response may change. But I believe the place to begin is precaution. Here are a few thoughts:
· Wash your hands regularly, particularly when you are in a public space. We will have extra hand sanitizer available at all campuses.
· It would be wise to limit physical contact. This is going to be a tough one for me, but it would probably be best, for the immediate future, to greet people with a big smile, but not necessarily a handshake or hug.
· Monitor yourself. If you are coming down with something, or if you are health compromised in a way that would make you vulnerable, join us via livestream. We livestream all three campuses on Facebook. We are adding direct links to the front page of our website. www.rock-church.org.
· Regarding communion, it is already our practice that all of our communion servers wash/sanitize their hands just before serving. Additional, we are going to begin using individual cups rather than sharing a common cup.
We want our Rock Church family to know that we are taking proactive steps to do what we can to limit the spread of Covid-19. We will not give in to a spirit of fear, but we do want to be wise.
On a personal note, if you follow me on social media you may know that today Nicole and I met with her doctor as a follow up to her CT scan. Rather than have a hundred individual conversations, I thought I would share an update here. The scan does show a reduction in the size of tumors on her liver. However, there is still a need for ongoing “maintenance” chemo. She will be taking a month off from the chemo treatments and then beginning again after Easter. We thank you for your ongoing prayers.
God Bless,
Pastor Steve