We are in unprecedented times. With the almost daily press conferences and a constant barrage on social media, it would be easy to slip into fear. But I want to remind us that, as Christ followers, the perfect love of God casts out fear. As a church we want to be a part of the solution. So there are measures we will be taking over the next several weeks. I outlined all of it in a video on Facebook yesterday that you can see at this link. But here are the highlights:
This Sunday we will continue our “Real Jesus” series. Be sure to join us online!
Beginning this Sunday we will offer worship via live stream only. The service will stream live at 9:00 a.m. and then will be available for rebroadcast shortly after it's completion. For these first couple of weeks we encourage you to worship at home with your family online. My hope is that after this 15-day intensive period that the CDC has called for, we can begin to offer some home church gatherings. This will be an interim step before we are able to come back together as a whole church. If you think you might be interested in hosting a small group at your home for worship, please email me and let me know.
At least for the next couple of weeks life groups will not be meeting in person. However there are some great digital tools that we would encourage you to use to continue to meet as a group online. For more information about this, please reach out to our lifegroup leaders Ed and Sherry Lucia. There will be no GROW monthly women's gathering in March, nor will we do First Monday for men in April.
My hope is that during this time of community crisis the church can be the hands and feet of Christ in some wonderful and specific ways. One area of need where we hope to bring assistance is families with children. With the school closures, children are home for the next several weeks. We know that many of these children rely on school lunches. So we are developing a plan to provide food and snack packs for kids. If you would like to help with that, rather than having people go to the store and then bring it to the church, we are simply inviting you to make a financial donation. This will allow us to purchase supplies in bulk. If you'd like to make a gift towards that, go to www.rockgiving.org and make a donation on the care ministry line.
During this difficult time we also want to be sure that our elderly and those with other medical conditions are cared for. We are developing a list of people who are willing to check in on some of our older church members and community residents. If you would like to help with that, please email me.
Most of all, I would encourage us not to give in to a spirit of fear. Now is the time for Christ followers to rise up with words of hope and encouragement for our community. Find ways to watch over those around you. Bring a message of peace and love. Help people know that God is still watching over us and that we will make it through this together. Please know that I am praying for all of you.
God Bless,
Pastor Steve