Embrace friends,
Greetings. I hope this message finds you well and safe. As your pastors, we know that there is currently much concern regarding Coronavirus and its associated illness, COVID-19. Perhaps you’ve been concerned about the well-being of loved ones, how much to participate in, and your own physical well-being. It is normal to feel concerned and we want you to take all necessary precautions. We also want you to recall two deeply held realities of our Christian faith and the decisions we make as a community are rooted in these truths. First, God cares deeply for you and will take care of this world. The psalmist reminds us that God is always with us, that God is our protector, and that we need not operate out of fear. Psalm 91:4-7 says:
He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that destroys at midday.
Secondly, Jesus tells us the most important commandments (Matthew 22:36-40) are to love God and love neighbor. Perhaps the best way that we can love our neighbor right now is to social distance ourselves from others as health officials have recommended. True love is sacrificing your desires for the sake of others, and in this case, keeping the infection rate down by taking prudent steps means less people will get COVID-19 and suffer the effects of it.
We have been thinking and praying about this, and wanted to at least provide a provisional plan for what we are looking to do as a church moving forward through this season. First off, ALL CHURCH IN-PERSON GATHERINGS ARE CANCELED THIS WEEK, INCLUDING DINNER ON SUNDAY 3/22. This includes:
- Spiritual Formation group on Tuesday the 17th
- Chad’s public office hours on Wednesday the 18th
- Sunday dinner gathering on the 22nd
The Leadership Team meeting scheduled on Thursday the 19th will still take place virtually. We are working on making this an online meeting. If you are not on the Leadership Team and wish to participate, please let Chad know so he can get the connection information to you.
We also know that people were created to be in communion with God and in community with one another. Most churches are trying to figure out how to move forward. We plan to set up some digital resources and perhaps real-time activities that can take place over the phone or on a screen together, but we are not there yet. We hope to make you aware of these options as soon as they are ready. This might include a form of weekly devotional video as well as a time that we can all meet online to check-in and pray for needs.
We also want to be of assistance to each other. If you find you have any needs the church can help with during this time, including but not limited to loneliness, help shopping for groceries and prayers for yourself or friends, please also let Chad or Sam know so that we can find ways to mobilize the church to help as God’s hands and feet.
Finally, in this season, as our in-person meetings are diminishing, please consider giving online at https://commcovch.churchcenter.com/giving.
May you find peace in God,
Pastors Chad and Sam
