03|2020
This has been a crazy week with the COVID-19 virus impacting so many different aspects of our society. All this week we have been prayerfully asking God for wisdom regarding the best way for our church to continue to love God, each other, and our neighbors. With many policies being implemented by the school district and the state, some decisions are now out of our hands. We trust God’s sovereignty in this, however, in that it is His universe that He rules with wisdom and care, and the governmental authorities we submit to have also been instituted by God.
Here is my best attempt at a clear picture of where we are as a church, and what the next few weeks will look like for us:
1. We will have an abbreviated worship gathering this Sunday (3-15-20).We will still meet at Woodmen Hills Elementary School but for a simplified worship service. There will be no missio: Kids and no table group discussions. Instead we will meet for an hour to worship Jesus as our King, to partake of communion (from prepackaged, individually wrapped cups and wafers), to pray for our community and world, and to have a brief devotional from God’s Word.
2. It is important for the most vulnerable among us to remain safe. If you or a member of your family is in a high risk category (over 60, dealing with respiratory problems, or have been exposed to someone infected by COVID-19) please don’t put yourself in a potentially compromising situation. In situations like this we encourage you to follow the recommendations of qualified medical professionals.
3. We will have a livestream option for those unable to attend Sunday. If you choose not to attend this Sunday you can still gather with your church family thanks to the many modern blessings of technology. Here is the link to livestream Sundays gathering if you are unable to attend.
4. We will not meet at the school on March 22nd or 29th. The school district has decided to not allow access to any of their facilities between March 16th and March 30th. So, for at least those two Sundays we will develop a plan to move our entire worship gathering online. More info coming next week.
5. We are still in process of determining how to best care for our DCs amidst this situation. In the days ahead we will be in touch regarding our recommendations for our Discipleship Collectives. Your leader will be in touch with you soon.
6. This is not an obstacle, it’s an opportunity. We will talk more about this Sunday, but for now join us in praying that the Holy Spirit would give us insight into how we can best be a Gospel-witness to those in our community (neighbors, family, retail workers, etc.). Jesus’ church has endured many challenging circumstances and we can rest assured that the gates of hell will not overcome the Kingdom of Heaven. This may be uncharted territory for us as a society, but Jesus is King and we can rest in His care.
I hope to connect with you all soon (either in person or via technology!), in the meantime let’s keep praying, loving, and serving.
Love you guys,
Kolburt
