3/14/20
As pastors, we have been praying and discussing the wisest course of action to take in our Sunday gatherings due to the spread of the coronavirus across our world and nation. We have decided to take the following steps to prevent possible spread to those most at risk in our community:
1) We will be gathering tomorrow (March 15th) at our normal time for an abbreviated time to pray together, sing together, and listen to the preached Word; however, we will not be having Sunday School or participating in the Lord’s Supper.
Additionally, we recommend that those of you who are in the higher risk category for this illness--those of you who are a) senior citizens and/or b) have pre-existing health problems to NOT attend tomorrow’s gathering.
2) Furthermore, beginning on Sunday, March 22nd we have decided to cancel all our normal Sunday gatherings until Easter Sunday. Therefore after tomorrow, we will not gather together again until April 12th when we will celebrate the sin-forgiving, death-defeating, satan-conquering resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth.
3) We are discussing other plans of how we can serve you at this time, and we will be communicating more tomorrow and also using digital means to do so in the coming days.
4) God has been preparing us for these times. God graciously designed for us as a local church to be in the book of Ecclesiastes at this present moment. Sunday after Sunday we have been reminded of our mortality and God’s sovereignty. We have been learning how to respond to the difficulties of life under the sun by enjoying God’s good gifts and entrusting ourselves to him above all else. What a wonderful time for us to put into practice what we have been hearing and not to give in to fear but to live in hope. To paraphrase the old catechism: “What is our only hope in life and death? That we belong to God and to our Savior Jesus Christ.”
We love you.
Bob, Brad, Ted, Alan, and BJ