19 Mar The Church is Open

I don’t want this to be the Coronavirus Channel 24/7, but it’s the forefront of all our minds right now. And it’s our minds that I’m really concerned about.

Jesus told his followers “do not worry about tomorrow” because “your heavenly Father knows you need these things.” Jesus was talking about daily provisions. This realization has become even more important in light of potential shortages of goods and services, and as people stock up and panic buy.

As I’ve told our church numerous times, we are still the church even we’re not together. During this pandemic and season of social distancing, numerous churches are making the difficult choice of canceling activities. We are doing this also. But, it’s important to recognize that the church isn’t closed. There’s a difference between canceling activities and closing the church.

I’ve heard this a few times: “How long is the church going to be closed?” I’m a theologian of sorts, and making the case that the church is not closed is significant. This is more than a distinction without a difference. Jesus said that the “gates of hell would not prevail it (church). I think that would include a virus that is creating havoc, illness, and sometimes death.

Our church will remain OPEN! We are making changes to how we do things. One of the best ways to describe what’s going on is that we are “building the plane as we fly it.” So, please know that the body of Christ is open and will remain open until Jesus comes back for us.

The Center for Disease Control has provided guidelines for groups in terms of how many can be together at one time. As much as possible, I want us to observe these as members of a community that we know and love. What this means, however, is that we are learning more about what we can do during this unexpected season which has brought us to a standstill.

I went into more detail about where we are and what we’re doing as a church on Wednesday night. You can go to our Facebook page as I did a livestream broadcast last Wednesday, and it’s still on our church Facebook page.

We are looking to stay connected as much as possible. One way this is going to happen is by livestreaming on Wednesdays at 6:30 am and Sundays at 10:00 am. Join us there if you can, and stay encouraged!