Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
After meeting with the Consistory and staff, I want you to know we are doing our best to stay informed on the current threat of the coronavirus, its effects, and the anxiety it’s producing in our community and around the world. And while we firmly believe that God’s perfect love drives out all fear and leads us to a place we can fully trust him with our lives and future, we also want to be wise in how we share community life in the midst of this potentially critical situation. We also have a responsibility to be mindful of each other’s well-being.
As of now, we plan on gathering for worship Sunday morning and the nursery will still be available for your convenience. We plan to have Sunday School and will keep you posted about Pioneer Club and youth groups that meet on Wednesday night. That being said, we are encouraging you to refrain from hand to hand contact, and we also want to encourage those who might have compromised immune systems to feel free to stay home and join us online. And as is always the case, if you have been sick, please make sure you are well before you join us.
As I shared in this week’s ARChive article, while there’s no sense in being careless, it’s trials like this that reveal what we believe about God’s sovereign rule in our lives and in our world. While there are so many good verses to claim at this time, I am claiming Galatians 2:20 as one of them, “My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
Grace to you and Peace,
Mike Altena