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Acts 1:8 ....and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

Tuesday, March 17, 2020

COVID-19 Virus Church Update

Emmanuel Baptist Church,

This call addresses our planed actions due to COVID-19.

Deciding what a church should do in such a public health event is complex. Complex for we are called to preach, teach, baptize, and serve as Jesus modeled. We are called to struggle with how to emulate Jesus' balance of kingdom, mission, and people.

The heart of Jesus' balance was, "What is best for this person and people?" Seeking to emulate Jesus' "What is best for people" balance, we will restructure our service functions.

Following national best practice guidance, we will suspend group gatherings for the next two weeks.

What would Jesus want us to do? He would want us to prevent the spread of illness, illness that can be dangerous to at-risk people.

What then does this mean for things like Worship, Choir Practice, giving, and even Easter activities?

Well, the future is only known by God; so, we do not know.

The real question may be, "How can we be the Church in this virus?"

Some suggestions:

1. Connect - Keep in contact with each other, your family, and friends. We can call, we can text, we can video chat.

2. Stay Active - Keep productivity busy. Take a walk. Work in your yard. Drive and take a hike. Organize your pantry. We can do useful things to make use of this time.

3. Engage - Find active positive sources of information. Caution: Turn off doom and gloom, fear and panicked reporting. This may mean taking a 2-day fast from Corona Virus reporting. Maybe watch the White House or Governor’s press conferences, then do something useful.

We can find ways to demonstrate Jesus' balance in this time. Remember, we are part of the family of God. Families care for each other.

If you have a need, issue, fear, or concern call. Call your deacon. Call the church. Call another church member.

It is my plan to keep the church open and maintain normal work hours. If out, feel free to visit - but not all at the same time.

Consider: "How can I be the Church in this virus?"

As we know more, think more, pray more we will share.

Blessings,

Pastor Garret

Full audio of message found here.

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