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| (Redeemer) |
From the Elders of Redeemer to our beloved Church family:
On March 13th, 2020, Redeemer's elders met at 7 pm to pray and discern God's will for our church in light of the latest developments in our world due to the coronavirus. (The Piippos, the Bentleys, and a few others participated remotely).
We believe that it is God's will for us to gather this Sunday morning as a community to worship Jesus Christ.
We are also planning for a shorter service.
We recognize the risks of the exponential growth infections from the virus, especially for those vulnerable. We are thankful for our government's efforts to slow the spread of the virus. Defeating sickness is in line with the mission of Jesus, and we want to partner with that in every way that we are called to.
We are confident that our gathering is in line with the law, as we have been tracking our numbers, and can use our facilities to make accommodations, if necessary.
We are also taking precautions that are proportional to the risk of gathering as we understand them. We have hired a cleaning service, Core Tech, that will do a deep clean of our entire facility Saturday night--this will include a sanitizing spray in all common areas, used especially for the flu season.
We will have hand-sanitizer and extra tissues available. We will wipe down the door handles regularly with disinfectants. Our bathrooms are stocked with plenty of soap, and ample toilet paper.
We recognize that some of us will be less comfortable with holy handshakes, holy hugs, and holy kisses, and that more of us might give way to holy nods, holy smiles, and holy laughter.
For those who do not feel comfortable joining us on Sunday, we will be Live on our Facebook page starting at 11:15 am. Our live streaming service through Sermon.net will be available next week.
The coronavirus is not the only sickness in the land. There is an epidemic of loneliness, isolation, trauma and anxiety. We will gather this Sunday and expect that the God of all hope will bring great healing to every area of our lives. We will continue to listen for his voice and his direction regarding our Sunday gatherings, and will communicate if we feel that the Lord is leading us in a different direction in the future.
"The Fear-of-God builds up confidence, and makes a world safe for your children." Proverbs 14:26 MSG
We love you and are praying for you, our nation, and our world.
Love,
The Piippos, the Currys, the Angoves, the Ansels, the Bentleys, the Cowans, the Deans, the Kays, the LaRoys, and the Nutts.
