Church Family,

I do hope you all are well and encouraged today.  Yesterday was a great day of connecting with you all in various ways. From our 10 am Facebook live (you can watch it here as well) to the many Zoom calls, it all was good for my soul.

With that said, now that we are several weeks into COVID-19, perhaps things are starting to feel a little overwhelming.  We should anticipate as this virus drags on an increased sense of frustration and a longing for normalcy.  Knowing these things will come, it’s wise for us all to stay connected and participate in the different activities we are making available throughout the week.  So grab your calendar or open it in on your phone and put in these activities:

• Disciple-Makers: Every Wednesday, we will continue our disciple-makers class at 6:30 pm.  The link will remain the same (https://zoom.us/j/501936397) each week.  We are discussing healthy and practical ways to read the bible.
• Easter Schedule:  Historically, the church for centuries has marked out this week, often called Passion Week, to reflect deeply on Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection.  Though we are separated, we can still leverage this week and experience joy, conviction, and hope!  I will be sending more details as the week progresses to prepare our hearts for these moments:
  • Good Friday (death):  Jesus experienced a brutal death upon a rugged cross.  We must not soon forget the enormous suffering He endured that brings us our salvation.  At 5 pm on Friday the 10th, we will have a Good Friday service through Zoom (https://zoom.us/j/486027828)
  • Waiting Saturday (burial):  The period after the death of Jesus until resurrection would have been a very uncertain time for God’s people.  It would have been extremely disorienting to them as Jesus was their great hope who now lies in a tomb, died.  This is similar to our current state of uncertainty, and this is the one time in our lives, we can think deeply about the waiting, about the uncertainty, and express how disoriented we feel.  To reflect on this, I will be sending out some instructions for you and your family to use to reflect on this time.
  • Resurrection Sunday (resurrection):  The tomb is EMPTY!  He is ALIVE!  We will continue with our 10 am Facebook live unpacking all the resurrection means to us from 1 Corinthians 15.  Invite those who you have been praying for and sharing with about the gospel of Jesus.

Lastly, thank you for the many that continue to give.  If you are unaware of how to give during this time, there are three different ways:

1. Online:  This is the simplest way to give.  Just click here and follow the steps.
2. Church Mailbox:  If you feel like getting out, you can drop it in the onsite mailbox to the left of the glass double-doors.
3. USPS:  You can simply put it in an envelope, slap a stamp on it, and send it in the mail.

I miss you all tremendously!  I look forward to this week of reflection and wholeheartedly trust the Lord will encourage us, convict us, give us joy, and strengthen our faith!

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Bryan

Church Family,

This is a friendly reminder of our schedule for tomorrow.  At 10 am, we will be on Facebook live for a few announcements and to unpack the next section of 1 Corinthians.  You don’t have to have Facebook to view that video.  You can click here and watch it on our website.  The best way to make the most of this unnormal rhythm is to watch the video together and then participate in family worship (here are two resources to help you, a video and an article).  We have encouraged this every week and hope that repetition has neither annoyed you or lessen its importance.  It is our effort to wisely do things that will help to build each other up.  Remember, it is simple: read, pray, and sing (see songs below)!

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Bryan

Church Family,

I hope you all are well and healthy.  We are scheduled to have a prayer gathering through Zoom at 7 pm this Friday. I wanted to give you a few instructions to make the most of tomorrow.  Below is a guide put together by The Gospel Coalition to help you spend the entire day focused on prayer for various things.  It breaks the guide up into a morning prayer, a midday prayer, and an evening prayer.  The evening prayer is going to be online, and the link is provided in the prayer guide.  It will take place from 4 pm-5 pm (APRIL 4TH).  I would suggest participating in that as it will be an encouraging time.  By God’s sovereign design, we already had a prayer gathering scheduled from 7 pm-8 pm.  We will make use of the midday prayer during that time because it focuses on praying as a group and praying for the local gathering.  I look forward to spending some time together tomorrow evening.  Find the links below:

Prayer Guide

Zoom Link: https://zoom.us/j/719683473

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Bryan

Brothers and Sisters,

Sunday was strange indeed for us all.  It was not our usual rhythm that we all long for but was fruitful nonetheless (see Facebook for the Livestream or click here for the video or just the audio).  In the face of all this uncertainty, we, the church, can still be what God has made us; a group of diverse believers who depend on each other to thrive and survive spiritually.  Don’t underestimate your role in our life together, especially now.  Call, text, email, or video chat one another and share burdens, joys, fears, then read God’s Word together and PRAY!  We are better together!

Let me make you aware of a few things that will help keep you connected this week:

• As always, keep checking Facebook and our news blog, but if you did not know, we have a podcast on iTunes and Spotify.  As of right now, just our sermons go to those podcasts, but with our new reality, we are exploring other ways to make use of a regular podcast (who knows everything is day to day).
• For your listening pleasure and a way to remind you of the great truths about God, click this link and listen to a suggested playlist to help keep your thoughts on the Lord.
• We will resume Disciple-Makers this Wednesday at 6:30 pm through Zoom (https://zoom.us/j/907781272).  Many of you already participate in this class, but if you do not, now is a great time to join.  All are welcome.  If you don’t know what it is, let me explain.  Disciple-makers is designed to help equip and encourage a follower of Christ to fulfill their responsibility of making disciples.  It is a course that covers a variety of foundational beliefs, extremely practical ways to read scripture with believers and non-believers, and the ins and outs of how we change.  In essence, it is designed to help us read our bibles well, which is essential for followers of Jesus.  So join us as we continue to talk about practical ways to read our bibles.
• On Friday at 7 pm, we are having a prayer gathering through Zoom (https://zoom.us/j/701628681).  God has given us a wealth of help in his Word and Prayer.  So make time to join us on Friday to pray.

Let me end with this encouragement.  The essential thing you can do each day is to read God’s Word.  If you have struggled with a consistent pattern of reading God’s Word, now is a great time to begin to develop that rhythm.  Don’t beat yourself up over inconsistency.  A failed attempt is much better than no attempt at all.  We will continue to provide resources to aid you in reading scripture like this PDF that has a few simple questions to guide your reading.  Reading God’s Word will make a tremendous difference in how we respond to uncertainty.  Like I said on Sunday, uncertainty does not often reveal answers, but it most certainly reveals clarity.  Clarity on what is most important, clarity on where our trust lies, clarity on where we should pour our energy.  God is faithful, and we are reminded of that in His Word and prayer.  Let this scripture from Lamentations 3:22-24 wash over you today:

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” 

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Bryan