I feel it necessary to make this response to the COVID-19 coronavirus concerns in our world. I am going to attempt to do that with three succinct points.
1. I still believe that God is greater than ANYTHING that can or will come against us.
Matthew 28:18 “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.”
2. I still believe that God would not have us to live in fear of anything because He is greater than anything that can or will come against us.
Isaiah 41:10 “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.”
3. I still believe that God gave us wisdom to utilize common sense at all times, but especially during times of trouble.
Proverbs 28:26 “He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered.”
So with those three things firmly fixed in my mind, I wanted to inform our church family and anyone desiring to come to the church of what we are intending to do as long as we can. The church will continue to host worship services until we are told that we cannot do so in our usual way. I am already working together with the board members and the leadership of the church to be able to minister in various ways if we are forced to suspend meeting at the church building. We will continue to minister and look out for the flock in the best way that we can as we move through this season.
Every person who currently attends our church has been put in a “Care Group” with a Director over that group. I have encouraged each of them to reach out to those families in their group on a regular basis, so we can assure that each family is being ministered to in whatever way is needed. With all this being said, I do want to strongly encourage our elder saints and anyone with a compromised immune system to consider eliminating as much contact with others as possible. That includes coming to church or even to small home groups (if we eventually are restricted in our gatherings). We will have every service at the church recorded, so if you have to miss and you have a CD player, just let us know and we will get it to you as soon as we can. This is not an easy decision for me to make because I understand the strength that each of us receive from being in the house of God and worshiping together. I am not an infectious disease expert, so at this time common sense says we must adhere to those who are and follow
what they have to say.
I know this has been lengthy, but please let me say one last thing. With all the isolation and "social distancing" that is being encouraged and mandated, please don’t allow yourself to be withdrawn from your church body. Pick up the phone and call someone. Send someone an encouraging and uplifting text. Share a great message that you found on a streaming service. Write a letter or card and send it to someone. This is not a time for the church to shrink or hide, but to shine as the light that God made us, into the darkness of uncertainty that is all around us.
Please continue to pray for God to help, heal, and minister,
Pastor Hoffman
1. I still believe that God is greater than ANYTHING that can or will come against us.
Matthew 28:18 “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.”
2. I still believe that God would not have us to live in fear of anything because He is greater than anything that can or will come against us.
Isaiah 41:10 “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.”
3. I still believe that God gave us wisdom to utilize common sense at all times, but especially during times of trouble.
Proverbs 28:26 “He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered.”
So with those three things firmly fixed in my mind, I wanted to inform our church family and anyone desiring to come to the church of what we are intending to do as long as we can. The church will continue to host worship services until we are told that we cannot do so in our usual way. I am already working together with the board members and the leadership of the church to be able to minister in various ways if we are forced to suspend meeting at the church building. We will continue to minister and look out for the flock in the best way that we can as we move through this season.
Every person who currently attends our church has been put in a “Care Group” with a Director over that group. I have encouraged each of them to reach out to those families in their group on a regular basis, so we can assure that each family is being ministered to in whatever way is needed. With all this being said, I do want to strongly encourage our elder saints and anyone with a compromised immune system to consider eliminating as much contact with others as possible. That includes coming to church or even to small home groups (if we eventually are restricted in our gatherings). We will have every service at the church recorded, so if you have to miss and you have a CD player, just let us know and we will get it to you as soon as we can. This is not an easy decision for me to make because I understand the strength that each of us receive from being in the house of God and worshiping together. I am not an infectious disease expert, so at this time common sense says we must adhere to those who are and follow
what they have to say.
I know this has been lengthy, but please let me say one last thing. With all the isolation and "social distancing" that is being encouraged and mandated, please don’t allow yourself to be withdrawn from your church body. Pick up the phone and call someone. Send someone an encouraging and uplifting text. Share a great message that you found on a streaming service. Write a letter or card and send it to someone. This is not a time for the church to shrink or hide, but to shine as the light that God made us, into the darkness of uncertainty that is all around us.
Please continue to pray for God to help, heal, and minister,
Pastor Hoffman
RSS Feed