Dear friends,
In John 6, Jesus is followed by a large crowd of people who had nothing to eat. Jesus asked Philip where they would get enough food to feed them all? Philip responded it was impossible..."Six months wages would not buy enough for all of them to even get a little." They found a young boy who had five barley loaves and two fish. A short time later, Jesus fed the crowd of 5,000 and had fragments left over.
This is the message I will preach on Sunday. I've been living in the midst of it for the past week. So much need, so little resource...what can anyone do? In the midst of this difficult season, I am learning to turn to, and trust Jesus more than I ever have in my life. Jesus is the one who can make the impossible possible!
Last Thursday, we followed the advice of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and local/state officials to cancel all worship and activities for two weeks. On Sunday, the same organizations sent word that they recommended no gatherings with 50 or more people take place for the next eight weeks to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
In our community, local officials have canceled all events and assemblies and have closed all restaurants and bars for at least the next 15 days; take out is permitted. The government also called for no gatherings of 10 or more in social gatherings.
Out of love and abundance of caution, Chapelwood will extend the cancellations of worship and activities through May 8, 2020. Note: If the CDC, state, and local leaders revise this timeline, we will follow their lead - whether it be a shorter or longer duration.
Making this decision now allows us to fully allocate our staff to care for our members and the most vulnerable in our community. By canceling upcoming events, we can position our staff's time, hours of preparation for events, and our financial resources to work to help our church and community weather this unprecedented event in our society. Unlike The Great Recession, September 11, or even Hurricane Harvey, the COVID-19 spread affects everyone in our country. The need is great, but volunteers are severely limited. I want us to leverage all our resources to helping the members of our church and of our West Houston community.
Our staff is working diligently to retool their workflow to reach out to all our members for mission and ministry, especially the most vulnerable among us. From children's ministry, student ministry, adult or senior adult, and community outreach, we will allocate our staff to begin to discern church and community needs and create plans of action that can assist those with needs.
Here is what you need to know about what Chapelwood is doing:
- Stay up-to-date at chapelwood.org/coronavirus.
- Our worship services will be streamed at their usual times each week at live.chapelwood.org.
- Our schools are currently all closed and will align with SBISD. They are scheduled to be closed through April 13, 2020. If the closures are extended, our schools will align with the school district.
- Our staff will be working remotely. If necessary to accomplish their job, some of our staff will be in the office. Please call our staff to assist you. We ask that you not visit the campus unless it is an urgent issue and you have called ahead of time so that security will be expecting you. Do not come to the campus at all if you have symptoms or have been exposed to anyone with symptoms of COVID-19.
- Our pastors, ministry directors, and others are quickly developing plans and strategies to connect with our members and the vulnerable in our community. If you would like to assist in calling and emailing members, please email Adrian Granger and we will assign you to a pastor to assist.
- We will be creating a variety of digital resources that will allow us to stay connected during the quarantine. We will offer concerts, studies, podcasts, prayers, and other resources. These will be found on our social media platforms and at www.chapelwood.org/stayconnected.
- I ask you, as you are able, to continue your financial support of Chapelwood during this time. I realize this is impacting everyone beyond the physical. It is affecting all of us financially. If God has blessed you, this is an opportunity to bless others. All of our resources and staffing will be redirected to address this COVID-19 disease outbreak. As you can imagine, there is no playbook. Just as we marshaled all our resources to help our city after Harvey, we are doing the same now!
- What to look for from Chapelwood very soon:
- Communications about resources during this time for all ages.
- Information for our members and community.
- Ways you can pray and support others.
- Resources that will connect need and those who can help.
- If you have any needs, don't hesitate to reach out to us! If you are alone and need anything, let a friend know or let us know by filling out this form online. You may also call Suzanne Harter, (713) 827-3980 and leave a voicemail.
- Please join us in praying for our church, our community, and our world. I offer this as an outline for prayer:
- Pray for an end to the virus' spread.
- Pray for governmental leaders.
- Pray for church leaders.
- Pray for the vulnerable.
- Pray for a spirit of generosity.
- Pray for a posture of trust.
- Pray for the spread of the Gospel!
While we may not be able to see the path ahead, we know that God is going before us and we trust that He will make a way.
Love,
John
