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Hi friends-

What an unnerving and weird time. As the world slows down in response to (and prevention of) the novel COVID virus, each of us are struggling to process what this means for our school and work and family and friends and plans- and for ourselves. Many of us- especially seniors- are grieving the loss of memories to be made at the end of the school year. We may be worried about loneliness creeping up on us, or we may be concerned for those whose jobs and livelihood are affected by the virus or its impact.

Our church life is changing, too- but it's not ending. Last week in Pastors' Class, Mike Graves taught about the church as something that's "gathered" and "scattered." We come together, often on Sundays, for worship, to serve together, and to catch up. When we leave, we do not cease being church- instead, we become the church scattered into our world and our day-to-day-lives.

As we take a step back from gathering in person over the next few weeks, we'll be challenged to think about what being the scattered church means. What does community look like when we're not all in the same room together? How can we help meet the needs in our community right now? Below are a few important updates about our church life:

  • Join us this Sunday in our livestream worship. This weekend, staff & church members are putting together a meaningful, mindful hour of worship that will be broadcasted on the main page of our website and archived at this link . We will continue worshipping together via livestream until further notice.
  • Until further notice, we will not have Sunday night youth group or other socials (including Connect, Nourish, and our outing to the Zoo). Stay tuned via email and Instagram  for ways to stay connected to other youth & your church family until we resume normal Sunday activities.
  • As many face the brutal social and economic impacts of this pandemic, there are ways our church community is stepping up to  provide aid and meet needs .  Most of our mission partners are looking for donations- financial or otherwise. You can give online to our mission partners through our website. Visit our website , select "Give Now," and select our mission partner fund from the drop down menu. Funds will be dispersed as Corey Meyer, our Director of Mission Partnerships, is in conversations with our agencies. If you'd like to give in another way, we are collecting food for sack lunches, you will find instructions here on how to help with this. 
  • Stay tuned for more information, especially regarding Pastors' Class and the Senior Recognition & Lunch. We will be assessing the best way forward over the next week and will be in touch. 

Whatever you're doing to navigate the world right now, my prayer is that you find ways to stay centered. Whether it's through prayer, meditation, exercise, reading, or another mindful activity, staying centered will help us sort through that which is under our control and that which isn't and will remind us: God is present with us through all moments of life, even and especially moments like this.

If there's any way that the church can support you right now, please don't hesitate to reach out. I look forward to staying in community with you and seeing you all soon. 

peace-
Tyler