Jesus is Risen!
Greetings! this is Pastor Andy Brock, the new pastor for the Reliance and Ridings Chapel. I want you to know that I'm excited about joining you in being God's people in this place. This is the second of a monthly email-newsletter.
In Person Worship Is Almost Here!
September 13, 2020 at 10:00
Ridings Chapel Picnic Shelter

Beginning September 13, 2020 Reliance-Ridings Chapel will commence in-person worship to be held at the Ridings Chapel picnic shelter. Service will begin at 10:00 am. It will be approximately 30 minutes longs.

Here are the rules for in-person worship:
  • If you are sick stay home! This is very important to the health of the other worshipers. If others begin to get sick, no one will be able to worship.
  • If your immune system is compromised in any manner stay home. We can not guarantee our safety if you come out.
  • By Wednesday, prior to Sunday worship, we would like to know if you will be attending. You can register online (details to follow in a separate email). You will also be able to call if you do not have email or internet.
  • There will be no gathering in the parking lots before or after the worship.
  • EVERYONE MUST wear a mask. NO EXCEPTIONS. If you take the mask off at any time, you will be asked to put in back on. If you do not comply, you will be escorted back to your vehicle.
  • Safety distance of six feet will be practiced at all times.
  • There will be no bulletins, but you will receive some type of version by email that you can print out.
  • There will be no singing, either by a choir or congregational. We will attempt to have some recorded music for the experience.
  • There will be no access to the church building.

In the next couple of days a follow up email will be sent out with more details and the links for the online registration. Please have patience with your leadership team as this our first time attempting all of this. Like you, none of us have been through a pandemic as grave as this. We want to assure the safety of every one of you.

We will continue to offer a virtual worship experience. We hope to have a time worked out for by the end of this week.
From
Pastor Andy's Desk
Can you believe it? It's already September. July and August have steamed on by, and I am entering into my third month of walking with you in this faith walk of ours. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, I have not been able to meet many of you: but, I have met some of you, especially the leadership of the church. I am grateful for their service to you, and am prayerful that you will continue to support them and myself as we attempt to lead you in service to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

One of my mentors, Sam Wells, in his book The Nazareth Manifesto says that the greatest challenge of our time is isolation. What he means is that despite a multitude of technologies that we have for connecting people, we are not very connected and all of us live lives in isolation. This makes me think that in service to our Lord, we the church, should be about connecting the isolated both to God and to His body, the church.

After all, Jesus was about connecting people. Remember that most of his ministry was accomplished in Galilee, and isolated and rural part of Palestine. And remember His ministry was focused on those who were isolated from society: the ill, the demon possessed, the poor, children, and widows. Remember, too, Jesus first invited into the Kingdom of God those who were the most marginalized - those who were most isolated! Go read Matthew 25. Jesus speaks of a king who separates the sheep and the goats. One served the marginalized, the other did not. Those who did serve the ill, the poor, children, the aged walked with Jesus. Those who did not failed to walk with Jesus. And there were consequences. Please, go read it for yourself.

So, I want to invite the people of Reliance and Ridings Chapel to be a compassionate people that connects others to our Lord and Savior and each other.

Finally, I want to take the opportunity to announce some of the accomplishments we have achieved over the past two months.
  • We have launched both a Facebook page and a YouTube channel in order to produce live events and videos for our community.
  • We have initiated the OneCallNow system that allows us to get out important information to every member of our church through email, text, or phone.
  • We have initiated in the past two weeks SermonByPhone which allows folks without internet to hear the weekly scripture reading and message by Pastor Andy by calling a local, non-toll number: 540-225-1073.

With me let us all give Thanks to God!
Ways to Stay Connected
There are many porches and front doors to churches today. One of them is social media like Facebook. We invite you to visit it, Like it, and Share it with your family.Facebook page called:
Like with Facebook, we have created a new Google account for email and to establish a YouTube channel for the church. Consider this yet another porch and front door for the church. The email is

The YouTube Channel is
September News:
Did you know:

  • That every weekday we offer scripture reading and prayer on Facebook Live and YouTube Live at 7:00 am.
  • That every Sunday you can join us in Gathering Around the Word on Facebook Live and YouTube Live for a time of music, Scripture reading, a message, and prayer. Beginning September 13, 2020, Gathering Around the Word will be at 6:00 pm in the evening.
  • That on Thursday at 10:---11:00 you can join Pastor Andy at ZoomCafe on line. The link is https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81576770222?pwd=YlczSUZqMmRYclM4WkZJbkg5Q2N1Zz09
  • That on Thursdays at 12:00 noon you can join Pastor Andy for lunch at the picnic Pavilion: Reliance: 1st and 3rd Thursday, Riding's Chapel the 2nd and 4th Thursday.
  • That from Sunday 5:00 pm - Sunday 4:59 pm, if you miss the message you can by phone listen to an audio of the reading of Scripture and the weekly message from Pastor Andy by dialing 540-225-1073.

This Month's Meetings:
  • Sept. 10 - Ridings Chapel Council Meeting at 7:00 pm
  • Sept. 13 - First In-person worship at Ridings Chapel picnic shelter at 10:00 am.
  • Sept. 16 - Ridings Chapel Methodist Men at 7:00 pm in picnic shelter
  • Sept. 17 - Reliance Finance Committee at 7:00 pm
  • Sept. 20 - Reliance Council Meeting at 7:00 pm
Reliance - Ridings Chapel Charge
Pastor Andy Brock
andybrock@vaumc.org
540-336-3794