Friends,
On Sunday, we began a new season of our church as both an online and in-person church. One of our big lessons we’ve learned over the last few months is that you don’t have to come in person to be part of our church.
As we reopen, we are going slow but things will also be changing from week-to-week. Here’s one big change for this week. This Sunday, you will not need to preregister to come to worship. We will still need to know who’s with us, and will have a check-in process. Preregistering is still helpful in checking-in and we encourage you to preregister, but it will not be required to attend. We will also not be limited to 150 people, but we will be practicing social-distancing.
Also, I want to share a little personal news. I missed Sunday in-person worship because one of my daughters had Covid-19 symptoms and was tested. The clinic has advised that it could take a week to get results back. Our doctor advised us to isolate until everyone in our household was symptom-free. She’s not sick with severe symptoms, but we have decided to lay low until this passes in order to protect others. I don’t know if I’ll be attending worship this Sunday or not. I want to encourage you to take similar approaches, especially when it comes to worship.
When I realized I couldn’t attend worship on Sunday, I was really disappointed. I don’t know about you, but that’s an emotion I’ve felt a lot since March. As I’ve been reflecting on this more, I realize that ‘disappointed’ is a place lots of people live. There are all kinds of reasons to be disappointed right now. Vacation plans have changed. Grandparents haven’t been able to visit grandkids. No graduations. This is a season of disappointment.
If this is how you feel, let me offer you a word of encouragement. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 4:16-18,
Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
God is faithful.
Spencer