Dear Friends in Christ,
Did you know that your church family genuinely cares for you? This week our staff have received emails, phone calls, and messages from people in the church who have been asking if there’s anything they can do to help those in our congregation who may need help during this time. People have volunteered to get groceries, fill out prescriptions, run errands, or do anything else that they can for those who require assistance. So, for anyone who may find themselves needing help, please contact the church office. There are people who want to help you! As we are all well aware, if there are situations of self-isolation or quarantine, we would all have to be extra careful and take numerous precautions; there are some things we can’t do. But we will do what we can. Please take note: It’s not the staff who are willing to do this because it’s our job, it’s your brothers and sisters in Christ who are volunteering to serve you in love! Thank you so much to everyone who has reached out this way. It has been a great encouragement.
This has been a reminder that the church is not the building. We are the church; we are the body of Christ. Although the building is not the church, we recognize that the building where we meet for worship and fellowship is special to our life together. Given the situation in our society, we’ve had to make the sad decision to close the building to all but staff members. To mitigate as much risk as possible, there can be no exceptions to this. If you have a key and a code for the alarm, you still cannot enter the building at any time. This is for the protection of everyone. If there is something you absolutely need from the building, you can contact Steph in the church office to make arrangements to pick it up. It will be brought to you outside of the front door. As much as we don’t want to close the building, it’s the only way to help ensure that the staff do not become carriers of COVID-19 in our church community, as well as helping to ensure that the building is as safe as possible when we are allowed to gather again. When I was last in Africa, the church I preached in met under a tree—they didn’t have a building to enter, but they were still the church. Right now, closing the building to all but staff is the best way to keep our brothers and sisters safe. Thank you in advance for your cooperation. Even though 400 Speedvale Ave. East is not the church, we do hope to be able to meet again there soon!
Your outpouring of encouragement to the staff and your offers to help those in need have been very heartening. It is so refreshing to see people who are deciding to adopt safety measures, not just for themselves, but because it’s what’s best for others. This isn’t a time to go backwards, and it’s not even a time to try to maintain equilibrium. By God’s grace, this is a time for us to grow in love and faith. Let’s lean on each other more, not less, as we lean together on Jesus.
Remain Firm and Steadfast in the Lord,
Pastor Steve
PS There will be a teaching video posted on our website for Sunday morning at 9:00. You’ll be able to watch it at any time after that.