After much prayer and deliberation the Elders and President of our church have decided to suspend our in-person Sunday worship services for the time being. We will continue to follow the situation and resume services as soon as possible given recommended guidelines.
This is a difficult time and in these times is when hearing the Word of God is most important. Please consider these things;
PRAY. Set aside the time and space to pray for those suffering. For all doctors and nurses who care for the body, for truck drivers delivering our daily bread, for those who have suddenly become unemployed, those who are high risk and shut-in who may not have all that they need or anyone to help them get it. Pray for our District President, for you pastor, and all pastors in Christ, our Government and the President, and finally for deliverance and for peace.
REPENT. We are to blame for being lumped in with such frivolous things as bars, casinos, roller rinks, massage parlors and dine in restaurants. By our actions we have conveyed to the world that the Church is less important than sports, drinking with friends, being entertained, yard work, sleeping in, vacation plans, etc. The government is only treating Christ’s Church as we ourselves have treated His Church. For this we must repent and cast ourselves upon the mercy of our gracious and forgiving Savior, Jesus Christ.
We also have work to do in changing this perception, first by changing our own habits about church – making the holy things of God a priority, and second, by showing the world the love of Christ, especially in times of crisis, why we actually exist.
FAMILY DEVOTIONS. Use this time that you are kept away from God’s House of prayer to read and study God’s Word as a family. Read and study your catechism; many of the questions and answers address the very issues we are facing now. Read the Gospel of Matthew, especially the Passion account as we are in Lent. Read Paul’s letter to the Romans. Read the Proverbs each day, pray the Psalms as Jesus Himself did, and sing our wonderful Lutheran hymns. If you do not have your own hymnal, please come by the church and check one out to use at home.
CORPORATE WORSHIP. While we cannot gather publicly we can and will make use of technology in order to worship and hear God’s word. Pastor will be continuing to post video devotionals here and on YouTube, we will also continue to explore and offer a live streaming worship service on Sunday mornings at 9:30 am.
CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION and THE LORD’S SUPPER. Jesus offers a medicine for our bodies and souls that you cannot receive anywhere else – His very own holy body and blood for forgiveness, life, and salvation. So that you can continue to receive the sacrament Pastor will be available by appointment at the church. Please call to schedule a time to come to church (by yourself or with your family). You should plan for about 20 minutes and you can expect that the space in which we meet and the vessels used to distribute the Lord’s Supper will be cleaned in-between each use. For those who are high-risk and not able to leave their homes I will talk with you about a time and a safe manner in which to come to you.
OFFERING. Please consider that the church still has financial obligations and that Peace often assists those who are in need. Though we are not gathering face to face, these needs go on. Please consider setting aside your gift or mailing it to the church each week or month. A new secure mailbox will be installed soon as to protect tithes being received via mail. We recommend using your online bank to setup a recurring tithe which will be a check mailed to the church. We are also exploring online giving options.
HEALTH. Please do what you can to take care of your body, which is the Holy Spirit’s temple. If you are in one of the high-risk categories or if you are already sick, use good judgment about going out at all and consider how your actions may affect (or infect) your neighbors. If you do become sick please contact the church and I will do what I can to come and visit you. Please understand their may be restrictions from visiting you in the hospital or care facilities that are on lock-down.