What an incredible time to be in The Church.
Over the past few days, life as we know it has changed. Schools, restaurants, and businesses have closed. Sports have been cancelled. We are being asked to participate in “social distancing,” and to self-quarantine. What a stark contrast to the lives we are used to. The constant running of our active, every-day lives has come to a complete halt.
So, what do we do?
It’s times like these that the writer of Galatians 6:9 spoke of. “Let us not be weary in well-doing, for in due season we shall reap if we faint not.” We cannot be certain of what the future holds, but we can be certain of who holds the future. We will find peace when we put our hope and trust in Jesus!
That being said, it’s time for the church to start thinking outside the box. What can we, the church, do right now to serve our communities? How do we come together in fellowship, when the distance between us is vital? It is imperative that the church continue doing what it is purposed to do—serve, love, and show Jesus to the world. However, we must do it in a new way. Church today will not look like church yesterday, nor will it look like the church of tomorrow.
Governor Andrew Cuomo said, “New problems call for new solutions.” Let’s make the church part of the solution! Here at Hope, we plan to make DAILY updates as to how we are going to be part of the solution, but listed below are actions we can take every day, and encourage as many of you as possible to participate in:
1. Prayer Cover- Let us cover our leadership in prayer. Pray for our government leaders, church leaders, and employers. Cover your home in prayer. Cover yourselves in prayer. 2. Be mindful of your brothers and sisters in Christ, not just in our neighborhood, state, and even country, but our brothers and sisters around the world who are fighting the good fight. Lets pray for one another and call/text/video chat to encourage one another as often as possible. 3. Practice safety. We have been told to wash our hands. Do it, not only physically, but spiritually as well. Let us not turn our backs on Bible study, prayer, and the Word of God. There is a lot of GREAT preaching online. We encourage you to check out First Apostolic Church in Nashville, as many of their services are posted online. We also recommend searching for Pastor Raymond Woodard from Capital Community Church on YouTube. 4. Finally, a specific request for our Hope families. The President has made many requests for us to follow over the next 15 days, and we are going to do our best to adhere to them. I want to add something to that list. It is times like these that I find encouragement, healing, and help from the book of Psalms. There are 150 chapters in the book of Psalms, so I challenge each of you to read 10 chapters from Psalms each day. Feel free to share your favorite verses from Psalms to the church’s Facebook group as we read together.
We love you and want to support you in any way possible. Please stay connected and wait for updates from the church regularly. Pray for us, as we are praying for you all.
Pastor Joseph and Anna
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