Firstly, a message from Pastor Jonathan:
Beloved,
May we all hold one another in prayer. Know that I hold you constant in my prayers as does the Leadership Team. May we hold fast to the words of the
Apostle Paul in Romans:
"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."
Go with God's grace and peace, and say the Lord's Prayer or sing the Doxology as you wash your hands....that's 20 seconds!
Blessings!
Pastor Jonathan
Included is the latest update on decisions made regarding KOHS policies during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Suspension of all church activities:
We are suspending all face to face church gatherings--even those under the current guidelines for <10--until further notice. This includes worship, small groups, youth and children's programs, and ministry team meetings. Pastor Jonathan and the Leadership Team will continue tracking authorities as well as keeping track of the Kirk's actions moving forward to discern if we should change our face to face actions. But until that time, any of our official church activities that are face to face are suspended. Ministry teams that need to continue meeting are to meet remotely in some fashion. As we move forward we'll provide the resources needed to do so. Many of you in our community have great resources already in your professional work. Please share with our community as you are able!
If you have questions about this decision and our process in reaching this decision, feel free to contact Pastor Jonathan.
Worship--Digital Worship:
Our Worship Team is working on a host of corporate worship and personal worship resources--both digital and hard copy as well as video/audio and written sources. In the days ahead we will make those available to you, but for now, be sure to check our website frequently or our Facebook page for any updates. Feel free to share sources amongst yourselves also. As we move forward we hope these sources will be meaningful to you and are uplifting to you.
We are also working to build a "Worship/Devotional Library Box" to be placed in the church yard. This box-similar in idea to the Little Lending Libraries--will contain hard copy worship materials such as Our Daily Bread devotionals and other materials for anyone to take and use.
Meanwhile, we will join in with the Kirk of Kildaire's live streaming services in a visible way. Pastor Jonathan will be present at those services as they are streamed from the Cary campus. You can always go to the Kirk's website, http://www.kirkofkildaire.org to see the latest service or join a current one on Sunday mornings at 11:00am. Just scroll down the homepage.
Worship Questions or Ideas to share can also be sent to Team leader, Paul Kindig
Pastoral Care:
Pastoral care will continue--in a new way! Our Leadership Team has taken our directory and divided it among the team. Each lay team member (we have seven lay team members plus Pastor Jonathan) will check in with about 5-6 households of our community to see how folks are and to keep lines of communication open using personal voice contact. We continue to encourage you all to reach out to one another in the informal and organic ways that you already do!
You may expect a call from one of our L-team members at some point today or tomorrow. Pastor Jonathan' group is the Leadership Team itself as well as the ongoing acute pastoral needs of the community. With that in mind, please feel free to contact Pastor Jonathan for pastoral care issues.
Congregational Care needs may be communicated to Mary Bethel
Our Missional Outreach:
We are doing more than just "hunkering down" and taking care of ourselves...we continue to be Christ's church to the world around us.
Outreach opportunities that operate on a limited social interaction are still ongoing. We continue to do the following:
--Helping to staff a meals giveaway program that is administered by the Kirk.
--Help with the Milk Runs for the Holly Springs Food Cupboard
--Brown Bag Bring Back will continue with deposits occurring on our front porch
Our families may wish to engage in some of these activities if you need activities for your kids. The milk runs and Brown Bag Bring Back can be done with limited social interaction and appropriate social distancing.
Our Habitat build has been suspended at least until the end of April.
Questions about our Outreach may be directed to Mary Tucker
Christian Education:
As we develop our worship materials, we'll also encounter resources for study. In the days to come, we'll make those available to you via our website and FB page. Our youth advisors are working with our youth and children and their families on resources for this time as well.
Continuing Your Pledge and Giving to the Church:
Often the question is: "What can I do to help?" And to be completely honest, one of the best ways to help is to continue your pledge or giving to the church. Even though we are not meeting face to face, there is still a lot of work going on and our church--and pastor-- are operating through it all. Please visit this link that provides ways for how you can continue your financial giving.
Questions about continuing to give can be directed to our Treasurer and financial liaison to the Kirk, Jeff Tucker.