By now, I’m sure most of you have realized that the world and certainly our city is, in many ways, coming to a halt in response to the Coronavirus. Clearly, this is a moment of reflection and consideration of how we as people who love one another and as people who are called to love our neighbor might respond. In essence, we are asking the question, "What does Love look like?"
FIRST: SOME VERY PRACTICAL STEPS
As you know, Governor Jay Inslee made an announcement this week banning all gatherings over 250 in King, Pierce and Snohomish Counties. In addition, King County Public Health officer, Dr. Jeff Duchin, gave the local order prohibiting events less than 250 people, unless measures are taken by event organizers to minimize risk. These measures are very stringent. Along with sanitization and hygiene measures, they require a minimum of 6 feet distance between people. As schools close and social distancing measures are put in place to slow the spread of the virus, we find ourselves in a situation none of us have been in before. And things continue to change day by day. It is disruptive and disorienting to say the least.
As you can imagine, I’ve spent the last 48 hours reading, studying, thinking, & praying about our responsibility & response to the current pandemic in consultation with our leadership team. Wisdom seems to indicate that our best collective action against the Coronavirus is to slow the spread of the virus in hopes that our health care systems will not be overloaded. Though we are a small community, we are very close to the epicenter of this outbreak and we want to be good citizens and do our part. We are committed to "being" the body of Christ in this time. Many local churches are canceling their services and going online. Others are continuing to meet in ways that mitigate the risks.
AS A DISCERNMENT TEAM, WE’VE MADE THE DECISION TO MOVE OUR IN-PERSON GATHERING TO AN ONLINE GATHERING OVER THE COMING WEEKS.
Remember that we are the church. Church is not a gathering or a building, but a community. And so we will continue to be the church. We will love God, one another and our neighbors!
We will gather this Sunday at 5pm on a Zoom Call.
We will will move our in-person gathering online to a community Zoom call where we will check in with one another, share our fears and our hopes, pray together and talk about how we can stay connected in this time. I hope that you all will join us!
Here is the Zoom Call information below.
If Zoom is new to you, no problem! We've got you covered! If you need help, please let us know! We want to stay connected!
What is Zoom?
An online conference call platform that lets you video call a group of people.
Do I need a laptop?
A laptop is preferable so you can see everyone and we can see you! But you can also use your phone to call in.
I've never done this before. What do I do?
Watch this video to walk you through the steps.
You are invited to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: Gathering (Virtually)
Time: Mar 29, 2020 05:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
Every week on Sun, until Apr 26, 2020, 5 occurrence(s)
Mar 29, 2020 05:00 PM
Apr 5, 2020 05:00 PM
Apr 12, 2020 05:00 PM
Apr 19, 2020 05:00 PM
Apr 26, 2020 05:00 PM
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/955852382
Meeting ID: 955 852 382
One tap mobile
+13462487799,,955852382# US (Houston)
+16699009128,,955852382# US (San Jose)
Dial by your location
+1 253 215 8782 US
+1 301 715 8592 US
Meeting ID: 955 852 382
Find your local number: https://zoom.us/u/aEIcBJb38
SECOND: A PASTORAL NOTE
Perfect Love Drives Out Fear [I John 4:18]
In the midst of so much anxiety, I encourage you to resist fear and to move towards love. In your own personal prayer practices, I encourage you to ground yourself in the love and care of God. Allow the peace of Christ to rule in your heart— this takes prayer, quiet, solitude. Take some necessary breaks from technology and social media, and stay connected to one another. Check-in on one another. Don't isolate but care for one another, whether in-person or virtually - FaceTime is a beautiful thing!
At the same time, this is a beautiful invitation to love your neighbor as yourself. Engage in conversations with those around you. Check in on those who might be vulnerable, need groceries or require medical assistance. Be good news to those who are feeling anxious. Ask good questions. Listen. Ask more questions. Offer to pray for others as God leads you. Christians have historically shined in moments such as these. We often forget, in the midst of a chronically anxious society, that we have complete access to God who has stitched God’s own self to each one of us. Ask God to stir something up within you and then ask how God might give you the courage to share what it with someone who needs a word of encouragement.
Even though we must take precautions, we must not "distance" ourselves from one another in any way other than physically. For it is more important than ever to come together to make sure that everyone in the community can thrive. As school closures and the economic hits of social distancing puts strain on working families and our neighbors living at or below poverty, we are compelled to give generously. Please see this post on Why You Should Give Not Hoard Your Toilet Paper to find out how you can begin to help our neighbors in need. I believe that our community is strategically poised for such a time as this!
THE ENTIRE WORLD IS LONGING FOR PEACE IN THIS MOMENT, AND WE, AS GOD’S AMBASSADORS, BREATHING GOD’S OWN BREATH, CARRY PEACE.
With much love and affection,
Jessica
FIRST: SOME VERY PRACTICAL STEPS
As you know, Governor Jay Inslee made an announcement this week banning all gatherings over 250 in King, Pierce and Snohomish Counties. In addition, King County Public Health officer, Dr. Jeff Duchin, gave the local order prohibiting events less than 250 people, unless measures are taken by event organizers to minimize risk. These measures are very stringent. Along with sanitization and hygiene measures, they require a minimum of 6 feet distance between people. As schools close and social distancing measures are put in place to slow the spread of the virus, we find ourselves in a situation none of us have been in before. And things continue to change day by day. It is disruptive and disorienting to say the least.
As you can imagine, I’ve spent the last 48 hours reading, studying, thinking, & praying about our responsibility & response to the current pandemic in consultation with our leadership team. Wisdom seems to indicate that our best collective action against the Coronavirus is to slow the spread of the virus in hopes that our health care systems will not be overloaded. Though we are a small community, we are very close to the epicenter of this outbreak and we want to be good citizens and do our part. We are committed to "being" the body of Christ in this time. Many local churches are canceling their services and going online. Others are continuing to meet in ways that mitigate the risks.
AS A DISCERNMENT TEAM, WE’VE MADE THE DECISION TO MOVE OUR IN-PERSON GATHERING TO AN ONLINE GATHERING OVER THE COMING WEEKS.
Remember that we are the church. Church is not a gathering or a building, but a community. And so we will continue to be the church. We will love God, one another and our neighbors!
We will gather this Sunday at 5pm on a Zoom Call.
We will will move our in-person gathering online to a community Zoom call where we will check in with one another, share our fears and our hopes, pray together and talk about how we can stay connected in this time. I hope that you all will join us!
Here is the Zoom Call information below.
If Zoom is new to you, no problem! We've got you covered! If you need help, please let us know! We want to stay connected!
What is Zoom?
An online conference call platform that lets you video call a group of people.
Do I need a laptop?
A laptop is preferable so you can see everyone and we can see you! But you can also use your phone to call in.
I've never done this before. What do I do?
Watch this video to walk you through the steps.
You are invited to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: Gathering (Virtually)
Time: Mar 29, 2020 05:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
Every week on Sun, until Apr 26, 2020, 5 occurrence(s)
Mar 29, 2020 05:00 PM
Apr 5, 2020 05:00 PM
Apr 12, 2020 05:00 PM
Apr 19, 2020 05:00 PM
Apr 26, 2020 05:00 PM
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/955852382
Meeting ID: 955 852 382
One tap mobile
+13462487799,,955852382# US (Houston)
+16699009128,,955852382# US (San Jose)
Dial by your location
+1 253 215 8782 US
+1 301 715 8592 US
Meeting ID: 955 852 382
Find your local number: https://zoom.us/u/aEIcBJb38
SECOND: A PASTORAL NOTE
Perfect Love Drives Out Fear [I John 4:18]
In the midst of so much anxiety, I encourage you to resist fear and to move towards love. In your own personal prayer practices, I encourage you to ground yourself in the love and care of God. Allow the peace of Christ to rule in your heart— this takes prayer, quiet, solitude. Take some necessary breaks from technology and social media, and stay connected to one another. Check-in on one another. Don't isolate but care for one another, whether in-person or virtually - FaceTime is a beautiful thing!
At the same time, this is a beautiful invitation to love your neighbor as yourself. Engage in conversations with those around you. Check in on those who might be vulnerable, need groceries or require medical assistance. Be good news to those who are feeling anxious. Ask good questions. Listen. Ask more questions. Offer to pray for others as God leads you. Christians have historically shined in moments such as these. We often forget, in the midst of a chronically anxious society, that we have complete access to God who has stitched God’s own self to each one of us. Ask God to stir something up within you and then ask how God might give you the courage to share what it with someone who needs a word of encouragement.
Even though we must take precautions, we must not "distance" ourselves from one another in any way other than physically. For it is more important than ever to come together to make sure that everyone in the community can thrive. As school closures and the economic hits of social distancing puts strain on working families and our neighbors living at or below poverty, we are compelled to give generously. Please see this post on Why You Should Give Not Hoard Your Toilet Paper to find out how you can begin to help our neighbors in need. I believe that our community is strategically poised for such a time as this!
THE ENTIRE WORLD IS LONGING FOR PEACE IN THIS MOMENT, AND WE, AS GOD’S AMBASSADORS, BREATHING GOD’S OWN BREATH, CARRY PEACE.
With much love and affection,
Jessica
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