No Weekly Activities and Sunday Services on Campus (March 18 – April 3)
The COVID-19 situation is fluid at this time. There are almost daily changes. Due to the current CDC and Presidential guidelines, the deacons and I met this morning and after prayer and discussion, it was decided that the best coarse of action at this time is to cancel all Sunday and weekday services through April 3. At this time we will not be holding a worship service at the church on Sunday, March 22 and March 29. It is our desire to resume worship on April 5. We will keep you up to date if there are any changes based on the changing environment.
Reason
Our discussion centered around the needs of our elderly and those with underlying health conditions within our congregation. It was determined that the greatest risk would be to our elderly members and since a large majority of our church are in that demographic, we felt that the best choice for our congregation would be to take some time off as encouraged by the CDC and the Presidential guidelines. I also learned today that schools will be closed until April 3 as well. No one wants to stop meeting together but out of a desire to care for our members we wanted to take these necessary steps.
In the Mean Time
1. Online Messages – Facebook (Sundays at 10:30am)
We will be offering messages online through our Facebook. The Sunday message will be posted on Facebook at 10:30am on Sunday and can be viewed at any other time following the live feed. We will also be offering a devotional message during the week. I am hoping to offer other online opportunities for communication and interaction in the days ahead. You will be contacted via email regarding those opportunities.
2. Prayer Request – https://esbchurch.com/prayer-request
We have provided a place on our website for individuals to fill out a prayer request form. The request will go directly to my email: pastor@esbchurch.com. I will be praying over each request and passing it along to others who will pray for the needs shared. The link to the prayer request form is: https://esbchurch.com/prayer-request
3. Weekly Contacts
I hope that you will join me in contacting other members, friends, and family members over the coming weeks. Let’s make sure that their needs are being meet and they have all they need to make it through this pandemic threat. Please contact individuals in your Sunday school on a weekly basis and others you know. We will be making weekly calls to members to stay in touch, especially over the next couple of weeks. If needs arise, please let us know so we can determine what we can do to help others within our congregation and community.
4. Financial Giving
We encourage you to continue to partner with us in faithful and generous financial giving, as we shoulder the load together to continue our mission to reach and serve the community around us. We do not have any way to provide online giving but you may drop off your gifts by the church office.
5. Church Office
The office will remain open during this time. Our offices hours are Monday – Thursday (8:30am – 2:30pm). You can reach us by phone at: 660-826-3887. We would be glad to assist in anyway that we can during these challenging days.
Assurance in Uncertainty
One thing that we are assured of in this uncertainty is that God provides the care and guidance we need to navigate through these circumstances. When we look out, we are limited by what we can see but God is the God of Heaven who looks down on His creation and He has a perspective that we do not. So as we seek for certainty in uncertainty let us go to the source that God provides.
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.