Dear Calvary Christian Center Family and Friends,
God is good! I pray this letter finds you well. I also pray that you have been passionately pursuing God during this time of quarantine and shut down, experiencing His transforming power and presence! These are interesting and trying times we have been living in, and I am sure you are all ready for things to move on. Especially with respects to being able to gather and worship together again! So many of you have remained faithful in your giving unto the Lord through Calvary, and the church has been blessed by your generosity and faithfulness. We have been able to purchase some much needed equipment, some already in use, and some still awaiting delivery and installation, that will improve our online service quality as well as our in-house experience. We have also been able to order some much-needed upgrades and replacements for our Men’s and Women’s restrooms upstairs. When it is all said and done, our upstairs restrooms will be looking great and flowing even better! As you are probably already aware, Governor Parsons has opened the state, with social distancing guidelines still in place. This also means that churches can begin the process of opening back up for services again. Every church is different in respects to people groups, ages, health issues, building layouts, ministries, abilities, etc. Some churches are opening this Sunday, Mother’s Day, and many others have chosen to wait until the end of May or first of June. Flow of traffic inside, restroom layouts, and ability to abide by social distance guidelines all play a factor in this decision. If pastors thought that shutting down and going to online services was hard, opening back up has proven to be even more difficult considering County Health Requirements. That being said, our board met and discussed this at length, praying for God’s wisdom and direction for Calvary, taking into account what is required of leadership and you as members/attenders, and have decided to wait a few more weeks before holding our first Sunday morning service in person. Our target date is May 31, 2020 (Pentecost Sunday), but this date is not set in stone yet. When we do meet, it will be for a family service. There will be worship, a message, and prayer. You will have an opportunity to give your tithes/offerings as you exit the sanctuary. Dismissal at the end of service will function much like a wedding, starting with the last row and releasing one row at a time to minimize congregating and fellowship in the hallways. There will be no kids ministry, nursery, Sunday School, Coffee and Donuts, and no Wednesday night service. The downstairs area of our building will be off limits for now. Our Wednesday night online meeting will continue to happen at 7:30pm, and our Sunday service will still be live streamed as well. All these decisions have been made to honor the requests of the authorities in Jefferson County, as well as what is feasible for our staff and volunteers to accomplish to meet these expectations. These restrictions are subject to change at any moment, and we will adjust accordingly. Part of the reason for waiting until the end of May or first of June is the hopes that some of these restrictions will be lifted and it will be easier on all of us as we come back to church, wanting to be close with one another, hugging, hand-shaking, laughing and crying together, praying with one another with the laying on of hands, etc. We also recognize that everyone has different and mixed feelings about Covid-19, social distancing, the actions taken by our government and so forth. While everyone is entitled to their opinion, we must not cast judgment on our brothers and sisters who may see things differently. Some want to wear masks while others don’t. Some are ready to give hugs and shake hands while others are not. Please do not be offended when someone chooses distance over embrace. Please do not be offended if someone chooses not to wear a mask while you prefer to wear a mask. If you are sick, like always, we encourage you to stay home and enjoy the service online. If you are not ready to come back in person when we do reopen, we understand and hope that you will continue to worship with us online, and we look forward to the day when you are able to join us in person again. We continue to pray for God’s healing and protection for you, your family, and for our nation. God is good and will use these trying times for your good if you let Him. Trust Him, pursue Him, follow Him. He’s not through with you and has great things in store for your future. He has not called us to go back to what was, but to move forward under His anointing, walking into a new season, with a heart of repentance, an experience of His presence and transformation, and bathed in His Spirit to reach the world around us with the message of Hope that is the gospel of Christ. Great things are ahead for Calvary Christian Center, and I am so glad you are a part of it! Expecting a move of God with you, Pastor Luke |
