Psalm 13 starts out, “How long, O lord?” Some of us are asking that same question… How long will the Shelter in Place (SIP) rule be in place? How long until I can go back to work again? How long until my kids can safely hug their grandparents again? How long until we can gather again face to face for worship services, small groups, and person to person ministry? While we’re grateful for the technology that allows us to gather digitally, many of us are eager to meet again face to face.
On the one hand we recognize the desire we all have to be reunited with our loved ones, to gather in our church services, and to restart the economy. At the same time, we recognize the God given responsibility of our government to protect the people in cases like this. We grieve with people who have lost loved ones and understand the serious nature of this illness.
I want to let you know that the pastors and elders are seriously considering all the issues. How do we obey our government and be true to our King Jesus at the same time? Once we can restart our in-person ministry, what changes do we anticipate? Some would have us believe there are easy and one-sided answers to these questions, but the reality is these questions require wisdom, discernment, courage, and faith to answer even in the best of times, let alone during a world-wide pandemic. Please pray for us during this time of important decision making regarding the ministry of Valley Church.
What we know for sure is that we do not need to fear. Psalm 46:1-3 says, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah” We’re confident that the Lord is at work during this time.
I’m really excited about our service this weekend in particular as we have a guest speaker joining me to present our next message on the topic of “Family Matters”. We’ve been serving the Lord together now for just about 30 years and will be teaching together for the next two Sundays. Can you guess who it is? We’ll also be talking about Bill and Jane Carpenter who have been married for… well, can you guess “How long?” I’ll tell you on Sunday!
I also want to invite you to join us this weekend to chat live online with pastors and church leaders about the sermon. You can find out more here, or just jump right in with us at 9:00 am or 10:45 sharp here. Of course, you can continue to watch here without chat if you find it distracting!
Have a fun (and safe) weekend! We’ll “see” you Sunday!
In Christ,
Kurt
P.S. Just checking again to make sure you are connected and getting weekly info about our Joel Moments, Coffee Connections, and other important ministry information. Click here.