Wednesday 18th March 2020
Give thanks to him and praise his name, for the Lord is good and his love endures for ever
(Ps. 100 vv 4b-5a)
What a great comfort and encouragement these words are, as we face strange and uncertain days. This afternoon the Elders at Grace met via WhatsApp to make some decisions that we believe will honour God and show love and concern to our neighbours in the light of the coronavirus pandemic. Obviously the situation is developing and we will continue to monitor it and make any needed adjustments to these decisions. These are not made out of fear or panic. Rather, we are desiring to honour what scripture says about submitting to governing authorities (Rom. 13 vv 1-7) and loving our neighbours (Rom 13 vv 8-10).
Here are the decisions we have made:
- Our church facility is now closed to all meetings and activities;
- We encourage our home groups NOT to meet in person for the next month – instead we are asking the leaders of the these to establish a Whatsapp group for their members and to consider the possibility of meeting weekly via tele-conferencing instead of gathering physically in one place;
- For pastoral help or any queries you may have, please call me on 01-832-7993.
We are encouraged by the large number of you who tuned into our service via livestream on Youtube last Sunday morning We will continue livestreaming this service into the foreseeable future. Please ‘tune in’ this Sunday at 11.00 a.m.!
In the meantime, let us take the opportunity that this strange moment provides, to be of use to God in ministering to those around us. It will require patience and creativity.
Here are some things that we encourage you to do:
- Devote yourselves to Scripture and to prayer. Some of you may have more time on your hands. Take time to seek God’s face. Pray for our church and our government and, of course, all of those on the front line.
- Keep in touch with our church family. Use social media including WhatsApp groups – a great way to connect with others – instead of simply consuming endless articles about the coronavirus.
That’s enough information for now. Have a blessed week!
Pat Mullen
May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word (2 Thess 2 vv 16-17)