News

Greetings, beloved EMC family!

This is the week we have all been waiting for. The staff, Board, and I have decided to open the church up this Sunday to you for the morning worship service. While this is a cause for rejoicing, it is also a time for caution. We do not make this decision lightly, knowing that there is still risk involved with any indoor mass gathering. We are also mindful of the continued warnings from public health officials on the dangers of coming together like this, so before you read any further please stop and pray for the Holy Spirit’s wisdom on what this all means for you.

(Waiting patiently while you pray…)

Ok, first off: If you do not feel comfortable coming to church Sunday for any reason, please do not feel in any way compelled to come. No one is taking attendance here. No one will question your commitment to Jesus or EMC. Everyone understands the unique time in which we live and no one is judging each other about their decisions. So please do not read this announcement as anyone requiring you to come to church Sunday. Come as you feel led, aware of the risks and expectations listed below.

Now, for those of you who do wish to come, be prepared that things will be different than you remember. We have tried to think everything through to make the worship environment a safe place to meet. We are blessed with a large space for our size of congregation, so we are confident that we can worship together while observing social distancing guidelines.

Here are some key things you need to know in advance of Sunday:

• The service starts at 10:15 am and it will be livestreamed. As usual, the stream will go live 15 minutes prior to the start of the service.
• There will be no children’s lesson at 10 am. Instead, the service will be treated like a typical Family 5th Sunday service when parents have their children with them the whole time.
• There will be no Sunday School, KidZone, or nursery care. We are trying to ease back into church life and are taking it one step at a time. This is our first (big) step.
• Parents must keep their children with them for the duration of the worship service. Special seating will be available near the rear exits for families that might need to allow their little ones the opportunity to stretch their legs if the need arises. The ushers will make sure optimal seating is reserved for families with young children.
• The front doors to the FYF building will be opened at 9:30 am. They will be propped open so no one has to touch the handles. No rear doors will be unlocked for entry.
• The lobby will not be open for fellowship. To keep the flow of traffic moving in the right direction, please follow the arrows and directions of the ushers while going directly to your seats.
• Please enjoy fellowshipping with one another before and after the service in the parking lot. Once inside, please remain with your family unit.
• Preservice traffic only flows into the Worship Center from the middle doors. People needing to exit must use the side doors. Once the service is over, the flow of traffic will be reversed and you will exit the Worship Center from the middle doors.
• Chairs will not be set up in rows, but rather in clusters of 2 and 4 with 6′ of spacing between each cluster in each direction. Some clusters in the rear have more than 4 chairs, and an usher can assist you if you have any additional seating needs.
• You will find your bulletin with a song sheet insert waiting for you at your seat.
• Ushers will collect the offering by bringing the collection bucket to you. You will not need to touch anything. Ushers will be wearing masks.
• Masks are strongly encouraged, especially during the congregational singing. COVID-19 primarily results from breathing in airborne infected respiratory droplets, which are more likely to be projected during singing. My family will be wearing masks, and for the sake of your fellow worshipers I encourage you to please do the same.
• In the event that we run out of room in the Worship Center, the Friendship Suite will be set up as an overflow space.
• At the conclusion of the worship service, the ushers will dismiss you from your seats.
• Please be extra patient with everything. All of this is new. No one has it all figured out. Parents will certainly be struggling with their children at times. Someone will forget a mask. All of us are human and doing our best, so let’s allow the Holy Spirit to produce in us the beautiful fruits of peace, patience, kindness, and gentleness toward one another.
• If you are not feeling well in any way, please enjoy the worship service online from the comfort of your home.

I’m sure that list was as exhausting for you to read as it was for me to type. I don’t relish having to put so many parameters on our time together, but I do feel it is necessary. The Holy Spirit is still every bit as free to move in our midst and have his way with our hearts. The presence of God is what makes our time together matter, so be in prayer that God would be at work through and among us even while we’re behind a mask at least 6 feet apart. Honestly, I would rather be 6 feet away from you in a mask than not around you at all!

If you have any questions about any of this, please do not hesitate to contact me by email or call me at my office (264-2254, x.201). Again, do not come if you feel unsafe or deem it unwise in any way. Otherwise, I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible this Sunday to worship the Holy One together in person once again!

In Him. With you.
Pastor Sean

Greetings EMC family!

This week is finally Pentecost, the Sunday where we come back together in person to worship the Holy One by celebrating the coming of the Holy Spirit. We’ve been talking about it for weeks, and the time has finally arrived. Here are the details for the service that you need to know:

• Drive-in service – From the moment you arrive on campus, we will direct you to where to park. The service will take place in front of the FYF building and our parking attendants will get you where you need to go. When you finally get parked, just imagine your car as your seat in the Worship Center.
• FM radio broadcast – We will be broadcasting the service on your FM radio. This is the best way to get audio to people in vehicles. We will let you know what station to turn to prior to the start of the service.
• No one is required to remain in their vehicles, but we do ask that if you decide to get out of your car that you do your best to observe the social distancing guidelines we have all become accustomed to. You are more than welcome to sit in a truck bed, set out some lawn chairs, or even stand if you wish. Just be sure the people behind you can see, and keep in mind that the primary audio source will be an FM radio, not amplified speakers.
• Bulletins, song sheets, and communion elements – You will be given everything you need for the service when you park. If you are not comfortable with being handed items, you can print the bulletin prior to coming (let me know if you want to receive an electronic bulletin) and pick up Fellowship Cups in advance at the church this week.
• Start times: 10am for the livestream, 10:15 for the worship service – At 10 we will begin our livestream with a children’s lesson for families who decide to stay home and worship online. At 10:15 the worship service will begin and continue to be streamed online just like we have been doing the past couple of months. Please try to arrive no later than 10am so that we can get you in place before the service begins.
• Offering collection – Our ushers will be bringing buckets around for you to give your tithes and offerings right after our congregational prayer time.
• If you need to use the restroom, please use the side doors to the KidZone and Infused hallways.
• Families with small children – We know it can be a challenge keeping kids contained in a vehicle for and hour or so. To help you with your unique challenges Sunday, Marcy will be providing activity bags for your kiddos.
• Be sure to wear red! It is still Pentecost, even if we’re worshiping from our cars. Red is the liturgical color of Pentecost because it recalls the flames of fire accompanying the coming of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2:3.
• Come with both excitement and patience – As wonderful as it will be to be together again in person, please keep in mind that we have never done anything like this before (in my time anyway). A lot of work and preparation is going into making this type of service happen, but there will almost certainly be hiccups along the way. Please be extra patient and kind toward one another as we all do our best to adjust to unusual circumstances. This is a great opportunity to heed the Apostle’s call to clothe ourselves in love (Colossians 3:14)

If you have any questions or concerns prior to Sunday, please let me know and I will do my best to help you out.

A couple other quick things while I have your attention:

• We will be honoring our 2020 graduates on June 7th. If you know of a high school or college graduate in our fellowship, please send that name to Marcy White (just to make sure we don’t miss anybody).
• We will let you know the status of worship for June 7th and beyond sometime next week. We are taking it 1 week at a time and prayerfully seeking what is best. Stay tuned for more information as it becomes available.

Thank you once again for taking the time to read this. I know it can be arduous having to read through something like this each week, but I trust these updates are keeping you in the loop and feeling like you have a sense of what’s coming up. I love you all and continue to be here for you if you need me. See you Sunday!

In Him. With you.
Pastor Sean

Good Thursday afternoon, beloved EMC family!

It has been a dismal rainy week weather-wise, but the joy of the Lord does not depend on the forecast. Because of all that God has done for us in Christ, and through the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit, we can have a gladness in our hearts that is not dependent on external circumstances. May you know the joy of the Lord this day, and may it be your strength (Nehemiah 8:10)!

I know many of you have been waiting to hear the status of worship for this Sunday. After much prayer and deliberation, the Board of Stewards and I have decided to not open up the worship service to the congregation this Sunday. I know for many this news comes as a disappointment, but we feel that the time is not yet right to resume gathering en masse. The plan at the moment is to hold an outdoor worship service next Sunday, May 31st (Pentecost), and then evaluate what to do each week moving forward. Because this whole pandemic is unprecedented for us, so much is still unknown, and the situation is not static but constantly changing, it would be unwise to try to forecast too far into the future. But here are some things I can say with certainty:

• The life and ministry of EMC will continue. Hebrews 10:25 says, “And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.” We will continue to “gather” around the ministry of the word online, as well as in small groups in each other’s homes (Phase 2 lifts the stay at home order!). We will continue to remember that the church is not a building, but a people who are the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit, the Body of Christ. Let us continue to live out life in the Body in whatever form that takes during this temporary time of being physically distant from one another.
• We have a comprehensive plan in place for easing back into corporate worship when the time is right. But be prepared for a prolonged season of “not normal.” It’s not as if suddenly we will all come back and resume like nothing has happened. We will have to ease back into gathering en masse in a way that takes into consideration the social distancing directives and recommendations of public health officials. Remember: We all bring different perspectives and convictions to this situation, so patience, forbearance, and humility–all out of self-giving love for one another–will be of the utmost importance in the weeks and months ahead. Worship services in person may be very different for some time, and the discomfort of change is something we all must prepare ourselves for.
• There will never be a time where there is zero risk in gathering together. If not COVID-19, it will be something else. We can’t just forsake meeting in person forever because of fear of some sort of illness. During a global pandemic, there is great wisdom in taking precautions and erring on the side of caution, but at some point we will have to determine that whatever risk we face is acceptable, at which point we will face that risk with equal parts boldness and vigilance. Again, I cannot say when that exact time is or what metrics will be required, only that we will prayerfully take each week as it comes and make our best, most informed decisions at that time.

I think this goes without saying, but I have not arrived at this decision lightly. I feel the great weight of making the right call. My request is that you continue to pray for the Lord’s wisdom and direction in all of this and that he would continue producing his unity among our fellowship.

I will give the Apostle Paul the final word in this update. Please join us Sunday online for worship at 10 am. Don’t let the weariness of looking at a screen cause you to forsake participation in the praise of God and the proclamation of his word. I will see you then.

Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful. Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father. (Colossians 3:14-17)

Greetings, EMC family! Our weekly update comes to you a little later than usual, but I trust it finds you safe and well.

I have begun to sense this week a growing fatigue with remote meeting. I get it. We were not made for quarantine, but for a corporate, incarnational fellowship of shared life and love. But we are still in the midst of a unique season of life that none of us saw coming, and we may still be facing a long recovery. So hang in there! Don’t despair! Don’t give in to angst and frustration, but rather (as we said in the beginning) “cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” (I Peter 5:7, NIV)

The Gospel Coalition has a great article out that encourages churches to not let the coronavirus divide us. I’ll let you read it on your own, but here are a few of the key points:

1. Model love that places the interests of others above the self. Everyone will bring different opinions, perspectives, and convictions to how to conduct church life moving forward. We must all do our best to avoid casting judgment on one another and to be willing to make sacrifices for each other.
2. We could all use a bit more humility. No one of us should assume we’ve arrived at the definitive answer on how to do all of this well. Let’s just acknowledge that not everything is obvious, and we are all just trying to do the best we can.
3. We should be careful not to rush things. We should be patient with a timeline that might be slower than we’d prefer; patient with a reopening process that will doubtless be clunky; patient with leaders feeling the pressure of this complex situation; and patient with one another as we figure out the new normal.

I think those are wise words–ones I myself will be trying very hard to follow and model in the weeks and months ahead.

The good news is that Pentecost is coming (May 31)! That will be a much welcomed reunion of sorts. The plan is still to have a worship service here at the church somehow someway. Stay tuned as we continue to monitor the Governor’s direction along with the weather forecast. We will let you know what the precise plans are as soon as possible.

In other news, we are doing our very best to plan and prepare for how we must adapt to the changing times. While we don’t know the future, we are convinced that livestreaming will remain a vital part of our worship and preaching life moving forward. Whether it’s to continue to reach families uncomfortable with returning to corporate gatherings for a while, or simply to expand our reach as a church to an increasingly technological world, the plan is to continue offering services online even after restrictions on mass gatherings are eased and/or lifted. Here are just a few of the things we are doing now to prepare for the future:

• Updating our broadcast capabilities to a more permanent, professional solution than the patchwork of equipment we cobbled together when all of this started
• Expanding the A/V team by recruiting new members. If you are interested, shoot me an email and let me know.
• Re-envisioning the worship platform. Right now all the instrumentalists are clustered to one side of the platform. We are exploring several adjustments to make better use of the space and to more beautify it for worship both in-person and online. This will involve things such as repositioning instrumentalists (both regular worship team and orchestra), recalibrating the lighting system, and creatively decorating the space so it’s not just a vast sea of dark empty chairs in the background. I’m excited to see what the many wonderfully gifted individuals with an eye for aesthetics at our church can do when given the opportunity to be creative. You should be too!

Please be in prayer for all of our church’s life moving forward, that we would follow the Lord’s leading and remain unified in our pursuit of him and his vision and mission for us. At the risk of sounding like a blind optimist, I believe our best days lie ahead, so long as we remain committed to our core identity while adapting to the times in order to reach the lost. Though much is uncertain, there is also much to be excited about.

Thanks for taking the time to read everything here. If you have any questions or insights of any kind, please feel free to share them with me. I am here for you, praying for you, and eager to be reunited with you face to face very soon!

In Him. With you.
Pastor Sean