Hi, Beloved.
As the novelty of Zoom meetings and having church services online starts to wane, it’s important to remind ourselves of why we’re doing this.
Church is so much more than a place. It’s so much more than the services on Sabbath. Church is a community of people saved by grace. It’s not a museum for saints, it’s a hospital for the broken.
And as the Bible clearly implies, the church is Jesus’ beloved. The church is God’s bride. So no, we’re not going to give up hope. We’re not going to stop just because things are different. We’re going to continue forward in courage and in faith while simultaneously being anxious and afraid.
God has seen his people through worse situations, so we have evidence that God will carry us through even a time like this.
This Sabbath we’re having the special privilege of seeing our youth lead out! The theme will be resurrection and we will hear from Daniel, Desric, Will, and Jason. We’re also going to be blessed with some beautiful music as well. Our youth aren’t the leaders of tomorrow, they’re the leaders of now. I’m so proud of them, and I can’t wait to see how God will multiply their efforts.
I want to provide you with some tangible resources on our website for connecting with others even while we’re physically apart.
What started as a youth project is now available for the entire church. This link is for a digital bulletin board that we fondly call, “Warm and Fuzzies.” In sticky-pad style, you can leave a kind and uplifting message to anyone right there on our website. It’s like opening a little present whenever you find your name on there. I highly recommend engaging with that resource! Click HERE.
The second link here is for our new live-streaming page. On it, you can submit prayer requests, chat live with our loving moderators, and watch the livestream simultaneously. This week we will be live streaming adult Sabbath school and the main service. Click HERE
Additionally, I want to let you in on a resource that we’ve just rolled out. If you’re like me and many others, you’re actively looking for ways to help those in need, but you’re not sure how to take the next steps. Or perhaps you’re in the opposite camp where you need help, but you’re not sure how or where to ask for it. As a direct response to this, we’ve created a page on our website called, “Corona Help.” The goal of this page is to connect people that need help with people that want to help. All information submitted there will be anonymous and will only be seen by those directly involved in providing aid. Click HERE.
Lastly, I want to let you know that we’ve started a youth Sabbath school video series. It’s a group effort between local church youth pastors to talk about what’s going on with an authentic perspective. Our faith and lifestyles are challenged – so what next? You can find the first video when it’s posted on our Richardson SDA Youtube channel. Click HERE
God is a dynamic God, so my prayer is that we continue to serve Him dynamically.
Let me leave you with the beautiful words from Psalm 27:13-14.
I would have lost heart, unless I had believed
That I would see the goodness of the Lord
In the land of the living.
Wait on the Lord;
Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart;
Wait, I say, on the Lord!
You’ll be ok,
Pastor Jonny