Protecting the Most Vulnerable in our CommunityHow blessed is he who considers the helpless… Psalm 41:1 June 21, 2020 Good Afternoon Family of Grace, The Elders and Sunday Services Team of GFCS have decided to return our Sunday worship services to the Grace facility starting this coming Sunday, June 21st at 9:00 AM. This decision has been made for a number of reasons, all of which are described in the video link posted below. We will also continue Livestreaming the service on both our Facebook and YouTube Channels. IF YOU ARE SICK OR SYMPTOMATIC: PLEASE DO NOT attend onsite, but instead join us through our online offerings. We have allocated the Mini-Auditorium as a mask-required area. This is for people who would rather be in an area where everyone is wearing a mask. The Worship Center is mask-optional. Once you reach your seat, you are free to remove your mask or keep it on, whichever you prefer. We are asking everyone to wear a mask while entering and exiting the facility. We are also asking that you keep at least 3 seats between you and others who are not members of your immediate household. This will help to maintain the proper social distancing while we are seated together in both rooms. This coming Sunday, we will be looking at The JOY of the Lord! Our teams are all excited to be returning to the Hill and are looking forward to all that the He has in store for us as a family! If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reply to this email, or call the church office at 717-235-8390 during office hours (9:00 AM-1:00 PM Monday through Friday). By HIS Grace and for HIS Glory – Pastor Jeff |
March 13, 2020
Good Afternoon Family of Grace,
As all of you are aware, we are together facing a pandemic called Coronavirus or COVID-19. Yesterday in his televised address, Governor Wolf of Pennsylvania asked for all large group meetings, especially those of two-hundred and fifty persons or more, to be cancelled for the next two weeks. In addition, he asked leaders of religious communities to do all they could to protect members of their congregations.
The virus is having its most serious impact on the elderly and those with compromised immune systems. With this in mind, the leadership and elders of Grace have decided to do all we can to play our part in protecting the most vulnerable members of our community by not holding services on-site for the next two weeks. On-Site Services are cancelled for Sunday, March 15th and Sunday, March 22nd. As more is revealed about the virus, we will prayerfully decide if further action is needed.
During this time period, we will be posting online Sunday message videos and sharing some devotions throughout the week. We will be taking a break from our Hebrews series in order to more directly address our current situation from scripture. This Sunday’s message is “Being a Family of Faith in a Culture Filled with Fear”. These messages and devotions will be posted on our website (www.gfcshrewsbury.org), and on our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/gfcshrewsburypa/). In addition, links to messages and devotions will be sent out through body-wide emails.
You can also continue in giving to Grace through the PushPay app or online here: https://pushpay.com/g/gfcshrewsbury?src=hpp&r=monthly
In addition to the above measures, we will also be limiting all on-site activity to critical care ministries only (Life Recovery small groups, individual counseling, 12-step fellowships). The Ministry Team meeting scheduled for Monday, March 16th will be postponed until further notice. The Lord’s Gym, The Harvest Cafe & Community Closet will also be closed during this time period. Please contact the Harvest Pantry directly for immediate critical food needs. Also, please contact ministry-specific leadership if you have questions or concerns regarding a specific ministry activity.
In light of all that is going on around us, I would like to remind you of the words which God spoke through the Apostle Paul in the book of Philippians, Chapter 4:6-7
Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. (NLT)
When the culture becomes overrun by fear, we are to be a family of faith! We are to “shine like stars” as we hold out the Word of Life (Phil 2:15-16). With all this in mind, I want to encourage you to be prayerful, practical (wash your hands!) and profess Jesus as Lord in all that you say and do!
Please feel free to reply to this message with any questions you might have. I look forward to speaking with you Sunday online and sharing with all who will hear, the good news of Jesus!
By HIS Grace and for HIS Glory – Pastor Jeff
For further information and recommendations regarding the current pandemic, visit the CDC’s website at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html