On March 14, we announced that we would not gather at Governor's Square for the remainder of March. Read the full announcement at loveshelbyville.com/post/update_3-14-20.
Christ Community family,
From the beginning, our mission has been to love God, love people, and love community. The uncertainty that surrounds the spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) presents a situation where it is difficult to know how to love well in each of those areas. This is especially true as new information is continually surfacing.
We want to love God well which includes not only our personal relationship with the Lord, but also the gathering together that Scripture teaches us to not neglect. (Hebrews 10:24-25) We want to love people and the community at large well by doing everything we can to not spread sickness.
At the same time, our Governor, an authority in our state, has recommended that churches cancel services. What does it look like to “submit to our governing authorities” as Scripture encourages in Romans 13:1?
Our church family talks often about how Jesus being “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14) is a model for us to strive for as Christians living in a world that is not our home. Our Pastor/Elders believe this continues to give guidance in this situation.
We must not deny what we know to be true. COVID-19 is a sickness that presents significant risks to people, especially those age 60 and above or immuno-compromised. We, as Christians, also know that Jesus’ death and resurrection give us reason for hope without fear.
We also must live by the principles of grace. We know that it is a grace to our neighbors to stay home when sick agreeing with Governor Beshear when he said, “I don’t believe whether you go to church during this period of time is a test of faith.” We must also consider if how we gather as a church is filled with grace toward those in our community.
So what will we do at Christ Community?
Even before Governor Beshear’s recommendation, our team was taking steps toward providing a gathering that was proactively working against the spread of COVID-19.
Our cleaning team is providing extra cleaning including bleaching and using disinfectant spray on all high contact areas.
The greeting time during our gathering will be eliminated with an encouragement for each person to greet one another graciously and in a way that does not encourage germ sharing.
Our team has made all the arrangements to begin taking communion from individual cups as opposed to our regular method.
Our leaders will stay connected to updates pertinent to the situation to the best of our ability.
Furthermore, we encourage the sick or compromised to refrain from attending as well as extend grace to those whose concern keeps them from attending worship gatherings.
And yet, we do believe that in order to honor the grace that God has shown to us, we must not neglect meeting together. We are grateful for the grace that Governor Beshear has extended in allowing churches to make their own decisions regarding corporate gatherings, and we will continue to meet together while also seeking wisdom from the Lord as we learn more along the way.
In Christ,
Christ Community Church Pastor/Elders