Hello Family,
I’m sure that many of you are aware that this past Sabbath was our first online worship service without a live congregation inside the walls of our church. Despite that being the case, the preliminary numbers we have received tell us that nearly 2,500 devices were tuned in to worship with us over the weekend. Because there is no way to definitively tell just how many people were behind these devices, with that many devices being connected, we can safely say that the number of worshippers was even higher.
I would be remiss if I did not take a moment to thank our entire worship team for making this possible. Without the support from our dedicated media team, deacons, music ministry, pastoral team, and Sligo worship participants, this would not have been possible, as each played a pivotal role in helping to make this inaugural online service a success. Of course, none of us knows just how much longer we will have to continue to worship this way, but for now we are grateful for the most important resource we have to help make this possible and that is our faithful ministry leaders.
As we make plans for this Sabbath and possibly beyond, it is our goal to ensure that you receive regular updates regarding our response to the impact that COVID-19 is having on our church. To keep you well informed, along with our weekly electronic newsletter, the eWeekend, which is sent to you each Thursday, I am committed to sending you an update of our weekend worship each Monday.
Finally, as I shared on this past Sabbath, I believe that there are three very important lessons that we as believers can learn as we continue to navigate through these unstable and uncharted waters. The first is that we can develop a better appreciation for the opportunity to come to the house of prayer for corporate worship. It is true that sometimes we never miss the water until the well runs dry. Secondly, during this time we can gain a better understanding of the fact that although we worship in a building that we call the church, in the final analysis, as followers of Jesus, you and I are the church, and wherever we are, the church is present. And lastly, despite all the disruption that is taking place in our nation and yes even the world, God is still sovereign and he is still in control! As the song says, “He’s got the whole world in his hands.” So let us remain steadfast in these unstable times, because as God’s word reminds us, “…He will not leave us nor forsake us…” (Deuteronomy 31:8)
Richest Blessings!
Charles A. Tapp
Senior Pastor