Hi Family,
I wanted to begin today by thanking you for joining us this past Sabbath for worship. Truly, we are learning through this crisis the importance of what God intended for the church to be since its inception, a people that he has called to himself to be his very own. As the early believers met in various homes for worship and fellowship, they understood that it was the church that was meeting in those homes and not a group of believers that were meeting in a church. As I’ve said before, this Covid-19 pandemic is helping us to gain a better appreciation for what the church should be and what it needs to become as we move forward in faith.
As I sit here at my desk preparing the update for this week, I received word that the Governor of Maryland, Larry Hogan, has just issued a stay-home order beginning today at 8 p.m. Only those who are considered essential workers or those seeking essential services, such as medical or food, will be allowed to be out and about.
Since the church and the services that we provide to our members and to the wider community are not considered essential, this will greatly impact us as we move forward, especially in regards to providing assistance through the church office and our virtual worship on Sabbath. Although we are not sure what the make-up of our Sabbath worship will be, we are confident that we will provide an online gathering for those of our Sligo community and beyond.
As we begin this next phase of this confinement, here are a few important things to remember as we strive to remain connected:
Prayer Gathering – There is a call-in prayer service where those who desire to be a part of this gathering can call in and join other like-minded individuals. If you would like to be a part of this gathering on Wednesday evening from 7:00 – 7:30 p.m., you may call 425-440-5010, and when prompted, enter the following conference pin: 867642#
Journey Groups – If you are a member of a Journey group, or would like to be part of a Journey group that will meet through an online platform, such as zoom or Skype, please just click on the link to receive more information. <virtualjourneygroups>
Ministry Leaders – During this crisis we are encouraging all ministry leaders to stay connected with your groups via an online platform. This is vital to our continued development as disciples of Jesus Christ.
Assistance: This is a challenging time for a number of our members, particularly those who have lost their means of livelihood. Should you be in that position or know of a member who is, please write to Pr. McFarlane about this at <dmcfarlane@sligochurch.org> We will certainly do our very best to provide whatever support we can.
Giving –. While many of you are continuing to return your tithe and offerings online, while others are either mailing their contributions to the church or bringing them directly to the church office. For this we are eternally grateful. <adventistgiving>
Finally, as I have said throughout this Covid-19 pandemic, we will by God’s help, make it through to the other side. And my prayer is that we will be a people that is, Better, Stronger and Wiser for it, a people whom God has called to himself in order that we might belong to him as we serve one another and the world.
Stay strong,
Charles A. Tapp Senior Pastor