3/12/20 Responding as a church to COVID-19

Dear Providence Church Family & Friends,

The coronavirus is clearly a worldwide concern that is affecting many in our own country. We cannot avoid the daily news that tells us the virus is spreading rapidly. You may be wondering what are the practical steps we will take at Providence? I would like to share with you what we are planning & how all of us should be responding as believers from a Scriptural perspective.

First, though, may I share with you part of a longer article that greatly ministered to me this morning (you can find it at www.ccef.org/anxiety-waiting-and-the-coronavirus)? Here's the excerpt:

... do wash your hands, and do what is wise about working from home, or calling your doctor. But don’t let yourself for a moment forget where your true safety lies. After all, you don’t know what tomorrow will bring, but you do know the one who parts raging rivers…and who has already parted the last river for you, blocking its flow with his blood-soaked cross! That final crossing you will indeed find already open and waiting for you. And on the far side of that river you’ll fear and wait no more.

What a wonderful reminder that, as God's people, we must not be tempted to live by fear, or to place our hope in anyone (or anything) other than the Lord! What separates us from the world is that in the midst of all of this trouble we can have peace! One of the most repeated commands in Scripture for the believer is “fear not.” Some form of being "fearless" is used over 300 times! As believers we should not allow the turmoil of our lives and the difficulties (no matter how big they are) to cause us to fear. As an encouragement & reminder of this, read portions of the Word such as Isaiah 26:1-4, Psalm 23:1-6, and Matthew 6:25-34.

Kevin DeYoung, a fellow pastor in the PCA, recently posted these helpful tips:

Things Christians should not do in a pandemic: 1. Tell everyone it’s too late! 2. Tell everyone it’s not a big deal! 3. Act like experts. 4. Make everything about politics.

Things Christians should do: 1. Pray. 2. Trust God. 3. Show compassion. 4. Give thanks in all circumstances.

As we trust the Lord for this season, we want to be good stewards of all that He has entrusted to us. As a church, we will continue to use practices to prevent the spread of any sickness, and strive to help our church family be loving and wise. 

When we gather at Providence for worship and activities, we would like to ask you to consider the following. We don’t want to overreact but neither do we want to under-react ...

Corporately at Providence:

At this point, we plan to strengthen & enhance our already-excellent cleaning procedures throughout the church with the following:

  • The greeters will continue to open the doors for everyone as they enter the building on Sunday mornings to prevent “many hands” from touching the door.
  • Hand sanitizer will be available throughout the building.
  • Signs have been posted in the restrooms to remind us all of hand-washing procedures.
  • For Lord's Supper we will use pre-filled and sealed cups with wafers instead of passing open trays.
  • Open trays of food will no longer be available during the refreshment time after morning worship.
  • Coffee will be served to you by a designated "server" (to minimize many hands touching the pots) and individual creamers will be available instead of the larger containers.
  • The nursery, bathroom, and kitchen areas will be a particular focus of enhanced cleaning by our cleaning team and volunteers.

Personally at Providence:

We ask that each of you do your part ...

  • Please do not let fear keep you from attending corporate worship services and activities.
  • We ask that you be cautious about shaking hands and hugging at church for now.
  • We ask that if you have a cold or are feeling sick in any way, that you stay home and access the service online, or listen to the sermon after it is posted.
  • If you use the church for any activity, please be sure to thoroughly clean & wipe down anything you used (chairs, tables, kitchen items, etc).
  • Please also wash your hands thoroughly in the restrooms.

At this point, everything is still "on" at Providence (that is, all events & meetings). If that changes at all, those who are leading those events will let you know.

I'm looking forward to worshiping with you this coming Lord's Day. Until then, let's trust the Lord for what He is doing, and use any & every opportunity to share the hope of the gospel of Jesus Christ!

May the Lord continue to bless the ministry of the gospel at Providence! May we continue to be a beacon of hope for our community and a light to the world.

Grateful for you,
Pastor Mark