Dear EC Family,
I am sure you are well aware of the impact that coronavirus is having on our world, country, and communities. One of the significant questions for us is how does the church respond?
I believe the best advice I can give you at this point is to pay attention to what your state, municipality, and school officials are saying. Obviously, if the government acts to order restrictions on large group meetings we will have to comply. At the present time the advisories I have seen are given as recommendations. In that case you and your congregational leaders will have to make decisions based on what is prudent in your local context.
One resource that is available to local churches can be accessed at www.ministrygrid.com/coronavirus. They are offering free, seriously – no strings attached, training and checklists to prepare your church for dealing with coronavirus. This training includes 7 checklists, 4 videos, and a sample pandemic policy for you to contextualize for your church. This information allows you and your leadership team to get out in front of this issue and make plans now, rather than having to react to it. All you need to do is to register for a free LifeWay account. The Centers of Disease Control has guidelines for various businesses and community groups. www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/downloads/community-mitigation-strategy.pdf?fbclid=IwAR2Fl4QSlaWN6WuOQDEymeu6XH9oyhwhbVTjW3OG78yyQevN2JvO9D0mqq4. These guidelines from the CDC are very practical and helpful. Page 7 is specific to faith communities. Other coronavirus information and resources are available through various national and local governmental websites.
On top of all of this, please remember your normal wintertime / flu season precautions – wash your hands a lot, have hand sanitizer available, and practice elbow bumps or just a good conversation rather than a handshake. EC Church Center will do our best to keep you informed, but encourage you to be very aware of what is happening in your local communities in order to take appropriate action and prevention measures.
In Christ’s Service,
In addition to the denominational response, I want to let you know that at this point there are no plans to cancel services this week or any upcoming Sundays. It is completely understandable should you choose not to attend but we will be there. Obviously we will continue to monitor the situation and keep you informed. May we all look to the Lord in faith and in complete trust in Him.