Further Coronavirus Information
Posted on
In response to confirmed coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in Ohio, we will not be gathering together for our Sunday service this week, March 15th. Although there have been no confirmed cases in Lakewood, the school system has postponed all large events which includes our use of Garfield Middle School on Sundays. As of today, the projection of the postponement extends through April 3rd. We recognize the challenges involved in these types of decisions and want to do whatever we can to be partners in preventing any furthering of the outbreak. Additionally, we want to pray for those in leadership to be granted wisdom and unanimity in all of the complex decisions that need to be made.
In the upcoming days and weeks our elder team will continue to assess the situation in cooperation with Lakewood schools. Our guidance for our Community Groups would be for you to meet if you sense it is best or postpone if you think that is better. If your group chooses to meet, please be attuned to health guidelines by not attending if you or someone in close proximity to you has been sick. In regards to students, this Sunday’s Neighborhood gathering will be canceled.
The past few days have reminded us of how unpredictable life can be. Paul’s counsel for the Philippian church is for us, too: to take our anxious thoughts to God in prayer, and to ask for his peace to fill our hearts and minds. These are days for us to take appropriate precautions, but also days for us to ask the Lord to open our eyes for opportunities to show kindness and love to our fellow neighbors. Perhaps we might start our days by praying like the late W. E. Sangster did: “Good morning Lord, and what are we going to do together today?”
On Sunday, we encourage you to use the morning to watch a sermon online that you missed, read a Psalm together with those in your home or a friend, jump over to Spotify and sing along to something from our playlist, pray the Lord’s Prayer and remind yourself that Jesus is Lord of all.
Lastly, our friends over at CCEF posted an article called, Anxiety, Waiting and the Coronavirus that you may want to read. Here’s a little snapshot from it:
“Pour out your anxieties to your Father in Heaven. Do not churn fruitlessly inside your own heart with worries about school closings, travel plans, economic downturns, or the potentially infected surfaces you’ve touched! When you are afraid, turn to him. Cast your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. In fact, let handwashing or rubbing on hand sanitizer become a moment in which you consciously entrust yourself and the future of everyone you care about into his hands.”