Greeting EM family,
May the grace and peace from our Lord Christ Jesus be with you! May this email find you safe and healthy in the coziness of your home….
Yup, you read it right, I guess 99% of chance reading this email from home.
COVID-19 has spread so fast that our lives have been completed overturned by the pandemic, and most of us are now working from home, meeting from home to avoid potential cross-contamination risk.
PC: unsplash.com https://unsplash.com/photos/G8_A4ZWxE3E
PC: Seattle Times https://www.seattletimes.com/explore/careers/where-to-work-if-you-want-to-telecommute/
Starting from last week, CBCGL live-streamed Sunday service. Families are worshiping together from home. We will continue to broadcast Sunday service online this week. The service link can be found in the announcement.
I don’t see the online experience all bad for the new lifestyle to minimize human interaction and keep a social distance. Many of us are getting familiar with all the online tools, which I believe we could continue to utilize after the pandemic passes.
I am sure this pandemic will pass! May we encourage each other that,
do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.
And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
(Phil. 4:6-7, ESV)
Announcement:
- Tonight’s Bible Study is ON!! We will continue to study the book of Numbers. You may dial in or login via your phone or personal computer:
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/685376249?pwd=cWtyUk1pckJiRHJxZVZCSGdJZWw2UT09
Meeting ID: 685 376 249
Password: 840840
Dial-in from your phone: +1 929 436 2866 US (New York)
Meeting ID: 685 376 249
- This Sunday, Pastor Raymond Lee will be sharing God’s word with us:
- Live stream Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZocfT4w7B4I
- Title: Making The Most of This Crisis
- Text: Isaiah 40:28-31
- Coworker reminder:
- Sunday bulletin: www.cbcgl.org/ministries/english-ministry/em-weekly-bulletin/
You may subscribe to CBCGL YouTube channel for future easy access: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIedQNWwZ_6YYlQYRjMCO4Q
- EM Sunday School is back ON!!
Topic: CBCGL EM Sunday Alpha Class
Join Zoom Meeting (Note that it uses a different ID!!)
https://zoom.us/j/491248585?pwd=N1ZPTnZGdEhUNmtYcXJ1bXFIazJpUT09
Meeting ID: 491 248 585
Password: 484658
Dial-in from your phone: +1 929 205 6099 US (New York)
Meeting ID: 491 248 585
- NO Lunch will be served.
- The church-wide retreat will be held during the Memorial Weekend (5/23~5/25). Here is the online registration link. http://bit.ly/cbcglretreat2020
- The EM townhall meeting is seeking an alternative for an online option. Stay tuned.
- All other announcement items can be found here.
Prayer Request:
1. Please pray for the coronavirus situation and victims. May God protect His church from harm and grant peace and vigilance to His people.
2. Pray for the EM pastor search. We are getting very close. Announcement and Q&A may be conducted during the April town hall meeting. May God’s guidance lead us to call His desired shepherd.
3. Pray for our newcomers and newcomer-to-be! May God provide us enough wisdom to make them feel welcome and feel at home.
4. Pray for brothers and sisters who are looking for work opportunities.
5. Pray for CBCGL 2020 focuses: outreach, prayer, and discipleship groups.
Blessings,
Jeremy
The following is a letter from Pastor Nathan in light of the current Coronavirus outbreak:
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Peace to you! A whole lot has changed in the past week, but the one thing that has not changed is the character of our good and gracious God! During this season of social distancing, virtual fellowship meetings, and live-streamed worship, the pastoral staff will be writing a weekly letter of encouragement. It is my pleasure to write to you the first of these letters.
Change, due to a pandemic (or any other type of change) causes anxiety. Perhaps you have been having a lot of anxiety recently. With all of these changes it is essential to have correct information. So, let me provide you with some correct information about worry and anxiety.
First, worry and anxiety are not for Christians! We are explicitly told in Matt. 6:25 – “Do not be anxious about your life…” Jesus addresses food and clothing, but in our day, at this time, he could easily address health and safety. “Is not your life more than health, and the body more than safety?” Don’t misunderstand me. Health and safety are important, but they are not the most important things in life.
Second, the most important thing in life is loving God and obeying him. One way to obey him is to humble ourselves, casting our anxieties on him. Why? He cares for us! (Try reading 1 Peter 5:6-11). This whole COVID-19 pandemic is not a surprise to our Lord.
Yes, we need to be careful. Yes, we need to wash our hands well. Yes, we are practicing self-quarantine and social distancing. Yes, we need to stay at home if we have symptoms. But also, yes, we must take our anxiety to the Lord! Why bear the weight of worry when Jesus says that he cares for you?
Third, as you practice social distancing from others, practice drawing near to the Lord. If you feel disconnected from others, re-connect with Him. For example, to help reduce anxiety about this situation, try to spend at least half of your time (in which you would be seeking information on COVID-19) in God’s word and prayer. So if you spend 30 minutes a day looking for information, or watching news about COVID-19, cut that in half and spend 15 minutes with our Lord. Also, take time with our Lord together as a family. God has prepared our church for this time of social distancing by giving us experience in recent years in doing family devotions. So read the Bible, pray and sing together. Take time for rest and renewal. Take a nap! Do those things that recharge you. He cares for you!
Fourth, because he cares for us, we can also care for others. One thing you can do is care for your family members. Extend kindness to one another in your home and help each other out. Do the dishes, take care of the laundry, clean the bathroom. Do these things to serve each other. Give each other the benefit of the doubt. Practice loving each other well.
Finally, if you need anything, please don’t hesitate to contact the pastoral staff or the church office. Just because we can’t meet together for a few weeks doesn’t mean that we have stopped loving or serving you. Let us know what you need. We will do what we can to meet your needs in these exceptional circumstances.
As we practice drawing near to the Lord and caring for one another, may God grant that we come out of this temporary break more eager to worship as a body together, more loving towards our family member, and more excited to serve our local communities for the glory of God alone.
In Christ, your servant, Soli Deo Gloria,
Pastor Nathan Willems