Dear Church Family,
I was blessed to hear the various opinions shared at last Sunday’s Congregational Meeting. What a joy it is to examine issues pertaining to our church and consider others’ perspectives on complicated matters. I have always believed that the manner in which a decision is made can be as important as the decision itself.
One thought from our meeting that I believe bears emphasis is the importance of gathering together. As a dear Sister in Christ shared Sunday from the book of Hebrews 10:24-25 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. ESV
The past few months we have been examining how the Day is most certainly drawing near. With this in mind, I want to urge us all to consider the importance of our regular in-person gatherings.
While the pandemic (I grow tired of this word) caused us to innovate, develop, and utilize technologies for connection, they were never meant to replace worshiping together. Responsible use of these virtual tools should be for necessity, not convenience. They are intended to be options for those who are ill, those whose work or responsibilities preclude their presence, those who have moved and not found a church home, those at college, and those who are away or traveling.
Many cultural blogs have observed that there is a movement within our society to replace physical attendance with a virtual presence. It should be understood that while this may be a great convenience, I do not believe that virtual worship can adequately replace our gathering together.
My daughter can practice basketball alone in the driveway, but when she gathers together with her teammates, they develop chemistry. They can keep one another accountable and learn the intricacies of being part of a team.
We all know that an enormous percentage of communication is non-verbal. With this in mind, when we rarely connect, our communication is severely limited. Most relationships that have poor communication will struggle. The church is no different since the church is a people in a relationship with God and one another.
If you are one of those folks forced to rely on our virtual offerings, we do hope that you will find a small group or some in-person connections to strengthen your walk with Christ. Please know that you can connect with the ministry staff for prayer and encouragement as well.
If you have just gotten out of the habit of in-person attendance for convenience, I want you to know three things:
- Most importantly, God loves you and your church loves you! We miss connecting with you and would love to see you soon.
- We understand that our culture has moved significantly to more virtual connections instead of in-person, but our church stream was never intended to replace gathering together, just supplementing it. There are things we both receive and give in an in-person connection that we simply do not in a virtual setting.
- Talking about this comes from a heart of love. Please do not hear condemnation, but rather allow God’s Spirit to convict if He so desires.
I look forward to seeing you soon!
Loving you all,
Michael