First Baptist Church of Madison, North Carolina

Covid – 19 Crisis Update – March 17, 2020

KEEPING THE CHURCH TOGETHER AND INFORMED

First thing to know is that we are and will remain a people of faith and hope. May our confidence in God inspire love and grace for our world. Psalm 108: 12-13 utters a prayer we need to claim this day, “O grant us help against the foe, for human help is worthless. With God we shall do valiantly, it is he who will tread down our foes.”

Our foe today is one we cannot see, and some even now do not believe is quite real. Our foe is not unlike the perils the church has faced in the past. Yet we claim the ancient promise: “…with God we will do valiantly.” I am asking each of you to embrace the faith of our spiritual ancestors as we face these days as a community of genuine faith.

Now for a few specific things we can do. Before I explain these things, I want you to be informed. The corona virus that is raging the earth is a highly infectious. It is not the end of the world, but it is gong to be very disruptive to our lives, some will get this disease, and sadly a certain portion of our population will die. In order to address this, we only have one good alternative in this country right now. The only proven way to slow down corona virus is social distancing. That means avoid all unnecessary contact with other people. The next two weeks are critical. The more we do this the faster we will defeat this. We must set the example of love for one another and intelligent faith. By doing so we will be doing the most loving and caring thing for one another.

Now here are a few ways we can help to live out our Christian faith in the midst of this crisis:

WAYS TO CONNECT TO YOUR CHURCH

Tune in on Sunday to WMYN 1420/WLOE 1490. It may not be your habit to listen to AM radio, but I urge you to obtain a radio if you do not have one and tune into the broadcast at 11:00 on Sunday mornings. This is the best way we have to worship at this time. I also urge you to encourage your friends who are also unable to attend their churches and face issues of isolation to tune in as well. I will be going directly to radio station each Sunday and broadcasting live. There will be a morning message and Bible Study as well as announcements.

Use Social Media. Facebook is going to be popular through this. Do be careful though; some will try and pass along information that is not true. So, check out the source (always). That said, Rev. Marcia has opened up a Facebook page to try and help keep people in our church (and others) connected. There are many already accessing this page. https://www.facebook.com/First-Baptist-Church-of-Madison-NC-version-2020       

Phone one another. This is going to be very, very important. I am trying to call, but always remember the phone works both ways. YOU HAVE OUR PERMISSION AS YOUR PASTORS to reach out to us 24/7. We in turn want to encourage you to encourage one another through the use of the phone. 

Check out the Web Site for updates and general information. There is right now a section for information on the Covid – 19 Crisis. www.firstbaptistchurchofmadison.org

Read your email daily. Pastors Jan, Marcia, and me will be sending out regular emails to try and help us all navigate these uncertain waters. Keep in mind that some do not have email. Please call them and share these thoughts. 

Meetings by phone conference. We are now at a point where face to face meetings are not recommended and may prove to be impractical. We can still meet however through the use of modern technology. Rev. Marcia is investigating how we might convene a deacon meeting via tele-conferencing. More on this later.

The Church Office will remain open. I along with Sylvia and Jane will be here. If you need to come in, please use the hand sanitizer as you enter and leave. We are working EXTRA hard to try and keep folks connected through this crisis. We are here for you.

Regular Mailings. We will utilize the mail to send out regular mailings. Newsletters are going to be replaced for the time being, until things return to normal.

WAYS TO GIVE TO OTHERS

Prayer. We need to make prayer our number one priority. God loves us and as we pray, we will gain a sense of calm and reassurance that He is with us. Everything we will do for others proceeds out of that. Read Joyce Fulcher’s updates. Our prayer shawl ministry will continue. We will be receiving shawls at the church office. These will be placed in the sanctuary and sent to those in special need. So, if you want, now would be a great time to join in with this great ministry.

Offerings. Many churches will suffer greatly through this experience because offerings will dry up. We do not need to be a victim of this, but it will mean that each one of us think through how we will continue to support the church. You may mail in your offerings, drop them off at the church office (we have a mail slot in the office door, or you may donate to your church through our online giving found on our church web site. I will trust that you will find a way to help the progress of the gospel continue to be a strong presence in our community.

Contact one another. I know I have said this before, but I want you to be aware of just how much isolation is going to impact people. As the Church of Jesus Christ, we can and will help this be less of a problem.

Meals on Wheels. This ministry needs to continue. Norma Elrod is our coordinator. We are needed now more than ever.

Hands of God. The desperation of those who are food insecure will most likely increase. Please continue to support the Hands of God. We have bins for food collection in the church office. You can also go online at https://www.handsofgod.org/

WAYS TO GROW IN YOUR FAITH

Pastoral care. I am here for you. Should you need to talk then reach out and let me know. Call, text, or see me in the office. The other pastors are likewise available. Nothing has changed about our love for you.

Utilize this time to read a good book or engage in some spiritual formation. Rev. Marcia is an extraordinary gift to all of this. And she will be sending us information to help us grow as a faith people through this experience. You may also want to take some time to pick up a good book that will help inform your faith. Your church library is open and a ready resource available to you. Stop on in and check out what interests you.

Easter and Communion. Although we do not have any way to know just how long this social distancing may endure, it is increasingly looking like it may impact Easter season. If that, in fact, is the case then we have a way that we might still be connected through the act of Holy Communion. We are now procuring a type of communion that is individually sealed. We will find a way to distribute these before Easter Sunday. Then in an act of faithfulness and creativity we will celebrate in our homes as we listen to the broadcast worship on Easter Sunday.    

Sacramental Ministry. There is a funeral on Saturday and if this is a prolonged crisis then we can anticipate that need may rise again. We may desire to get together as a large group but will be unable to do so. Therefore, I expect that typically there will be a graveside committal with immediate family present. When this restricted period ends, we will celebrate the lives of the loved ones who have departed for Heaven.

This is a way forward for us as we move together with faith in our Lord as our guide. Remember He will never leave or forsake us. Share his love with someone today. 

Love You All,

 Chuck