Hi Church!
These times may find you down, distracted, bored, and boxed in so I am hopeful this email will bring some light and encouragement to you. I wanted to fill you in on our plans for Sunday and communion as well as ask for your help in connecting in these different times.
First, thanks so much for participating well! From hosts who are cleaning well before and after, giving good guidelines for interaction in their home, and getting the technology situated to host…to participants coming and being respectful of those guidelines, staying home when you have Covid-19 symptoms or believe you may have been exposed, and engaging well with worship…YOU ARE THE CHURCH! And you are knocking it out of the park! I have heard from so many how precious these times have become in these days. Thank-you!
We plan on meeting again this Sunday in our assigned “micro-groups.” If you would still like to connect with one, let me know and I will get you plugged in. But this being the first Sunday of the month and in the spirit of unity and togetherness and encouragement, I wanted to throw in a bit of a curveball for this Sunday that I hope you’ll engage in. We have made it a practice to celebrate communion on first Sundays and it seems to me like it has been a LONG month, and communion is needed for all of it’s value to us. So we are going to do “Drive-In Communion” this Sunday.
At 10:00, we will meet in the church parking lot, everyone staying in their cars. The church will not be open for bathroom or any other use so plan accordingly please. A designated “runner” will find out how many in your vehicle are taking communion and bring you pre-packaged, sealed cups and crackers. As you pull in to the parking lot, log onto YouTube (it will be easiest if you Subscribe to our channel), feeling free to avail yourself of our wi-fi. I will share a 10 minute or so communion meditation via live-stream on YouTube, and we will take communion with at least some feeling of together-ness there in our vehicles.
Seeing each other in person (not a digital representation) will be meaningful even if behind glass. I know that was the case for many who participated in praying for the Hospital staff last Sunday in the same way. After the Lord’s Supper, you may head to your house groups or homes as previously set up.
I know this will require extra work, but I believe it will be worth it. If you know of someone who may not have the technology to watch the live stream but is healthy and wants to participate in communion, please invite them in your car load (assuming you haven’t crammed 10 in there already!). And if you are homebound or quarantining or otherwise have no other way to get here in the morning, let me know as soon as possible and I will bring the elements to you earlier in the week so that you can at least participate in that way. Thanks for being an incredible family even in difficult times!
NEXT, another fun idea for together-ness while apart; I invite you to submit to me short videos of you or your family. They can be funny, serious, personal, or not. It could be hilarious cooped up kid antics, or you reading a meaningful passage of Scripture. The idea is to send these in, and I will compile them to put at the front or back end of our micro-house-meetings online playlist so that we can see each other and how we are coping. I can make these videos private on our YouTube channel so that only those with a link can view them. I miss you all and I know you all are missing each other too, so don’t be shy! This is a great way to BRIDGE that gap!
Be a witness,
Nate