In light of everything that has happened over the last several days with the Coronavirus, we have decided at City Park Church to cancel meeting in person for our upcoming services until the appropriate time is for our church and community. We are not putting a date on when services in person will resume because we truly do not know the date we believe will be safe for us to return to services at this time.
We believe the Bible when it says that we should not forsake the gathering of believers and we believe we can accomplish this in a new way with the technology that we have been blessed with. This is not a decision that was made quickly, but instead has been prayed for and we have asked questions to health professionals of the right steps to take. Health issues are not our expertise and we believe that we should seek and take the advice of those professionals. Our plan moving forward is as follows:
- Sunday Services
- Gatherings at the church are cancelled until the appropriate time is to return. We will have streamed services until we are able to meet again in person and encourage you to gather online with us in worship.
- Launch Sunday was scheduled for April 5th. Although it seems very unlikely that we will be able to gather at that point, we are still planning for that day. If we are unable to meet at that time, we will continue to trust that the Lord and that He has a plan in all of this, and launch the first Sunday that we can.
- Community Groups
- Groups will continue to meet during this time if they follow the recommended groups size of 10 or less. If you feel comfortable, we encourage you to continue to gather in these groups. Groups meeting in person at this time are optional and if you feel uncomfortable attending, we will have the ability for you to attend virtually.
- By next week, we will have a plan together for Community Groups to be able to meet together online. Each leader will be trained and equipped to the plan laid out and our Communications Team available to help those with questions.
- Podcast
- We will have several podcasts coming to you with resources and conversations with experts in different areas of life.
- If you have certain topics you would like us to address on these episodes, please send those to us. We are very excited about this new opportunity!
- Outreach
- We still want to be available for our community to help meet needs during this time. Here are a few ministries you can help with:
- Sunnyside Ministry – Donate food for the needy.
- City Lights Ministry – Donate food for children
- Diggs-Latham – They are need of printer paper
- There are a lot of ways we can minister in our own neighborhoods at this time as well. Maybe you have elderly and/or immunocompromised neighbors that might need help with groceries or necessities during this time. There are a lot of people very fearful and scared of what is going on around them and in need of encouragement and maybe even a helping hand in this time or someone to pray with them. God really uses these times to work in peoples hearts to draw them to Him.
- We still want to be available for our community to help meet needs during this time. Here are a few ministries you can help with:
In our time in the Word together Sunday we read Romans 8: 18-25 beginning in verses 18-19 “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.” Our current sufferings can seem to be mounting on us and changing day by day but they are continuing to point us to our homes. Suffering makes us look towards the future we have in Jesus as it says there in verses 18-19 the glory that is to be revealed and creations waits with eager longing for the revealing just as we wait with eager longing to be together again in person, we are incredibly blessed with the ability to gather together online and utilize the blessing of technology. We will continue to trust in the Lord and His goodness and His Sovereignty as the days continue to unfold and as Nahum 1:7 says “The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; He knows those who take refuge in Him.”
Praying for you all!
Pastor Toby
City Park Church 