Public Gathering at One Hope Presbyterian Canceled for Sunday, March 15
Dear Brothers and Sisters of One Hope Presbyterian,
I am writing on behalf of the Session (church elders) to inform you that we will not be gathering for face-to-face worship this Sunday, March 15 at our Garfield campus. Instead, we will send out a liturgy that you can work through individually or with your family that will include prayers, songs for worship, Scripture readings, a short reflection on the Scriptures, and a benediction. The liturgy will be posted on the One Hope Facebook page, and will be sent to all the emails we have on our master list.
We think it is important for you to understand the ethos and motive behind our decision to cancel the service this Sunday, March 15. We want to underscore that we are not afraid; our decision to call off our public gathering for this Sunday is not out of panic, nor is it out of fear for our own wellbeing. Rather, it is grounded in our calling as Christians to love our neighbors and to look out for the most vulnerable in our midst. Let us explain.
There are many things that we do not know or understand about this novel virus. And each week we learn a little more. What we do know is that there are at least two people in Longview with COVID-19 (statistically there are probably many more); that the disease can be mild and thus spread by asymptomatic carriers, and that it can and most likely will be transmitted to highly vulnerable people in our community. Our decision to cancel the service for this Sunday is our best understanding of what it looks like to love our neighbors by doing our part in helping stop the spread of the virus to those who are particularly vulnerable. Helping stop the spread of the virus is vital because those who develop COVID-19 with preexisting medical conditions such as a lung disease, high blood pressure, or a heart disease often require intensive care which has the likely potential of overwhelming our local hospitals. It would also mean that those already receiving intensive medical care would be compromised as health care workers are overloaded as they attend to the new COVID-19 cases. This is what has happened in northern Italy, and we seek to avoid this outcome by working together to minimize the spread of the virus.
This is a fluid situation; the elders are gathering information, praying, and seeking wise counsel as we learn more. In the week to come we will continue to monitor the situation and communicate with you what we intend to do for March 22 worship. For now we have decided to cancel Missio Dei (Bible Explorers, Confirmands, and High School groups) for March 18. The Women's Bible Study for March 19 is also canceled.
As a session we are working for solutions that will enable us to gather for worship together--to be strengthened by the Lord and one another--in a way that will not put our must vulnerable at risk. We hope to communicate with you a plan toward that end in the week to come. Until then, we ask for your patience and understanding. We do not think that it is a coincidence that all of this is happening during the season of Lent in which we are asking God to examine our hearts and lead us away from idolatry and towards a life of obedience and faith. May God use this unique moment in our lives to conform us to the image of His Son in fresh, faithful, and unexpected ways. And may He open doors for us to share with others the hope we have among us because of God's love towards us in Jesus Christ.
Blessings,
Kelly (for the Session)
I am writing on behalf of the Session (church elders) to inform you that we will not be gathering for face-to-face worship this Sunday, March 15 at our Garfield campus. Instead, we will send out a liturgy that you can work through individually or with your family that will include prayers, songs for worship, Scripture readings, a short reflection on the Scriptures, and a benediction. The liturgy will be posted on the One Hope Facebook page, and will be sent to all the emails we have on our master list.
We think it is important for you to understand the ethos and motive behind our decision to cancel the service this Sunday, March 15. We want to underscore that we are not afraid; our decision to call off our public gathering for this Sunday is not out of panic, nor is it out of fear for our own wellbeing. Rather, it is grounded in our calling as Christians to love our neighbors and to look out for the most vulnerable in our midst. Let us explain.
There are many things that we do not know or understand about this novel virus. And each week we learn a little more. What we do know is that there are at least two people in Longview with COVID-19 (statistically there are probably many more); that the disease can be mild and thus spread by asymptomatic carriers, and that it can and most likely will be transmitted to highly vulnerable people in our community. Our decision to cancel the service for this Sunday is our best understanding of what it looks like to love our neighbors by doing our part in helping stop the spread of the virus to those who are particularly vulnerable. Helping stop the spread of the virus is vital because those who develop COVID-19 with preexisting medical conditions such as a lung disease, high blood pressure, or a heart disease often require intensive care which has the likely potential of overwhelming our local hospitals. It would also mean that those already receiving intensive medical care would be compromised as health care workers are overloaded as they attend to the new COVID-19 cases. This is what has happened in northern Italy, and we seek to avoid this outcome by working together to minimize the spread of the virus.
This is a fluid situation; the elders are gathering information, praying, and seeking wise counsel as we learn more. In the week to come we will continue to monitor the situation and communicate with you what we intend to do for March 22 worship. For now we have decided to cancel Missio Dei (Bible Explorers, Confirmands, and High School groups) for March 18. The Women's Bible Study for March 19 is also canceled.
As a session we are working for solutions that will enable us to gather for worship together--to be strengthened by the Lord and one another--in a way that will not put our must vulnerable at risk. We hope to communicate with you a plan toward that end in the week to come. Until then, we ask for your patience and understanding. We do not think that it is a coincidence that all of this is happening during the season of Lent in which we are asking God to examine our hearts and lead us away from idolatry and towards a life of obedience and faith. May God use this unique moment in our lives to conform us to the image of His Son in fresh, faithful, and unexpected ways. And may He open doors for us to share with others the hope we have among us because of God's love towards us in Jesus Christ.
Blessings,
Kelly (for the Session)
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