Arbor Drive COVID-19 Announcement
Dear Arbor Drive Family,
The pastors met together last night (March 17, 2020) and had a lengthy meeting and a large part of our conversation centered around decisions that need to be made for us as a church body in response to the instructions that have been issued by Governor Rickets concerning COVID-19. Governor Rickets held a press conference yesterday where he gave guidance that groups above 10 people were not to gather. He also held a video call with pastors throughout the state asking for them to comply with this guidance. As you know, we have recently been in Romans 13 on Sunday mornings and we all agreed that we needed to submit to the governing authorities in this case. This means some significant and unprecedented adjustments to our normal rhythm as a church body. Please keep in mind that these decisions were not made lightly, or without prayer and much discussion. I would like to let you know what we have decided, give a brief summary of why we arrived at these decisions and then finally let you know what to expect over the next few weeks.
Effective Immediately:
The Sunday morning worship gathering has been suspended for the next 2 Sundays (March 22 and 29) in accordance with the guidance of our state government. As pastors, we will meet together this next week and assess where we are at and make a decision concerning gatherings in April and will keep you informed.
All church activities including Wednesday evening activities, the men’s Friday morning study and bible studies, as well as Sunday School, are suspended until further notice. There will be no activities or events held at the church.
The Good Friday service is canceled.
The cookout and Communion meal scheduled for April 5th has been postponed. We have not rescheduled it yet. Once we are sure that it can be safely held, we will reschedule it for the first Sunday of a month and give at least one month’s notice.
Discipleship communities/small groups that meet at the church may continue to meet at an alternate location as long as the total number of people does not exceed 10. We would encourage groups of more than 10 to split into two groups. No events or meetings will be held at the church building including the Sunday evening study and prayer meeting.
Jon’s planned sabbatical is postponed and will be rescheduled for a future date. This date will be communicated to the body well in advance and the dates will be selected once things begin to return to normal.
Why We Arrived At These Decisions:
We want to comply with the God-given authority that has been placed over us and honor those in that position of authority. Leadership decisions are tough and God has placed leaders over us who are charged with our safety. We want to honor those leaders and in doing so, honor God.
This is not an issue of religious persecution. Should it become clear that the magistrate is stepping outside the authority delegated by God to the state, we will refuse to comply. While there may be some who are opportunistically using this situation to further a particular agenda, we do not believe this has come to a point where disobedience to the governing authority is biblically mandated or permissible.
Given the data that is available to us from primary sources (the WHO, CDC and NDHHS), we feel it is an act of love for one another to suspend the worship service and regular programming. Based upon what we know, those older saints who attend faithfully are at higher risk of serious health complications and death from COVID-19. In addition, one can have COVID-19 without manifesting symptoms and thus, spread infection without even knowing it. We feel that it is loving to one another to suspend the worship gathering until we have more data to make an informed decision. We also don’t want to cause a conflict of conscience in those who might feel it best that they should stay home but love the gathering and want to honor God by attending and worshiping him with their church family. So, we have made this decision out of love for them as well.
We do not want to damage the public witness or future ministry of Arbor Drive. If someone drives past and sees a bunch of cars in the parking lot, they could easily think “those people don’t care about the community” or “those Christians just do whatever they want and ignore guidance given for public safety and health”. While we do not make decisions based upon public opinion on matters of doctrine or truth, we also don’t want to erect unnecessary barriers to future ministry or damage the name of Christ.
These decisions were not made in fear nor were they made in complacency. They were made with the best information available, with careful application of God’s word to the best of our ability, and with a heart desiring to honor God and see others come to treasure and trust Christ.
A Way Forward:
There are two elements of the church. The church gathered and the church scattered. While the gathering is temporarily suspended, we are scattering as agents of grace and mercy to our neighbors, friends, family, and coworkers who are without Christ. This is a missional opportunity. This is a chance for all of us to minister to one another and to the community. As we have talked about our vision of connecting people UP with God, IN relationships with one another in order to go OUT to advance the gospel, we have been prepared to care for one another well. So while we will miss gathering in person, this presents a unique opportunity for us to care for one another until we are able to gather in person as one church body again. We would encourage you to be thinking about how you can encourage and care for others within our body during this time. We will be providing some resources to help you in this.
We will be producing a weekly family worship guide and devotion video. These will be posted to Facebook and YouTube on Saturday and the link along with the guide will be emailed to you and available on our website (http://www.arbordrive.org/covid19). While we cannot gather as the church for worship and this does not replace the gathering of God’s people, this can be a resource to help you and your family grow together.
I (Jon) will be hosting a Facebook live session on each Sunday morning at 10:30 am to encourage you and pray with you. While this does not replace us gathering in person and is not a worship service, it does leverage the technology that God has graciously given us to be able to interact with you and pray for you and with you. This will be on the Arbor Drive Facebook page.
We are discussing the possibility of a mid-week Facebook Live meetup for a time of prayer and examining God’s word together. If that is something you would be interested in, please send us an email (adcc142@windstream.net) or call the office (402) 362-3491, and let us know.
We will be working as a team of pastors to divide up the membership list and we will be contacting each member to let you know about these changes and check in on you. We will also be following up to see how you are doing and if we can minister to you in any way. Our aim is to continue to faithfully shepherd and care for you as a team of pastors.
I (Jon) will be hosting a Facebook live session on Thursday, March 19, 2020, at 6-6:30 pm. The goal of this will be to answer any questions you might have and clarify anything that needs clarification.
If you need anything, you can reach us by calling the office, sending an email or sending a message on our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/ArborDriveCommunityChurch/). If no one answers at the office, leave a message and those messages go directly to our email inbox and we will get back with you.
You can continue your faithful giving online through the website (https://arbordrive.churchcenter.com/giving), or you can drop your gift off at the office in person.
I would encourage you to be in prayer for our leaders at all levels of government as well as for our community. During the Facebook live session on Thursday, March 18th at 6pm, I will discuss some ways that we should think and pray as Christians as well as how we can continue to love and care for one another and be a light in our community through this. If you need anything, please contact the office and know we are praying for you and available as your pastors.
In Christ,
Pastor Jon