Over the last week or so, we have been meeting, praying, and discussing what we should do as a church as it relates to the current Coronavirus concerns. Then on Friday, March 6, the Edmonds School District released an announcement that they would be cancelling all non-school-related events in ESD facilities…including rentals on weekends. Community use of ESD facilities is suspended from March 9 through April 12. This means that we cannot use Lynnwood High School for worship services on these dates, including Good Friday and Easter.
This Sunday | Worship at Lynnwood High
We plan to gather for worship at LHS on Sunday, March 8 before we are forced to make other accommodations. Our new administrative director, John Fox, recently put together a great blog post about ways that we can care for each other in the middle of this serious health concern. Here are a few things to highlight:
Some of you don’t feel particularly worried about this whole Coronavirus situation. Great! Let’s gather for worship at 9a and 11a on Sunday.
Some of you do feel more concerned and cautious than others. Great! You should feel the freedom to follow your conscience and stay home. Any of you who are immuno-compromised or are more vulnerable to this sickness should stay home and feel no guilt about doing so.
Some of you aren’t all that worried, but you’re sick. Please stay home. We love you, but just because you feel less of a sense of worry doesn’t mean that you should subject others to your germs. Again, we love you, but take a break.
We love handshakes and hugs and high-fives, but for the next few weeks, lets wave at each other in brotherly love. Maybe even a foot-five would be appropriate.
Going Forward | Worship With Martha Lake
As you know, we are neck-deep in conversations about merging with Martha Lake Baptist Church. In God’s providence, they have extended an open invitation for us to join with them—regardless of the final merger outcome—for worship on Sundays, beginning on March 15! While there are still a lot of moving pieces and parts, here are a few things that we know…things that you should be aware of.
Parking. Parking at the Martha Lake facility is a bit limited for a congregation of our size. If you can, please park at Martha Lake Elementary School across the street, and walk over, to save space for the elderly, the disabled, and those mothers with nursing children.
Kids Ministry. The Martha Lake facility doesn’t quite have enough rooms for us to have the full complement of kids classrooms available. This means that, for the next few weeks, it is likely that some of the classes for older kids will be cancelled. The Kids Ministry team will be communicating early next week with all families who regularly participate in our Sunday ministry to let them know more details.
Integration. While we are not yet merged, this is a unique opportunity to “try it out” due to the unique set of circumstances. For the people of Sound City, I want to encourage you to be gracious, inclusive, and understanding. We are being welcomed in, so let’s make every effort to act like grateful guests in the middle of these challenging circumstances.
If there is one thing I’m certain of, it’s that Jesus loves our church deeply. Because he loves us perfectly, our fears are driven away in him (1 John 4:18). And because he is the pure embodiment of wisdom (1 Cor. 1:30), we can exercise wisdom and caution in the middle of these health concerns.
I’ll see you on Sunday, and I look forward to what Jesus has for us in the days and weeks ahead!
In love, Pastor Aaron