5/3/2020 0 Comments Did God Cause This?The church I served just before leaving to take this call, Crane Presbyterian, burned to the ground in December 2006 (before I served as pastor) from an electrical fire. All that was left standing were the three crosses on the back wall of the sanctuary. They salvaged those three crosses and they are now the first thing seen when one walks in the front doors of the church. The morning after the fire a high school student was walking by the burned building and found a piece of the pew Bible. The verse on that page was Jeremiah 29:11 – “I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.” That verse and those crosses sustained them through some difficult days. They did not allow this tragedy to define who they were nor keep them from answering God’s call. They met in the high school gym and then in another church until they had a new building, debt-free, dedicated in April 2009. Members there often told me that the fire made them a better church. They did not believe God caused the fire to test them or to punish them or to change them. But they realized that God did change them for the better as God guided them into a new future.
This is such a time for us as well. Things have changed quickly and drastically, but people have responded with creativity, connection, and love. God has not caused this pandemic. God does accompany us in the way we must go to move through it. Churches have stretched and grown during this time of safer at home. In some ways more pastoral care, Bible study, devotional work, and creative worship has taken place as pastors, deacons, elders, Stephen Ministers, and others have connected in old and new ways. I encourage you to find ways to celebrate and evaluate what you have done in these days so that you can discern how you will be changed for the better in the new future God has for us. As churches begin to discern when and how to restart in person worship, there will be many questions to answer and concerns to address. Please feel free to reach out to the Stated Clerk or to me if you would like guidance in the process. I continue to add resources to the resource page that might provide help. There is no easy answer to when to open, but there are ways to keep people safe. All the churches and pastors continue to be in my prayers. Thank you for the work you are doing for the kingdom and for the ways you are connecting people with one another and with God.
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As we move forward in this strange time, I will share various emails, articles, podcast suggestions that seem like they might be helpful to you as you serve your churches. Please know that I am not making any recommendations, just sharing information. You can decide if you want to explore any of the suggestions. I am happy to hear from you about how the presbytery or I can be of support during these days. Leave a comment or email me at [email protected].
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