As with the rest of the world, Acts Community Church has been affected by the current pandemic in multiple ways. We haven't been able to meet together in person since mid-March. Had to skip our annual Easter on the Lawn event which invites the church neighborhood to a celebration of Jesus' resurrection and a good old family time together. We, like the rest of the world, do not know when we can get back to what used to be normal, if ever.
However, it is also with a grateful heart that we can say we are still being a church together. In some sense, being a small church that has met away from our church building regularly pre-pandemic time, we are used to changes and how to still be a church together in varying circumstances. Here are some ways we are continuing to be a church together.
1. WORSHIP: Worship virtually (via Facebook live) on Sundays at 11:30am. Meeting in this way has allowed us to invite others outside of church to join as well, which has been a great blessing.
2. HOUSE CHURCH: Continue to meet (via phone or video chats) with house church members. Having met in house church formats before allows us to continue to support each other in small numbers and in personal ways. We all need to make sure no one is getting lost in the mix during this challenging time.
3. MISSION: Find new, creative ways to continue to serve the community. As mentioned before, we had to cancel "Easter on the Lawn" and not so sure what would happen to the summer Vacation Bible School. However, we are praying and connecting more with other local churches and organizations so that we can collaborate better in this challenging time and serve God and the community together. With crisis comes new opportunities. Our church wants to be ready and willing to respond to God's leading in our most faithful ways. Stay tuned for more information to come in the coming weeks.
4. FINANCE: Lastly, a word about our church finance. One blessing we have as a church is that we really don't have much overhead expense. Most of our offering goes to local ministries. Some that goes to support foreign missionaries we feel we can still handle even with a potential decrease in offering. In fact, the church leadership is encouraging the members to give prayerfully according to their new financial situation - either to church as before, or to their families and others around them who might be in need of financial help more immediately. As individual members give to wherever they feel called by God to give in this unusual time, our church will also pray together and discern where to give as a church with whatever resources God might bring on our way.
In conclusion, we are more than grateful for the faithfulness of God we experience together as a church. It IS a challenging time for us individually and for our families. But, as a family of God we feel strong and even a little excited about how God can use us in this uncertain time and in the coming months. More than ever, we know in our heart that God is the God of this world, and Jesus is the Lord of our church - always.