2021 February news letter article

​Hello Church Family! 
 
We have made it to 2021 and now are a month in!  I pray your 2021 has been blessed so far and full of worship!  At F.B.C., we have had a few months of our IMPACT student ministry and our SONquest ministry back to meeting in person!  Unfortunately, as we’ve seen our community continue to battle this virus and deal with the rising rates, we’ve had to adjust our ministries, what it looks like to gather, and how to safely steward the opportunities God has given us!  Most noticeably and unfortunately we have had to suspend our SONquest gatherings on Sunday mornings.  As we evaluate what the return of SONquest will look like and what measure we can put in place, we want to make our families aware of the SONquest children’s sermon we are incorporating in our livestream on Sunday mornings!  I’m excited to have some space in our corporate worship specifically and intentionally designed to help our kids engage in worship and learn!
 
Our IMPACT student ministry is still able to meet and gather, albeit with some tightening of rules and requirements.  We are still gathering in the Fellowship Hall where socially distancing is much more easily attained and there is more space to spread out.  We are wearing masks and doing temperature checks, all in an effort to safely gather and not neglect the spiritual needs or community, investment, and God’s Word or the need for physical safety measures!  We are evaluating our long term calendar and seeking some creative solutions to find ways to have some of our usual events and gatherings but safely and COVID friendly!
 
At the heart of all this, though, is the deep understanding that, while the way the church gathers, ministers, and meets may change, the fundamental mission of the church remains the same.  We are still called to love one another, be the Body of the Church, and make disciples.  No matter how much that methodology might change the mission will always remain the same.  In fact, that is our glorious hope as the church; no matter how much the world around us changes God remains the same.  His Word is good and sufficient.  Our call to repent and follow Him is ultimate.  Our SONquest and IMPACT ministries are founded upon nothing less than these truths!  That God loves us so much with an unchanging and resolute love that we can be examples of that in a world marked by turmoil and change.  Our children and students are seeing their worlds changed and challenged and we as the church have the opportunity to come around them and hold forth God’s Word as a constant source of truth, hope, and joy.  Those methods may look different and it may require some creativity and sacrifices to make the opportunities happen, but let us never lose sight of that that mission!
 
-Pastor Luke