Fellowship,

An Update on Reopening our Buildings
Thank you to all of you who prayed for our Elders meeting on Monday evening as we met to discuss when Fellowship would begin conducting services again. With the numbers of hospitalizations rising in our region, we think it best to delay opening our doors for the time being. The cumbersome, but necessary guidelines seem far less meaningful than the online experiences our teams are creating. Rick Warren from Saddleback Church said the following about their church re-opening their doors:

Our FIRST STEP back to reopening worship services will NOT be to open buildings that only allow 100 people to maintain social distancing, require you to wear a mask, and forbid you to sing! That's a terrible, depressing atmosphere and environment for worship! It would actually stifle the fellowship and spirit that we all crave.

I, too, feel that asking you to come back to a stifling atmosphere where our staff would need to “enforce” the guidelines would not be a good experience. And so, we will continue to be the church in a different format. I’m thrilled that smaller churches are able to meet, but we face a different set of circumstances with the number of people who attend Fellowship. For those churches already conducting services, less than 1/3 of their people are able to attend. Many churches across the state felt compelled to begin meeting again because their finances were suffering. Fortunately, your generosity has sustained us through this time as you have been more generous than ever. Thank you!

Our staff is working on alternatives for worship experiences and I am working with representatives from the Governor’s Task Force to explore other possibilities within established guidelines. But for now, our Elder commitment to err to the side of caution seems to be the best course of action. So, let’s continue to pray that the contagion will begin to decline, and look for creative ways to be the hands, feet, and voice of Jesus to those around us.

The State of Our Country
I created a video this past Monday morning to address our regret over the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. The video format allowed 59 seconds to try and convey a message that deserves a much more in-depth response.

His death is horrible and regrettable. People across America are justified in their anger but not in causing destruction and harm to others. There are always some who will exploit a tragedy for their own reasons. I was moved by Mr. Floyd’s brother who called for peaceful protests this week. Amid grieving the loss of his brother, he was burdened with the responsibility of trying to bring calm to an entire nation.

We wonder what we can do, and at times feel helpless in fighting the forces of Satan, who is the author and instigator of evil in our world. We are peace-loving people who want the best for our neighbors. The faces of the police officers who attend Fellowship and guard our places of worship have passed through my mind many times this week. I am deeply grateful for their service and that of so many good police officers in our area. We are blessed with godly men and women who wear the badge and put their lives on the line every day to protect us. Several of them have told me that those who abuse their law enforcement position should be weeded out and punished for lawless actions. The evil and careless actions of some cast shadows over law enforcement officers in our nation.

The mistreatment of minorities in our country needs to stop and we should pray to that end. Nothing is more powerful than prayer! The mistreatment of anyone should be stopped, but George Floyd’s death has brought the issue of racial violence to the forefront. I was sickened by what I saw on the video of his agonizing death.

In addition to prayer for our nation, we need to take appropriate, Biblical action as the people of God. Conversations need to happen between individuals and groups that address race and abuse issues. As a church, we have been given a Biblical mandate to MAKE DISCIPLES. As Christians, we are to follow the Great Commandment and Great Commission – Love God, Love Others, and Make Disciples. If we love God, we will not mistreat those less fortunate than ourselves. Proverbs 17:5 reminds us that if we mock or mistreat the poor, we show contempt for our Maker.

If we love others, we will treat every person with dignity and respect and go out of our way to meet their needs. This is a tangible way to fight the forces of evil that plague us.

If we make disciples, we change the world. If we consistently reach others for Christ, leading them to a saving knowledge of Jesus, baptizing and teaching them to obey His commands, we will impact the lives of hundreds of thousands of people in the span of a lifetime. If the church across the nation had been doing this consistently over the past 200+ years of existence, our nation would look much different today.

Our Elders envisioned a need to address diversity at Fellowship back in January during the retreat where we establish parameters for our staff to focus on for the coming year. I can’t help but believe that during our times of prayer, He was preparing us for what we are witnessing today. We want every people, regardless of race or background, to find the heart of Jesus and the Spirit of God flourishing in the lives of the people of Fellowship.

How Do We Respond
And so, as a suggestion, I would encourage you to make at least three contacts this week.

1. Call someone you know in a minority community and let them know that you care, and that we regret the injustices they may have experienced in the past or present.

2. Call a law enforcement officer and thank them for the service and protection they provide for our community. Commit to praying for them.

3. Pray. Talk to your heavenly Father about how you can best make a difference in the lives of those around you. Let’s not just talk about prayer, let’s pray. Let’s not just talk about the Great Commandment and Great Commission, let’s live it out. This is how we change our communities, cities, state, nation, and world. The Bible must be our guide.

Blessings to you all and may God bring peace to our nation and an awakening to the Holy Spirit of God in our lives. Lord, send us revival.

Mickey