To say that these are unprecedented times does not say enough
Greetings Cornerstone Family. Grace and peace to you! I am sorry for the lateness of the hour, but I wanted you to know that you leadership takes shepherding the flock among us very seriously. Much discussion, thought and prayer is happening around what we have seen transpire in our state in the last 24-48 hours. But let us CONTINUALLY remind ourselves and one another the our LORD is still on His throne; He is not shaken! And as His Kingdom people, we can live in confident faith!
This month marks 14 years of ministry for me and my family and I have never seen something with less clear answers and more potential to do damage to the Bride of Christ than COVID. So I ask that you continue to stay gracious and patient and positive in these coming weeks. Far worse than anything COVID can throw at us is what the Enemy can do with this to discourage and divide the Bride, and also the potential to do real Kingdom damage.
For tomorrow, June 21, we will be meeting as the Holy Spirit had planned it already. You can find out the details here.
The City of Peoria guidelines that require wearing masks do not take effect until Monday morning and they supersede the county. It is the local municipalities that Governor Ducey charged with this decision making process. The county must have their own guidelines as well as there are areas of the county that are not incorporated — our land on Happy Vally as an example. It is there that the county has jurisdiction in this area.
We anticipate our numbers being down considerably because of everything from Father’s Day to vacations. This will allow us to set up as many tables as possible and spread out.
Please continuing to honor one another as you have been in allowing people the freedom to engage in physical distancing at whatever level they need to and still feel a part of the FRamily. I am very proud of how you have handled this. Continue to error on the side of following safe practices. We all want this thing over as soon as possible.
Moving forward:
We are in earnest prayer as to what to do in the coming weeks. PLEASE PRAY FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP!
As was the case in early March, and again in mid-May, the guidelines coming from the government were very fluid and changing daily. We will see what is said in the early part of next week to determine how we might gather on June 28th and beyond. WE NEED YOU TO STAY CONNECTED BY CHECKING THE WEBSITE AND YOUR EMAIL REGULARLY.
We are seeking counsel from other church leaders and from our church family as well. I know there is no obvious right answer to this issue. As I have shared from the beginning, these are weighty decisions with many variables to consider. I SO APPRECIATE how gracious and supportive you have been.
We have ordered masks for those who desire to wear one, but they WILL NOT BE HERE in time for church tomorrow. Again, we will evaluate what our gathering time on the 28th may look like as the week unfolds.
WE ARE A FAMILY. Your leaders want to hear your voice in this. Please share your heart with me as you feel led by the Holy Spirit.
Finally, please continue to be in prayer for your leaders. We truly want to do what is the most God-glorifying thing. We see the gathering as an essential activity because it is the antidote to being beat down by the world all week. But this is not simply about being in the same space, but about belonging to a people; about knitting hearts together around the things of the Word and the Holy Spirit. We know that it is in the genuine relating back and forth that we both SEE and REVEAL His glory. And we know the enemy hates to see that happen.
Heavenly Father, give us Your wisdom. Show us the way to walk through this season. Lord Jesus, we take courage in knowing You are both our gentle shepherd and warrior King! Holy Spirit, empower us to be Your glory-revealers.
MUCH love!
Keep Looking UP! Luke 21:28
—doug
Live today for what matters FOREVER!
Light is sown like seed for the righteous and gladness for the upright in heart. Be glad in the Lord, you righteous ones, And give thanks to His holy name. — Psalm 97:11–12