It is hard to ignore the impact the Coronavirus or COVID-19 has had on the world. Some governments are on complete quarantine, others are only not getting confirmations of positive identifications and looking at limiting the spread of this disease. Within the midst of it, the Church has to step up to the challenge. As a people of faith are not to succumb to the fears of men, but also have a responsibility to our fellow people. Our goal is to bring the hope of the Gospel, not to endanger others because we could not follow simple health instructions. So, how can your church effectively communicate a COVID-19 response?
I love my church. Whether it is because they support mental health in their sermons or created a mental health team that focuses on training and linking to Christian mental health resources, I have been in love with how they think about the whole mission of God, not just Sunday morning sermons. With this, my church has decided to make a big decision to go fully online.
We’ve had an online campus for a couple of months and been live streaming for over a year, so none of this is new. But having the full congregation online was new. Below is the email and video we sent out to our congregation to let them know of the update. It has the perfect amount of information, empowering others to not fear, and yet not put anyone’s life in jeopardy. It is a bit long, but it’s amazing!
What Is Crossroads Doing About The Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Amidst concerns surrounding the Coronavirus (COVID-19), we want to let you know how Crossroads Church is initially responding.
Our leadership team has been carefully and continually monitoring this situation. As information evolves, we will continue to communicate any changes to services, ministries, or procedures. We are committed to doing everything we can to provide a safe environment for our church family and surrounding community.
For many, the spread of this virus has caused fear and anxiety. Scripture is clear that God has given us a spirit of love, not fear. My prayer is that we would sense peace in the midst of these circumstances. This does not mean we should be careless or reactionary; rather, may we work together to serve our church and community in a way that demonstrates trust in our God who is in control.
Is Crossroads Continuing To Gather At All Of Our Campuses For Weekend Services?
No. At the Governor’s direction to ban gatherings of 100 or more, and the decision to close Schools for the next 3 weeks, we have made the decision to cancel all public gatherings and worship services at all physical campuses for the next 2 weeks.
Additionally, we will also not be hosting any small groups or classes at our campus buildings through March 27th. If you are meeting in a small group or class off campus, we will leave that to the discretion of the leaders involved.
However, we encourage you to join us for a worship service with our Online Campus on Saturday at 7pm and Sunday at 9am and 11am at crossroadswired.com or on our Crossroads App.
As this situation is fluid, we will continue to update you via email, web, and social media to share any changes that might arise over the next few weeks. We will readdress our status over the next two weeks.
Are Crossroads Church Buildings Open On Weekdays?
Yes. At this time, Crossroads offices and Crossroads Coffee and Tea will be open during normal business hours. However, groups and classes that are meeting on campus throughout the week will be canceled. For more information on individual ministries and/or meetings, please contact your ministry leader.
What Precautions Can People Take?
- We encourage everyone to take certain steps to protect themselves and others from the Coronavirus, flu, and other illnesses, including:
- Washing your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds
- Using hand sanitizer when soap and water is not available
- Not touching your eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands
- Avoiding close contact with people who are sick
- Staying home if you are sick, frail, or have compromised health
- Covering your cough or sneeze
- Disinfecting objects and surfaces regularly
What Precautions Is Crossroads Taking To Make Our Church As Safe As Possible When We Do Meet Again?
Crossroads is taking extra cleaning precautions at this time. This includes:
- Wiping down all common area touch points (e.g., doors, light switches, countertops, etc.) throughout the day with an EPA certified disinfectant
- Placing hand sanitizers in common areas throughout the buildings
- Added in-depth cleaning of our facilities on a regular basis
- Using a safer way to serve communion through prepackaged elements
- In addition, we encourage everyone to take commonsense precautions and consider creative interactions (smiles, waves, and head nods!!)
In all of our Crossroads Kids areas our volunteers sterilize various surfaces used by our children after each gathering. We will continue to follow our standard health protocols, this includes not admitting any child with an elevated temperature. We ask that every child be fever free for 24 hours before coming to Crossroads Kids Ministry.
You can help us by closely monitoring your children for any symptoms and being understanding if we feel we cannot accept your children into our programs due to health concerns.
What About Crossroads Short-term Missions Trips?
Our Missions staff is continually consulting various sources of information including our ministry partners in other countries, the State Department, and organizations like the Center for Disease Control and the World Health Organization. Based on this information, we are making determinations concerning any need to adjust, postpone, or cancel trips.
At the same time, we are encouraging individuals involved in trips to prayerfully consider any decision to travel through consultation with medical professionals as appropriate.
How Should I Respond Spiritually To The Coronavirus (COVID-19)?
The Coronavirus (COVID-19) is yet one more reminder that we live in a fallen world of sickness, sin, suffering, and death. Ultimately, none of us are immune to any of these things. But that is why the gospel is such good news. Thankfully, God has not left us alone in this world that we find overflowing with fear, anxiety, and worry. He has come to us in the person of Jesus.
The great news is that we have a Savior who has died for our sin on the cross and rose from the grave, victorious over sin and death…Now anyone anywhere who trusts in Jesus will be forgiven of their sin and restored to a right relationship with God forever. That means we can confidently say that through Christ, we never have to fear sickness or death because we know we have eternal life with God. In fact, because of the work of Christ, our enemy, death, becomes a gift.
Times like these remind us all of the frailty of life and the inevitability of death. So let’s spread the greatest news that death has been defeated and eternal life is available to all who trust in Jesus.
In addition to trusting in Jesus and sharing Jesus with others, here are some other ways you can respond to the Coronavirus (COVID-19):
- Trust in God as the good and sovereign Creator and Sustainer of life upon whom we all depend.
- Turn any fear, anxiety and worries over to Christ and believe that His glory and your good will be a part of His grand, sometimes unseen, plan.
- Pray for mercy and healing for the sick, strength for doctors, insight for researchers, and wisdom for officials.
- Look for opportunities to love and care for others, whether they are sick, elderly, isolated, marginalized, or poor.
- Even if we are unable to gather at certain times, stay closely connected to the church family. Gather with smaller groups as appropriate, and participate in worship gatherings online if that’s the only option.
Use this journey as a time to reflect on the frailty of life, the urgency of eternity, and the beauty of the gospel.
“…for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose.” Isaiah 46:9-10
DJ Chuang says
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Communicating takes quite an effort, and all the more important at times like this. It means sending out vital info over email, social media, website, and other channels your church already has established.
Blessing Mpofu says
True that DJ. All the more, makes the work of communicators that much more important. Just as important is making sure congregants and the wider community know how to get receive communication and communicate back.
Laycistercians says
When times like this, prayer is always the best thing you should do first. Pray for your loved ones to be safe and to all the people who got sicked to be recover. Thanks for sharing this. It motivates me.