Church Family Update - March 20, 2020

Ebenezer Updates: Livestream Edition

 

Hello everyone and happy first day of Spring! (See, I told you it would come!) I hope everyone reading this gets a chance to be outside and enjoy God’s creation sometime this weekend. 

 

The purpose of this email is to explain how you can get the most out of our live-streamed church services during the weeks to come and to answer any questions you might have. If you have any questions that I don’t answer in this email then feel free to email me directly at pastorjason@ebenezercrc.com

 

How Can I Access the Live-streamed Service?

 

The best way to access the service is to go to our church website at ebenezercrc.com and click on the “Livestream” button at the top of the page. 

 

We got a lot of feedback from people who tuned in last week and for the most part, people were able to get it although some people said that the service kept cutting in and out. Hopefully that won’t happen this week. We’ll try to improve the lighting so that you can get a good look at that handsome pastor of yours (that’s a joke for those of you who don’t know me that well).

 

Do I Need A Password?

 

No, you do not. We are removing the password so anyone anywhere may tune in. Since anyone around the world can tune in I will not pray for people by name during the congregational prayer in order to respect everyone’s personal privacy. But I will continue to send out email updates to our church family so that everyone is informed about what is happening to the members of our church family. 

 

Do I Have To Watch It Live Or Can I Watch It Later?

 

As of right now, we do not have the capacity to record and save these videos so you have to watch it live. However, we are still audio-recording the sermons and you can access the recorded sermons online. We post the recorded sermons on the following Tuesday. 

 

Will It Be a “Regular” Service With All The Normal Parts?

 

Yes it will. We want to keep this worship service as close to a normal service as possible. We will continue to have a call to worship, confession/assurance, worship songs, congregational prayer, offering, children’s message, sermon, and a parting blessing.

 

Wait…you’re still taking an offering?

 

Yes we are. Allow me to explain. First of all, I want to say that we have never been a church that puts pressure on people to give financially if they are not in a position to do so. I recognize that especially right now a lot of people are facing an unknown financial future and I respect that. You need to take care of your family and our church will never try to guilt or pressure people into giving.  

 

Having said that, for those who are able, I think it is a good idea to continue to give to the church even during these weeks when we are not gathering physically. Why? Listen to this passage from Paul:

 

“Now concerning the collection for the saints: as I directed the churches of Galatia, so you also are to do. On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that there will be no collecting when I come.” (1 Corinthians 16:1-2)

 

It’s our privilege as Christians to be generous with the resources that God has entrusted to us. In fact, it’s an act of worship. So I would encourage families to continue to give to the Lord (as you are able) during these unusual times. 

 

I will continue to include a time of offering during the streamed services. As always we will also have a second offering that goes directly to a ministry other than our church and I will announce what the ministry is during the time of offering. I would encourage you (and your kids) to set aside your offering during that time and then you can either mail it to the church later in the week or save it up and bring it with you when we resume in-person meetings.

 

As long as we’re on the topic of offerings, let me add that if you are experiencing financial difficulty during this time, please make your needs known. We’re a family, we’re here to help one another and we will get through this together. 

 

Would It Be Okay If I Just Show Up To Worship In Person on Sunday? 

 

Please don’t. You can imagine what would happen if everyone decided that they were the exception to this rule. We are trying our best to follow the instructions given to us by the government in order to promote everyone’s health. 

 

How Can I Make This Feel Like A Worship Service?

 

Here’s my suggestion: Insofar as you are able, treat this like a regular Sunday. 

 

-Get up on time and eat breakfast together as a family. (Or have a FaceTime breakfast with others if you live alone.) 

 

-Get dressed. I know that seems weird if you’re just staying home but trust me, it will just feel different if you make the effort to get dressed before the service.

  

-Yell at your kids that they’re going to make you late if they don’t get moving. (Okay, you don’t actually have to do that one…but at least in my household that would really make it feel like Sunday!)

 

-During the songs, sing along. It might feel a little awkward to belt out worship songs in your living room but I promise you, God doesn’t care where you are and He is able to hear all of our voices at the same time even if we can’t hear each other.

 

-Give each other a heartfelt greeting during the time of greeting. 

 

-Pray along during the time of confession/assurance.

 

-Get out your Bible and follow along during the sermon.

 

-Drink bad coffee after the service…because it really wouldn’t be a Sunday at Ebenezer without that!  (Remember, send your emails to pastorjason@ebenezercrc.com)

 

-Call or FaceTime another household after the service and ask them how they’re doing and experience the gift of fellowship. Seriously. Do this. We need each other.

 

Okay, hopefully that answers all your questions about our service this Sunday. Wendy has already posted the bulletin online so you can check it out and even print it off if you like. 

 

One final word of encouragement: I know it’s not ideal to experience our worship services online. And I know things in the world are a little scary. But we’re gonna get through this. We are a family. Families love and care for each other in good times and in hard times. God hasn’t forgotten about us. He is with you right now and He will be with us when we “gather” on Sunday. 

 

May you experience God’s rich blessing this weekend.

Grace and peace.

Pastor Jason