COVID-19 UPDATE – March 16, 2020 – ALL IN-PERSON MINISTRY SUSPENDED
Important Message from Pastor Jay
ALL IN-PERSON ACTIVITY SUSPENDED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE
INCLUDING WORSHIP SERVICES
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Click here for our modified Worship Schedule
Greetings to you, and peace to all of you in the name of our Lord and King Jesus Christ. I pray this message finds all of you in the comfort and confidence of Christ’s peace; the peace of which our Lord Spoke when He said in John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”
What a powerful promise from our Lord, especially in these times we find ourselves. A time when finding peace from the things of this world seems even more difficult than finding toilet paper. All joking aside, as Christians, as those who know the truth of God’s love and faithfulness in all circumstances, even in the face of the Corona virus, we not only have the peace of Christ Himself, but we also have the joy of being reminded in times like these that Christ is all we have ever had, and He is all we will ever need.
If you have not heard the latest updates from our government agencies and leaders, today it was announced by Nebraska’s Governor Ricketts that at least for the next two weeks, all public gatherings, including those affiliated with church services, funerals and weddings, be limited to 10 people or less. Although this proves to make many parts of our life difficult and uncomfortable, Scriptures calls upon us as people of faith in Romans 1, “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.”
As we here at St. Mark continue in our prayers for all people and for God’s mercy to relieve us from this virus, we also want to be sure to take what reasonable action we can to love our neighbor by ensuring their safety and well-being.
In our effort both to be good citizens and loving to our neighbors, beginning with our midweek Lent services this coming Wednesday, the 18th of March, all St. Mark worship services and ministry activities on campus will be suspended until further notice. Using the gift of technology that God has blessed us with, we will be streaming all of our services and invite you all to worship with us in that way. This provides a unique opportunity for you to share the ministry and worship of our church as well. www.stmarkomaha.org
While we, as a church, will not be meeting together until we are through this time of caution, I certainly want to encourage you all to consider how your small groups may be a way for you to stay connected with the body of Christ and have your faith edified through the small group curriculum we have out now; the American Gospel series.
How this necessary limit on public gatherings will affect many of our upcoming events and services like Spring Festival and Easter, is not clear. But as we have been, we will be staying on top of all developments and keeping you informed.
As of now, our Preschool and Childcare will remain open. We continue our diligent practices of keeping all of our facilities clean and sanitary, and are confident that your children are in a safe and clean environment when they are here, especially given the dramatically reduced exposure they will have due to our postponement of in-person services and the postponement of Concordia’s K-5 elementary school that would otherwise be meeting on our campus. If the Nebraska DHHS does indicate that we need to close, of course, we will comply. As of now, that mandate has not been given.
Finally, I would like to ask you join me in prayer for all the people in our community, country, and world as we all do our best to keep everyone healthy. Pray for our government officials, medical professionals ,and hospital staff. Pray for all of our churches and saints and for all of our shut-ins and those less able to help themselves. Pray for all of our students who face what is certainly going to be a unique challenge as they will be out of school and somewhat isolated during this time. Pray for teachers who face the challenge of continuing to educate our students, and pray for our parents who prayerfully lead their families and children in trusting the Lord and understanding His grace in this broken world.
Much more information and ministry will be coming your way through our website, social media, mobile app, email and other means, and I pray all of you will continue to participate in the ministry of St. Mark. Which reminds me, I assure you that I as your pastor and we as a staff at St. Mark will be working hard to continue carrying out the ministry of the Gospel in this new and challenging context, and I ask that you help us do that by continuing to faithfully make your tithes and offerings to the church. It’s easy to neglect or forget to bring our best to the Lord in these times. Not only does the church need your support to continue in our ministry, but keeping our tithing healthy has a unique impact on our own faith as we follow our Lord in this time especially.
God bless all of you. I look forward to worshiping with you online very soon, and I leave you with the words of Nahum the prophet, “The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him.” – Nahum 1:7.
Your Servant in Christ,
Pastor Jay
Reverend Eric L. Jay
St Mark Lutheran Church
