COVID-19 | Live Updates
Wednesday, April 1
Happy April Fool’s Day, everyone. We so wish that we could say the latest ‘Shelter-In-Place-For-The-Rest-Of-April’ announcement was just a joke — but it appears to be our new reality. Now, it seems, it’s as important as ever to make sure you’re taking intentional steps to stay connected. Don't forget that ‘Social Distancing’ ≠ ‘Social Isolating.’ Fight to still be seen, known, and engaged by/with others — especially your church community.
All that being said, we wanted to remind you of ways that you can make the most of this extended ‘Shelter In Place.’ In an effort to #NotWasteYourQuaruntine (thanks to Refuge Christian Fellowship for the helpful hashtag), we wanted to give you all a list of some great resources to really dig in and grow deeper in your faith.
Resources
Igniter Media — Matt Chandler calls it the ‘Netflix of Bible Studies.’ It’s an amazing resource for the whole family. CLICK HERE to create a free account through The Parish Church.
CLD — We’ve been offering the CLD in collaboration with Refuge Christian Fellowship for a few weeks now and it’s been incredible. The Center for Leadership Development is a resourcing and equipping arm of Western Seminary in Portland, OR. This semester’s offering is ‘Foundations in Bible.’ Check it out.
Developing a ‘Rule of Life’ — In our latest sermon, we talked about ‘Staying in The Story of God’ and Daniel presented the idea of developing a ‘Rule of Life.’ Check it out.
Sundays
We’ll continue to gather together as a church through April at 10:30 AM via Zoom. Rest assured, moving our ‘Sunday Gathering’ into this digital space during this season is certainly not an endorsement for ‘digital' to ever be a substitute for ‘analog’ in terms of community. We believe strongly that Scripture always anticipates and expects a huge part of being human — and thus living as a community — to require embodied presence. And yet, in times such as these, we’re thankful for the ability to leverage digital technologies to allow us to be as connected as is possible given the social restrictions we find ourselves in.
Missional Communities
Our church is primarily gathered around MCs. It’s part of the core of our operation as a church as we believe that being a disciple requires all of our life and therefore discipleship — the process of growing as disciples — must also encompass all of our lives. The ‘Family Meal’ is a staple rhythm to our MCs and these restrictions on social gatherings really puts a damper on that.
But, we are committed to, again, leveraging digital technologies to try and remain as connected as possible. Your MC leader should be reaching out via GroupMe to let you know the plan (it involves connecting via Zoom during or close to the regular allotted time for your ‘Family Meal’).
If you’ve not been connected to an MC and you’re interested in joining in on one of the Zoom calls to connect with others, we’d love to help you get connected. Just click the button below.
Tuesday, March 17
As gathering restrictions seem to be getting progressively tighter (Sonoma County just released a mandatory ‘Shelter In Place’ order), we’re being forced to reconcile with the fact that it will most likely be at least a few weeks before we can responsibly gather together in person again. And so over the last couple of days we’ve been gathering with leaders from the church to assess how we can best stay engaged as a church.
Sundays
We’ll still gather together as a church on March 22 and March 29 at 10:30 AM (notice the time change). The primary difference is that we’ll do so digitally.
Ironically, I’m taking my last class in Seminary entitled, ‘Exploring Online Church.’ Rest assured, moving our ‘Sunday Gathering’ into this digital space during this season is certainly not an endorsement for ‘digital' to ever be a substitute for ‘analog’ in terms of community. We believe strongly that Scripture always anticipates and expects a huge part of being human — and thus living as a community — to require embodied presence. And yet, in times such as these, we’re thankful for the ability to leverage digital technologies to allow us to be as connected as is possible given the social restrictions we find ourselves in.
We’ve chosen to use Zoom as our platform for Sundays (and mid-week check-ins in replacement for our ‘Family Meals’ — see below). We’ll do this on March 22 and 29 and will follow up as we move into April. But it is safe to assume that this will be the new normal for the better part of 8 weeks (for those of you that like to plan and for the others that, similar to me, like pretend you’re in control). If you’re unable to attend the Zoom meeting, it’ll also be LiveStreamed via YouTube.
Missional Communities
Our church is primarily gathered around MCs. It’s part of the core of our operation as a church as we believe that being a disciple requires all of our life and therefore discipleship — the process of growing as disciples — must also encompass all of our lives. The ‘Family Meal’ is a staple rhythm to our MCs and these restrictions on social gatherings really puts a damper on that.
But, we are committed to, again, leveraging digital technologies to try and remain as connected as possible. Your MC leader should be reaching out via GroupMe to let you know the plan (it involves connecting via Zoom during or close to the regular allotted time for your ‘Family Meal’).
If you’ve not been connected to an MC and you’re interested in joining in on one of the Zoom calls to connect with others, we’d love to help you get connected. Just click the button below.
Helpful Resources
Andy Crouch | Love in the Time of Coronavirus: A guide for Christian leaders.
Christianity Today | Topics | Coronovirus
The Gospel Coalition | The FAQs: Coronavirus Explained by an Infectious Disease Expert and Pastor
Need Help?
If you need help during this trying time of school closures, recommended social distancing, and overall public panic, please reach out and we’ll do our best to serve you.
Email: info@theparish.church
Text: ‘COVIDHELP’ to 970-00
Friday, March 13, 2020
In light of all the news about COVID-19 (the novel coronavirus spreading a lot of global fear) and its arrival in the Bay Area, I wanted to share a few ways that we as a church should respond to our current moment — especially as the situation is constantly evolving.
As of right now, we are still planning to gather as usual this Sunday, March 15. As a new church plant and having a smaller gathering, we still fall below the recommended cancellation of gatherings of 250 or more. We will continue to gather on Sundays unless or until there is a formal, mandatory restriction on gatherings that we fall under. If the mandatory order does occur, we will simply mobilize into house churches and will follow up with another communication. We are also meeting as a leadership team to discuss ways that we can mobilize as a church community to serve our cities well.
All that being said, I want to provide a few pastoral exhortations to make sure our community is truly seeking the welfare of our cities and championing the gospel of grace that we have both received and are called to declare and demonstrate.
BE FAITHFUL FOLLOWERS.
First, as faithful followers of Jesus, we are not led by fear or paranoia. We are servants, those who do not even fear death but live our lives to serve those around us — especially the weak and sick, as our Lord did. What a great opportunity to show that we are here in this city to pray and serve as a faithful presence of God’s coming Kingdom.
BE GOOD CITIZENS.
Second, as faithful followers of Jesus, we are called to model civility, poise, and citizenship. We must guard our reputation as truth-tellers by being diligent in both seeking out good, quality, and reputable information while also restraining from being purveyors of bad information. Spreading bad information — intentional or not — can hinder your credibility and that can damage your witness to the gospel.
BE PREPARED.
As good citizens, we also take precautions and act in wisdom. We do our due diligence to make sure we keep those around us safe. In that vein, and as stricter guidelines inevitably begin to take shape, please make sure you are prepared to honor the governing authorities that reside over us. Part of the Christian Ethic is to respect, obey, and pray for our authorities. Let’s do that, together, with joy and eagerness.