03/20/2020
Pastor Jim’s Response to Covid19:
Considering the number of “at risk” individuals in our churches and communities, and with prayerful consideration of our responsibilities to the health and wellbeing of our people, we have decided to suspend services at Kiowa UMC and Pittsburg UMC for now.
I expect that this suspension to be in effect until April 5th, Palm Sunday. If the situation changes we will let everyone know.
We cannot in good conscience continue to disregard the potential impact of this virus on our people. It has become a much greater threat than we first understood.
We are blessed to live in a rural area which has not experienced the spread of this virus as much as the more urban areas of our nation. And because of that we have an opportunity to minimize any possible local infections in the future.
We do understand that modern America is a very mobile America and we cannot assume the rural nature of our communities will insulate us from infection.
As God’s people we are called to have eyes wide open, to see the facts, meet them with wisdom, seek His guidance, and follow His Word.
Reliance on His wisdom during this time of potential danger is of upmost importance.
We refuse to “panic” or to “get into fear.” We will approach this situation with calm, prayer, and Godly wisdom, ultimately relying on His protection.
2nd Timothy 1:7 says, “ For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”(NKJV)
As the church, the Body of Christ, we have an obligation to pray God’s protection over our communities and our nation. Prayer and fasting are our first line of defense. They are our “big guns” in any spiritual battle. And, make no mistake… the symptoms may be physical, but the battle is spiritual.
We also have a responsibility to be positive examples to our communities. We can do this by showing our reliance on God, our love and care for our neighbors, and by modeling the wise behavioral guidelines the experts at the Center for Disease Control has developed to fight the spread of this infectious disease. Our President has issued these guidelines to us so we may combat this “invisible enemy”.
One of the guidelines is to “avoid gathering in groups of more than 10 people.” We have small congregations, but just about any of our gatherings will exceed that limit. Also, many of our congregants meet the definition of “at risk.”
Please remember, the church is not a building, the church is God’s people, the Body of Christ.
We remain the church even when we cannot gather together.
As Christians we should be wise. To suspend gatherings is not an example of “panic” but a serious decision, considered prayerfully, and found to be necessary when the facts tell us gathering could put our people at risk.
Philippians 2:4 tells us, “Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.” (NKJV)
We, as the church, can connect to each other and to our communities in ways other than at the church house. Today, there are online sermons, online devotionals, prayer calls, and text groups available. We can be the church without being in a church.
Many of you will have noticed that I have set up a page. I am not a tech savvy individual so this is a slow starter for me. My intention is to eventually be able to produce “live feed” online sermon messages for our congregations. Please be patient with me. This may not happen this Sunday, but hopefully, and with God’s help we will get there. At the very least, I will have a written message posted to my page for Sunday. Help me spread the word.
As a community of faith we continue to rely completely upon God for our safety.
Psalms 4:8 says, “I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; For You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety”. (NKJV)
This is a time to “be the church” in perhaps unusual ways. Please check on each other and members of our community… by phone if possible. If a physical visit is required for an at risk individual, please take all the safety measures necessary.
Polly and I remain available to respond to any need. Please let us know if we can help in any way.
May God richly bless you, keep you, and protect you.
Pastor Jim Ray
