Christ Church Update - May 21, 2020

May 21, 2020

Dear Christ Church Family,

Thank you for your ongoing faithfulness and steadfastness through these uncertain times! We deeply appreciate your patience as we work to address the spiritual and physical needs of our congregation amidst the challenges presented by COVID-19. 

This week our governor, Ron DeSantis, issued another Executive Order that fully implemented Phase One of his plan to re-open Florida. The guidelines present two main standards: (1) the continuation of social distancing protocols and (2) limitations of occupancy to 50% of building capacity. Though the governor’s orders are not directed to churches, our Session has sought to uphold and, in several cases, go beyond the standards of the guidelines to protect our congregation’s health while also providing weekly opportunities to commune with God in worship.

For the remainder of Phase One, our plan is to continue to hold two services on Sunday mornings that maintain social distancing protocols and limit attendance to 33% of the sanctuary’s seating capacity (150 maximum attendance out of 450 available seats). This will ensure an excess of six feet between family units during worship as we work with health officials to limit new infections.

PLEASE NOTE: service times will change this week to 9:30 AM and 11 AM. Additionally, we will NOT continue to direct the congregation to attend a particular service by alphabet. Please attend the service that is most convenient for you.

Additionally, please read the following guidelines carefully as a few of our operations have been updated.

• While we have aggressively implemented social distancing protocols and cleaning regimens, we cannot guarantee a non-compromised environment. All common areas of the church building must be used at one’s own risk.

• The Governor recommends that members over the age of sixty-five and those who are immune compromised should remain at home. For those uncomfortable attending, we will continue to provide a virtual worship service.

• Any who feel ill, have been exposed to the virus, traveled internationally within fourteen days of the service, or recently traveled to “hot spots” are asked to refrain from attending services.

• Ushers will guide all attenders directly to their seats where bulletins are already dispersed. Family units will be seated together. Please do not congregate in the aisles or other common areas of the church. We encourage the congregation to socialize outside of the building. Also, please refrain from all physical greetings.

• Due to concerns surrounding the spread of the virus, the Session asks the congregation NOT to sing. Yes, this is odd, but it is a necessity during Phase One. Per our normal services, we will have excellent music offered to the Lord by our musicians. We encourage you to participate with open ears, meditation, humming, mouthing the words, or clapping, if you like. It is a bit strange, but we are in a strange season. Nonetheless, we’ve made it work over the past several weeks and will continue to do so!

• The balcony will be open for seating this week. The cry rooms will also be available for nursing mothers and parents with restless children.

• Services will be roughly 45-50 minutes in duration. There will be no coffee service and no passing of offering plates. Offerings may be deposited in the appointed basket on the way out of the building at the close of the service.

Thank you for your attention to these details. We appreciate your partnership in working to implement these standards.

Please be assured of our ongoing prayers for your health and spiritual well-being during this season. We are certainly not without challenge, but yet we are also not wanting for comfort. Our Lord reminds us that we can have peace during troubled times because He has overcome the world (John 16:33)!

As always, please let us know if you have any questions or concerns.

Grace and Peace in Jesus Christ, 

Chuck Colson, Pastor

Jim Dickenson, Clerk-of-Session, on behalf of the Session

Christ Church Update - May 16, 2020

May 16, 2020

Dear Christ Church Family,

Thank you for your continued patience and faithfulness through the present crisis. God has multiplied his grace and favor upon us through this challenging season. Please be assured of our prayers that he continues to bless you in body and soul. 

As a quick reminder, we will hold two worship services tomorrow in the new sanctuary. In accordance with our Governor’s instructions, the services will implement social distancing measures and be limited to 25% capacity of the maximum occupancy. 

Please be mindful of the following guidelines for worship tomorrow. 

• The Governor recommends that members over the age of sixty-five or who are immune compromised should remain at home. While we are aggressively implementing social distancing protocols and cleaning regimens, we cannot guarantee a non-compromised environment. If you have concern about contracting the virus, please continue to take advantage of the virtual worship option. 

• Additionally, any who feel ill, have been exposed to the virus, traveled internationally within fourteen days of the service, or recently traveled to “hot spots” are asked to refrain from attending. 

• Members and regular attenders with last names A-L are invited to attend the 9 AM service; M-Z are invited to the 10:30 AM service. If you need a special accommodation, please contact our Church Administrator, Charlotte Reeves, at admin@christchurchmandarin.org. 

• No children’s ministries will be offered with the exception of an outdoor “rolling nursery” for infants (0-1). Our Children’s Ministry Coordinator, Allison Ristau, will be in touch with our families to provide operational details. 

• Ushers will guide all attenders directly to their seats where bulletins are already dispersed. Family units will be seated together. Please do not sit with anyone outside of your family unit or in a seat where there is no bulletin.

• Please arrive early to the service in order to assist us with the seating process. Please access the sanctuary through the front doors. The side doors to the building will not be used. 

• Services will be roughly 45-50 minutes in duration. There will be no coffee service and no passing of offering plates. Offerings may be deposited in the appointed basket on the way out of the building at the close of the service. 

Additionally, it is important for the congregation to observe the following social distancing guidelines for the service. 

• We ask the congregation to respect one another by observing six feet of distance. Please do not congregate in the Narthex. Ushers will guide attenders from the front doors to seats in the sanctuary. Also, please refrain from all physical greetings (handshakes, hugs, elbow bumps). 

• Due to concerns surrounding the spread of the virus, the Session asks the congregation NOT to sing. Yes, this is odd, but it is a necessity during Phase One. Per our normal services, we will have excellent music offered to the Lord by our musicians. We encourage you to participate with open ears, meditation, humming, or clapping, if you like. It will be a bit strange, but we are in a strange season. Nonetheless, we plan to make it awesome!  

• If at all possible, please refrain from use of the bathrooms. However, they are operational for emergency purposes. 

• At the close of the service, rows will be dismissed in an orderly fashion. Please retreat outside where you will be free to socialize with socially distanced parameters. 

Thank you for your attention to these details! There are many restrictions, but it will be worth observing the restrictions to gather together for the worship of God through his Son, Jesus Christ.

As always, please let us know if you have any questions or concerns. 

Grace and Peace in Jesus Christ,

Chuck Colson, Pastor, Christ Church

Christ Church Update - May 6, 2020

May 6, 2020
 
Dear Christ Church Family,
 
Thank you for your patience and continued partnership in the Gospel through this challenging season. God has been actively at work in our community as we’ve taken advantage of the available means for worship, Bible study, and fellowship. Through the challenges, the Lord has been gracious to our community in innumerable ways, preserving us in body and soul.
 
Last week, our Governor, Ron DeSantis, issued an executive order that provides guidelines for three phases towards re-opening the state of Florida. These guidelines offered a template for our Session in determining best practices for returning to public worship.
 
We are delighted to announce that we will hold public worship services this Sunday, May 10, 2020 in our new sanctuary! While it will not be the grand re-opening we envisioned, we are grateful simply to gather to worship God. That said, in compliance with the Governor’s order, our Session has implemented strict guidelines in order to provide a safe environment.
 
During Phase One, we will gather for worship with social distancing practices implemented. Two services will be held this Sunday at 25% capacity of the maximum occupancy. In our new sanctuary, this means that we will welcome 112 people per service (the maximum occupancy of the sanctuary is 450). In other words, we can very graciously distance members from one another in this environment. There will be an excess of six feet between family units. We are excited to gather with those able to attend to introduce you to our beautiful, fully-renovated sanctuary.
 
In order for this plan to work, we will need the congregation to comply with the following instructions. Please read carefully!

• Members who are over the age of sixty-five, immune compromised, or feeling ill are urged to stay at home. Additionally, those who have been exposed to someone with the virus, traveled internationally within fourteen days of the service, or recently traveled to “hot spots” are asked to refrain from attending. We will continue to offer a virtual service through this phase in order to accommodate those who cannot attend. 

• Members and regular attenders with last names A-L are invited to attend the 9 AM service; M-Z are invited to the 10:30 AM service. If you need a special accommodation, please contact our Church Administrator, Charlotte Reeves, atadmin@christchurchmandarin.org.

• No children’s ministries will be offered with the exception of an outdoor “rolling nursery” for infants (0-1). Our Children’s Ministry Coordinator, Allison Ristau, will be in touch with our families to provide operational details.

• Ushers will guide all attenders directly to their seats where bulletins are already dispersed. Family units will be seated together. Please do not sit with anyone outside of your family unit or in a seat where there is no bulletin.

• Please arrive early to the service in order to assist us with the seating process. Please access the sanctuary through the front doors. The side doors to the building will not be used.

• Services will be roughly 45-50 minutes in duration. There will be no coffee service and no passing of offering plates. Offerings may be deposited in the appointed basket on the way out of the building at the close of the service.

Additionally, it is important for the congregation to observe the following social distancing guidelines for the service.

• We ask the congregation to respect one another by observing six feet of distance. Please do not congregate in the Narthex. Ushers will guide attenders from the front doors to seats in the sanctuary. Also, please refrain from all physical greetings (handshakes, hugs, elbow bumps).

• Though very tempting, we ask the congregation not to tour the building once inside. We will have an open house on Saturday, May 16, 2020 to allow for socially distanced tours of the facility. We are very eager to introduce you to the entire campus! Please stay tuned for details next week.

• Due to concerns surrounding the aerosolization of the virus, the Session asks the congregation NOT to sing. Yes, this is odd, but it is a necessity during Phase One. Per our normal services, we will have excellent music offered to the Lord by our musicians. We encourage you to participate with open ears, meditation, humming, or clapping, if you like. It will be a bit strange, but we are in a strange season. Nonetheless, we plan to make it awesome!

• If at all possible, please refrain from use of the bathrooms. However, they are operational for emergency purposes.

• At the close of the service, rows will be dismissed in an orderly fashion. Please retreat outside where you will be free to socialize with socially distanced parameters.

Thank you for your attention to these details! There are many restrictions, but it will be worth observing the restrictions to gather together for the worship of God through his Son, Jesus Christ.
 
Grace and Peace in Jesus Christ,
 
Chuck Colson
Pastor, Christ Church

Jim Dickenson
Clerk-of-Session, Christ Church
(on behalf of the Session)

A Day of Fasting & Prayer - April 24

It has been a great privilege to approach God in prayer and fasting this month. In order to continue asking God to have mercy on our church and the world, our Session has called another fast for Friday, April 24th, from sunrise to sunset. We ask all members, medically able, to please join us.

Below you will find a guide to lead you through three sessions of prayer—morning, noon, and evening—on Friday. We recommend that you set aside 15-30 minutes of quiet for each session. We do hope it is a blessing and encouragement to you!

As always, please let us know if you have any questions or concerns for prayer.

A Day of Fasting & Prayer - April 17

As the Covid-19 pandemic continues to ravage our world, it is important for all Christians to cry out to God for help on behalf of our world. And so, the Session of Christ Church requests all members, who are medically able, to participate in another day of congregational fasting & prayer. We invite you to join us this Friday, April 17, for a day of prayer from sunrise to sunset. We will implore God together through a wide range of subjects. A suggested guide for the day may be found by clicking the button below. We recommend that you read the provided Scripture verses at the top of each hour, meditate upon them, and spend time praying through the suggested bidding.
 
This is a challenging season in which we need to boldly implore God to work in his world. Let’s do that together even while we are apart!

Good Friday Day of Fasting & Prayer

This Good Friday, along with Christians around the world, the Session requests all members of Christ Church, who are medically able, to participate in a days of congregational fasting and prayer from sunrise to sunset. We will implore God together for a wide range of subjects. A suggested guide for the day may be found by clicking the button below. We recommend that you read the provided Scripture verses at the top of each hour, meditate upon them, and spend time praying through the suggested bidding.
 
This is a challenging season in which we need to boldly implore God to work in his world. Let’s do that together even while we are apart!

A Day of Fasting & Prayer - April 3

Over the next two weeks, the Session requests all members of Christ Church, who are medically able, to participate in two days of congregational fasting. We invite you to join us on Friday, April 3rd, and Friday, April 10th, for a day of prayer from sunrise to sunset. We will implore God together for a wide range of subjects. A suggested guide for the day may be found by clicking the button below. We recommend that you read the provided Scripture verses at the top of each hour, meditate upon them, and spend time praying through the suggested bidding.
 
This is a challenging season in which we need to boldly implore God to work in his world. Let’s do that together even while we are apart!

A Lament for My Friend

Gracious Father,

Yesterday brought hard, troubling news to my soul. I was not prepared for the death of my spiritual father and beloved friend, Timothy Russell. His days were known to you from of old; I doubt not your wisdom or your care for him. Tim knew that all things, even death, belonged to him because he belonged to Jesus Christ. Today, he joins angels and archangels, and all the company of heaven, in joyous festival as they await the great final day.

That said, I grieve the loss of my brother with whom I’ve shared friendship for many good years. Through trials and troubles, fears and failures, successes and setbacks, Tim was present to cheer, guide, and challenge. Years ago, he pledged his love: “I promise to hug you around the neck and knee you in the groin.” With diligence, he kept this vow. He was steadfast, wise, faithful, and true.

I grieve that I’ll not hear his commanding voice greet me by phone. Each call began: “This is the servant of the servant of the Lord.” It was an unalloyed pleasure to share in conversation with him throughout each week. The Psalms were constant companions in our conversations. I’ll miss his laughter and his stories, his wisdom and his wit. These were the gifts of friendship he shared.

I grieve that his upcoming visit for the dedication of our sanctuary will not be. With our commitments to ministry, opportunities to see one another were difficult to find. But, the deep waters of last year opened the door for a visit—it was a gift. Then, in an unexpected turn, schedules allowed for him to return this Spring. I felt like a thief, enjoying plunder undeserved. We were to have leisure to pray and to talk about the kids, my studies, and our hopes for the future. My heart is broken not to see him again.

Have mercy, O God. Have mercy.

However, in my grief, it is good and right to give you thanks for your mercies. With each day, they are ever new. Even in times of trouble, you are the same faithful God—yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

I am grateful for the life of my friend. Before the foundations of the world, you set your affections upon him in Jesus Christ, singling him out for adoption as a son. By your Spirit, you turned him from self, freeing him to turn to Jesus in faith. Tim comprehended a measure of your great love made known in Jesus Christ. He, then, translated that into love for those in his care. From him, I learned a measure of what it means to care for others and, even more so, a measure of what it means to be loved by you. Thank you for allowing our lives to intersect. It was a privilege.

Thank you for the gift of Tim’s wisdom and insight. These do not perish; they will continue in the hearts and minds of those fortunate enough to have received them. May they be passed to another generation.

Thank you for his willingness to walk with me, explaining patiently the painful scars of injustice and racism in our world. He sought to cross the divide, erasing the hostility erected by humans. He comprehended that your Son broke down the wall of hostility, reconciling people from every tribe and tongue and nation to God. Yes, that is the Jesus he knew! He was courageous and vulnerable in those conversations. I will be forever grateful for his willingness to wade into that water.

And, thank you for his hope! Even though we poked at one another about how you intend to wrap up this broken age, his hope for the world to come was infectious. He understood that you would undo the wrongs of this world, ending the long, sad saga of Adam’s shame. He knew, with certainty, that our Lord Jesus would return with the city of Zion. On that day, sin’s stain will be removed, dead bodies will be raised, death will be destroyed, and you will once again dwell with your people, stooping to wipe every tear from our eyes. Yes, all things will be made new. Father, you taught him this hope; let it be our peace.

Even though my heart is swollen with grief today, it also swells with gratitude. I lift up my heart to you, O God; be not far from me in my distress. Bottle up my tears; replace them with shouts of joy. Grant me to grieve in the sure and certain hope of the resurrection through Jesus Christ our Lord, AMEN.

Listen to the sermon Tim preached at Christ Church on February 3, 2019 here.