A rumor is circulating among our church family that the eldership is divided, and this is why some elders are not attending in-person. Nothing could be farther from the truth.
Yes, there are elders that are not attending in-person services. In each of our cases, like many of you watching this on live stream, there are circumstances that have influenced each of our decisions to stay home and participate digitally, at least until vaccinations have taken place.
Each elder is eager to return and be a part of the in-person gatherings. As always, together we pray, together we evaluate, together we reach conclusions, and together we make decisions.
During these difficult days, it is very easy for misunderstandings to happen. In the event that you hear something that you are not sure about, we encourage you to reach out to any of the elders or ministers, and we will be happy to talk with you.
Online and In-Person Participation
We realize that some members of our church family may choose to participate online from now on. We support that decision as to their choice for joining the journey at Hendersonville, just as we support in-person attendance. Our ministry team is constantly working to make both online and in-person participation be the best it can be, to assure that our church family is spiritually fed whether they are worshiping online or in person.
Outreach, Missions, and Internal Ministries
As your elders, we fully realize that we all want to return to a normal life. We also realize that there are times in life when things happen that result in a permanent new normal. We feel that will be the case with our church family.
COVID-19 has been and continues to be a very serious challenge. Even so, we are very positive about the doors of opportunity that have already been opened for us. While it may be difficult to see at the moment, there can and will be an upside for this church and the ministry of Christ stemming from lessons learned during the pandemic.
We are actively studying ways to adapt and improve our (outreach), (missions), and (internal ministries), not by merely adjusting to a potential new reality, but by being a church that is busy being Jesus serving our community and the world much better than we did before COVID-19 started.
We welcome the adjustment, embrace the challenge, and choose to work alongside God in what He is doing amid the chaos.
We also want to hear from you.
We welcome your input, your thoughts, and ideas regarding how we, as entire families and as individuals, can become better servants of Christ to each other and our community.
This adjustment is ongoing. It will be years before the full extent of this pandemic’s influence is known.
In order to expedite our local recovery, as Christians, we need to be willing to support each other. This, of course, includes coping with the virus and its impact on us as individuals and our community.
We invite anyone who is troubled or anxious during these difficult days regarding the church or COVID-19 to reach out to any of the elders or ministers.
Also, remember we have a Family Counseling Center led by Brian Sheppard that is free to our church family. To set up an appointment, call the church office.
Prayer
The Bible indicates that the prayers of the early church were powerful because the people were of one mind: “They all met together and were constantly united in prayer.”
Sometimes they didn’t know what else to do, but they knew they were supposed to pray.”
Father, as you well know, the world is living through difficult times, and your church that meets here at Hendersonville has suffered in many ways, including the loss of loved ones. We pray, Father, that you will continue to comfort these families. There are times, Father, when we as a church and its leadership simply do not know what to do. This morning Father, like the early Christians, we bow before you and ask that you hold our hands and instill in us a sense of calmness as we work our way through the Covid storm. At the same time, Father, we want to grow stronger and be a church that better serves your people internally and externally. We pray for guidance. We pray for a positive, confident attitude that brighter days are ahead, filled with opportunities, for this church and that you will instill deeply within the heart, mind, and soul of every member of this congregation the will to unite together in prayer, love, and action. Father, help us to realize that not only do we need you in our lives but that we need each other in order for us to be the church you want us to be.
Father, with this prayer, we thank you for your patience with our weaknesses. We thank you for taking care of us until now. We confidently and boldly stand before you today, ready to follow and to serve. So, we pray again for guidance and perseverance as we go forward, working together to serve you and your Kingdom.
Lastly, Father, we thank you for the gift of the Holy Spirit and your Son, and it is in His name that we petition you and offer this prayer. Amen
