UPDATE 5/22/20
Good evening Alive Church Family,
As many of you heard, President Trump is wanting state governors to allow churches to begin to gather as soon as this Sunday. The final decision in this situation still has to come from our governor. Governor Inslee has not responded but could tomorrow or next week. He has the final say as all governors do in this case.
So at this point, we will not be meeting this Sunday. This coming Sunday's service is already done, recorded, and ready to go. We will follow up next week with detailed information on moving forward in gathering again. God is good and He is faithful! Have a great weekend!
Pastor Tim McNeal (PT)
UPDATE 3/20/20
Good Evening Alive Church Family,
First, we would like to congratulate Mark and Janica Milcic on the birth of their 2nd daughter Miliana Jade Milcic born on 3/14/2020, weighing 6lbs 5oz and 19 inches long. Also, congratulations to Dom and Robyn Jones on the birth of the 2nd child, a boy, Jericho Lokelani Jones, born on 3/18/2020, weighing 6lbs 14oz and 19.5 inches long. Welcome little ones to the Alive Church Family!
As we head into the coming weeks, I think it would be safe to say, this is unchartered territory. We all understand that unchartered territory for us as individuals means unchartered territory for the church. We are all learning to cope with work closures, school closures, and lack of toilet paper (just checking to see if you are reading this). There is a shaking that is taking place in all the earth at this moment. This season reminds me of the verse in Hebrews:
Hebrews 12:27-28 (NKJV)
27 “Now this, ‘Yet once more’ indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain. 28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.”
· Despite what is happening we serve a Kingdom that WILL NOT BE SHAKEN!
· We can be thankful and worship God with holy reverence and awe
What else has changed from last week? What does this mean for Alive Church?
A. Here is an update on what is happening in Kitsap County concerning COVID-19 and the testing results as of 10:13am on 3/20/2020: Total positive tests: 12 Total negative tests: 201
Last week we were at 3 positive test results and 41 tests came back negative. So we have a significant uptick in the number of positive and negative results.
B. The number of people allowed to assemble in groups has decreased from 250 to 50 people.
Prohibition on Gatherings: (Social, spiritual and recreational events). The following are prohibited:
· Gatherings with more than 50 attendees
· Gatherings with fewer than 50 attendees are prohibited unless an employee or officer is designated to set and implement social distancing and sanitation measures established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the Washington State Department of Health guidelines
C. The additional guidelines required for groups of 50 people or less present unique challenges as a body of believers due to the following:
· Social distancing encompassing a 6 foot circle around every person in the room is required. This would be impossible to accomplish in children’s ministry and the nursery. We also would not be able to comply with the CDC sanitation measurements required.
· In addition, the CDC and President Trump have mentioned no more than 10 people in a gathering, but this is not yet a federal mandate and at the time of drafting this email. Governor Inslee has not yet followed suit with this D.C. talking point. Governor Inslee could implement this measure at any time. We could possibly see this new mandate by this coming Monday 3/23/2020.
How do we proceed as Alive Church?
We will honor what our national and state government are asking of the people, as we believe this is Biblical and supported by Scripture:
Romans 13:1 (NLT)
“Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God.”
We will not be having live church at our building until we are cleared to do so by our government. We will honor this request because we cannot comply with the mandates required to meet as a group.
Here is what we have been busy working on this week
Through the ages, the church has not been dependent on a physical gathering space to define it. Christ said, “Where two or three of you are gathered in My name, I am there among you.” These are definitely unique and trying times, but I consider it an opportunity to strengthen God’s presence in the reality of our lives and homes. I challenge you not to let this become a moment for you to disconnect from the church, but a time for you to draw close and lean in to what God is saying to His church. We are here for such a time as this. We will come through this and be stronger and better on the other side! Godly perspective is this: The church is not closed, just our buildings are temporarily.
With that said, Kent Ferris has been busy this week looking into what we will need to set up live streaming and we are moving forward with these plans for Alive Church. As I said last week, live streaming in general is not a reason to stop coming to church because we all have something to bring to make the body complete. But, during this unique time we understand the advantages technology can bring to the challenges we are facing as churches. I also understand that studies show that live streaming does lend the audience to a better connection as a body when compared to uploading a recorded message later. With that said, Kent is working hard to order the necessary equipment to make this happen soon.
We plan to stream from our Facebook Page but we are not 100% sure we will be up and running for this weekend - an honest attempt will take place to start streaming this week if possible. We know at this point that worship will not be included this week. If we do not have the capability to live stream this week, we will be sure to record and upload the message to our Facebook page quickly. We will keep you posted on how things are progressing by Saturday evening through text, Instagram, Facebook page, and our website.
Let me end with this Psalm as a means of praying over your family, our church family, our nation, and the world:
Psalm 91 (NLT)
1 Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. 2 This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; He is my God, and I trust Him. 3 For He will rescue you from every trap and protect you from deadly disease. 4 He will cover you with His feathers. He will shelter you with His wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection. 5 Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night, nor the arrow that flies in the day.6 Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness, nor the disaster that strikes at midday. 7 Though a thousand fall at your side, though ten thousand are dying around you, these evils will not touch you. 8 Just open your eyes, and see how the wicked are punished. 9 If you make the Lord your refuge, if you make the Most High your shelter, 10 no evil will conquer you; no plague will come near your home. 11 For He will order His angels to protect you wherever you go. 12 They will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone. 13 You will trample upon lions and cobras; you will crush fierce lions and serpents under your feet! 14 The Lord says, “I will rescue those who love Me. I will protect those who trust in My name. 15 When they call on Me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them. 16 I will reward them with a long life and give them My salvation.”
Father, thank You for Your faithfulness, You can be trusted wholeheartedly. Continue to give us strength, courage, wisdom, grace, and love for those around us as we navigate the times we are living in. Help our eyes to see opportunities where we can shine the light of Jesus’ love to others as we surrender ourselves to You during this season. Thank You that this will pass! Thank You that You are in absolute control of everything that is happening in the Universe! Continue to hedge us in with Your protective covering as Your children, thank You for the blood of the Lamb that saved the children of Israel when they were captives in Egypt and how the death angel passed by the homes that were sprinkled with the blood. That You that Jesus became for us the blood that not only makes us righteous but also protects us. Father you are good and I ask these things in Jesus Name Amen!!
P.S. Be looking for other announcements in the coming week. We may be apart for a season but we are still knit together as the Alive Church Family.
Much blessings – 2020 is going to be an incredible year, the best is yet to come!
Pastor Tim McNeal (PT)
UPDATE 3/13/20
Good Evening Alive Church Family,
Note for this Sunday:
We will be having service as normal with the exception that we will NOT be having the potluck following service. We will still have snacks as we would normally do with some minor adjustments to them.
At Alive, we want to care for our congregation in all respects, including the physical well-being of our church community. With that said, we are asking you, our church community to take precautions to keep yourself and others safe, especially in light of recent developments with the coronavirus (COVID-19).
Severity of coronavirus (COVID-19)
The complete clinical picture with regard to COVID-19 is not fully known. Reported illnesses have ranged from very mild (including some with no reported symptoms) to severe, including illness resulting in death. While information so far suggests that most COVID-19 illness is mild, a reportexternal icon out of China suggests serious illness occurs in 16% of cases. Older people and people of all ages with severe underlying health conditions — like heart disease, lung disease and diabetes, for example — seem to be at higher risk of developing serious COVID-19 illness.
· This was taken from the Kitsap County Public Health homepage where you can read up on the virus and what’s happening in our County, specifically.
https://kitsappublichealth.org/CommunityHealth/CoronaVirus.php - this link is for Kitsap County Public Health page
Here is another article that discusses one of our more serious flu seasons in recent history
https://www.statnews.com/2018/09/26/cdc-us-flu-deaths-winter/ - this article discusses the 2017 flu season.
Where are we at in Kitsap County
As of writing this email (1:30pm 3/13/2020) 3 cases of CoronaVirus (COVID-19) have been identified in Kitsap County. In two of these cases, the infected people live on Bainbridge Island and one person is in their 60s the other is in their 70s. Another case was just determined minutes ago in South Kitsap and the person is in their 40s. They are in isolation and the people they came in contact with are being notified. There are 41 cases that have come back as negative.
How can you personally respond?
Please be mindful of the guidance from the Washington Department of Health and the CDC, including:
· Stay home when you are sick or a child is sick
· Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom, before eating, and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.
· Use hand sanitizer that has an alcohol content of 63% or higher
Outside of those guidelines, here are some things you can do as our Alive Church family:
· Don’t lick anything out in public places (just checking to see if you are reading this)
· If you are in the older age range, you have to do what is best for you, since this flu and all flu’s tend to be harder on older people, or people with other underlying health issues. No guilt if you stay at home.
· If you do get sick with CoronaVirus (COVID-19) or the flu that is also going around, please notify me through text or email that you are sick so we can be praying for you specifically as we pray for the church as a whole.
· Bring travel size bottles of hand sanitizer with you to church. We have hand sanitizer dispensers ordered and they have been delivered already but are waiting for the cartridges to come.
· Pray for our County, State, Nation and the World. More prayer is better than less prayer. Pray over your family protection each day as you venture out to work or schools, until they close down for a short season. The church can never go wrong by praying more about this or anything for that matter.
· Here’s a big one, help the custodial crew each week with cleaning surfaces with Clorox wipes, children’s church and the nursery. The more help the sooner they can leave.
· Let’s be a team!!!
What is our leadership commitment to Alive Church
1. We will stay on top of what is happening with Kitsap County concerning this new strain of the CoronaVirus (COVID-19).
2. We will communicate via email, Alive Facebook Page and text as to what is happening on the coming Sunday the Friday before.
3. As mentioned above we will be cleaning more areas than we normally do during the rest of the year to keep commonly touched areas sanitized.
4. We are here to pray for you as always
5. If we need to modify what we are doing as of writing this email, we will do so and communicate it to the church with instructions and options of how we can move forward with the modifications.
On a Spiritual Note
In Psalm 46, we are reminded that it is God who is our refuge and strength, and our ever-present help in trouble. Let us not fear, but with confidence use this opportunity to be the hands and feet of Jesus through our prayers and our care for others.
· The world is living in a tremendous amount of fear and anxiety. We have such a great opportunity to minister to people at work who are fearful. We have an opportunity to pray with people personally, which shows that we care how they are feeling.
· Let the love of God show and flow through us to those around us.
2 Timothy 1:7 (NKJV)
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind.”
· Fear is the work of the Devil and there are people all over the world who go to church and are afraid and fearful. To them, let’s encourage them, let’s pray with them and let’s inspire them. Let us not condemn them for not having the faith you may have in this area.
· Let’s be honest, right now, we all have areas of faith that we are strong in, unmovable, and unshakable in. But we also have other areas that our faith needs to grow in where others faith are strong. We are all in this journey of growing our faith in all areas. So let’s grow together by encouragement and not judgment.
· If faith in divine health is a weakness for you, let’s grow your faith in that area. But if you are more comfortable with not coming to church because of a faith that needs to grow in that area, do what’s best for you and there will be no judgment for it.
· Let’s PRAY, Let’s SHARE JESUS and let’s GROW during this time. God is faithful!!
In Closing…and the people rejoice!!!
Father, we thank You for what You are doing in people’s lives at Alive Church, we thank You that Your hand is upon us as Your bride. Father, we thank You for Your provision of health even in times of crisis and continue to ask that You protect, not only Alive Church but all the other churches and people across this world. Father we ask that You would put up a hedge of protection around us, keep us immune from the viruses that are going around, that You would help us in the battle of fear creeping into our minds, and help us to love people we come in contact with and one another. Thank You that 2020 will be an incredible year for Alive Church as You continue to change us from the inside out. We ask this in Jesus Name, Amen!!!
Love Alive Church and the people who are partnering with us to build an extension of His Kingdom in Kitsap County
Much Blessings,
Pastor Tim (PT)