New Hope EFC Friends and Members, 

I want you to know that your elder team is praying for you! And I am so grateful that you are praying for your elder team! I am already so encouraged by your demonstrations of Christlikeness over the last week. I am hearing about you choosing to truly trust God instead of caving-in to faithless fear. I am hearing about you choosing to intentionally reach out to others instead of giving-in to selfishness. God’s Spirit is certainly working among us to honor God the Son and glorify God the Father!  

In light of our governments’ latest ban, our elder team met once again to pray, think, and talk about how to respond. Many of you heard about Governor Kate Brown’s recent ban on group events that include more than 25 people. Even though we are a smaller congregation, we see anywhere between two to four times this number of people at a typical worship service.  This forced us as an elder team to answer three important questions. The first question we had to answer was, “Will we obey our government’s ban? The Scriptures tell us to submit to governing authorities on matters that do not force us to compromise our observance of biblical principles and commands (Romans 13:1-7; Titus 3:1-2; 1 Peter 2:13-17). Our government is not commanding us to stop worshipping God and to worship something else. If that were the case, then we would have to disobey because it would contradict God’s Word (Exodus 20:4-5; Daniel 3:1-30; Acts 5:27-42). Instead, the ban only temporarily limits us in how we gather for worship. Even more, it is a ban that covers non-Christian groups as well in an effort to work for the common good. So yes, we will obey the government’s temporary ban.  

The second question we had to answer was, “Will we provide an alternative to our typical Sunday morning worship services?” The Scriptures are filled with examples and exhortations to worship and fellowship together (Psalm 34: 3; Acts 2:42-47; Colossians 3:16). So forgoing any kind of group worship at this time seems unfitting. Yet, the people of God had to adjust at times in light of dire circumstances. For example, synagogue worship services began after the destruction of the LORD’s temple by the Babylonians (Jeremiah 52:12-13). In fact, by the time of the 1st century A.D., even our Lord Jesus and the apostle Paul gathered in synagogues (Mark 6:2; Acts 14:1). In light of our pressing circumstances, we also sense the need to temporarily adjust how we worship together as a congregation. So yes we will provide a temporary alternative to our typical worship service for the time being.  

Therefore, the third and final question we had to answer was, “Which alternative is best for us as a congregation?” After considering many alternatives, we’ve decided to record a worship service for at least this upcoming Sunday. Those who have a direct role in the upcoming worship service will gather on Saturday to record the worship service. A link to the video recording will be posted on the church website (www.newhopefamilyonline.com) under the “Messages” tab and on the church Facebook page (www.facebook.com/NewHopeChurchWinston/) by Sunday morning. We encourage you to make the most of this opportunity even if by yourself to watch it anytime on Sunday or even later in the week. However, for those of you who desire in-person fellowship or do not have the technological capabilities to view the recording, there will be a handful of “gathering points” on Sunday. I will work with Jan Patton to coordinate with some church families who are willing and able to open their homes to a small number of church members on Sunday. Ideally this would include ten people or less, per President Donald Trump’s recommendation. If you would like to host a “gathering point” or would like to be a part of one, please contact the church office by Saturday morning. Also, Rick and I will be posting a couple of short, devotional videos each week to encourage you from God’s Word and update you on church happenings. These videos will be posted on the church’s website and Facebook page.  

We recognize that the idea of worshipping as you watch others worship on a computer screen might seem strange. We get it. It feels strange to make this decision as an elder team, but we think it is the best route forward for the time being. We understand that you might have mixed thoughts and feelings regarding all of this. We truly welcome any questions, concerns, or feedback that you might have. We are all in this together. Learning, praying, serving, and worshipping as we move forward, making adjustments as needed. 

Finally, we also decided that the temporary continuation or cancellation of our other church activities that include less than 25 people (e.g. home groups, prayer gatherings, church council meetings, etc.) will be determined by the leader of each group. So please contact him or her directly to find out. We know that some of you might already feel quite isolated. So we encourage all of you to find creative ways to encourage one another (I.e. emails, texts, posts, letters, cards, phone calls, video chats, etc.). In a time when many people are becoming increasingly self-focused, let us show them what it looks like to have the mind of Christ in our relationships with others (Philippians 2:5). Indeed, God’s church has done this through many pandemics from the third century A.D. to modern history. Let us take our part in doing so in 2020.  

I love our mighty and merciful God and I love you, church family! It is a high honor for me to minister and live alongside of you as we together look to and call out to Him who is our Shield, Strength, and Refuge.  

Darin Kirkman 

18 March 2020 

Romans 8:38-39 ”For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”