Service Cancelation Video
Good afternoon, it’s Pastor Rich.
It’s Saturday afternoon. Carolyn and I went for a walk this morning through our neighborhood and around Springbrook, praying for our church and community. It was a little chilly, but such a blessing for us to pray as we walked and talked about all the amazing ways we have seen God working!
I wanted to let you know that as of 3pm this afternoon our elder board has prayerfully and unanimously made the decision to cancel all of our normal Sunday morning services and ministry activities next week. This is a great time to download our Springbrook Church app, and watch for ways to engage in ministry with upcoming announcements.
I want you to know personally, how difficult this decision has been for me. With 22 years in ministry and I have never canceled a Sunday morning service. In fact, one of the most powerful church services I have ever experienced was in a former church-planting ministry that was meeting in a high school. The power had gone out and we had made the decision to have services in the dark, sang music acapella, and I read from the Bible using a flashlight and simply shared a devotion because I couldn’t see my notes, and God showed up in an unforgettable way.
This past two weeks, our staff and volunteers have been working diligently on our facility and internal processes to create a safe space for our guests. Our prayer gathering last week was powerful and the YouVersion 2020 daily devotional so many of you have joined me with on has genuinely guided me in all wisdom and understanding.
The Coronavirus has not been prevalent in Illinois, few people have tested positive in the state and there has been no one in our surrounding community diagnosed. Prior to this morning, we have felt we were in a safe environment and in a position to encourage our community to come together for worship, in a safe space in the midst of the ciaos happening around us.
With the recent development of school closures, and the sheer number of people coming into our community from the outside, and based on how many people are out and about shopping, we are more concerned now than we were earlier in the week about the potential exposure in our community.
Based on the uncertainty of exposure in our area, the concerns of our congregation, and the number of other churches that have suspended services in our community, we feel that canceling services this Sunday and all ministry activities next week – is the most responsible and God honoring decision to make at this time.
Although all ministries are suspended for the next week, our church building will be open Sunday morning for anyone looking to worship or in need of prayer and our office will be open next week to service the needs of ministry and community.
May the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ fill you and guide you as we seek Him together.
Hebrews 4:16 says, “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”