Introduction to Pastoral Updates

Dear Faith Family,
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We are in a global pandemic. Just a few hours ago, our Governor has issued a "stay at home" order - lasting three weeks.  For many, this is a time of fear -- of illness, of financial distress. Others are struggling with loneliness and isolation. Still others are grappling with home life, having kids at home from school -- tempers rising, growing impatience,  trying hard to do school and keep up some routine and fight boredom.  You could also be facing a different kind of struggle -- wondering how you can maintain Christian friendship and fellowship; or how you might serve one another and this world in such a unique time. 

As your pastors, we want to help you - help you fight for your faith and stability in Christ, help lead you to serve and care for one another and your neighbors, and help meet any needs you may have - spiritual, emotional, physical, financial. 

One way we can help is this webpage. We hope to regularly interact with you and have some "pastoral presence" with you during your week. We have other things we are working on, too. We will keep you informed of those on this webpage. 

For now, here are a couple of things to share:

• We are so thankful for the technology we have as a church! Within the past year, we updated our internet speed, purchased a quality camera, and were pretty much prepared to do what we did yesterday. This is a kind providence of our God!
• If you’re signed up to receive communication from the church, you received a request to fill out a brief survey to help us improve the livestream and our video conference. Please take a few minutes and help us improve by filling out the form: http://www.cbcwallace.org/livestream-feedback.html
• If you are not signed up to receive our regular communication through phone call, text, or email, OR if you wish to change how you receive this communication (for instance, add email to your texts so you can better open web links), please contact Pastor Dave: (906) 290-0647
• Things we are working on:
  • We are working to get a simple web form to help you request any help you may need (financial, prayer, counseling, etc.). 
  • We are considering ways we can have ongoing discipleship on Wednesday evenings
  • We are strategizing as to how we can cultivate “virtual fellowship” with prayer times or smaller groups meetings
  • We will be providing a link to get our membership directory in a digital format
  • We are planning to record several videos each week from one of your pastors to speak to you, encourage you, be present with you.

 
There are many who are serving the global church well, providing resources and helps for this time. We will be sharing links and resources on this webpage. For today, I recommend you listen to the first episode of David Murray’s series through James, “Living Faith in Testing Times”.  This series was prepared in the face of this pandemic, is short and very helpful, ends with a sweet prayer, and is brought to us by a man with a great Scottish accent ;) . 
You can listen to or read the first in this series through the book of James here: http://headhearthand.org/blog/2020/03/18/living-faith-in-testing-times/
 
Please know that you are loved, are being prayed for, and that we are eager to be a source of encouragement to you. Reach out to one of us if you have any particular needs!
 
With hope in God,
Pastor Dave on behalf of the elders
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