A Message from Jon
March 27, 2020
Greetings Village Green Community Church Family,
Here is your weekly update on all that is happening at Village Green. As we continue to navigate some new realities, I wanted to highlight one reality that struck me this past week.
Traditionally, the church has been driven by an invitational paradigm. It’s about inviting people to come to church and finding new and creative ways of attracting them. Virtually overnight that entire paradigm has been placed on its head. Now, it’s about the church coming to you, wherever you are, even in the comfort of your own home.
I know it does challenge the biblical picture of community, but these are unique times. In light of the shifts we’re experiencing, I want to highlight a number of things you may be wondering about.
With the restrictions of social distancing and isolation still in effect, it means that the main delivery of our Sunday service is through the live stream. As communicated in our last update, this will remain in effect for the foreseeable future.
We have been proactive at the church in light of the pandemic. For one, in Kid’s Connection, all toys, tables, counters, chairs, and accessible surfaces have been scrubbed. We are taking precautions to make sure all environments are ready when the time comes to gather together again.
So, looking forward, here are important updates on upcoming events.
March 29th Congregational Meeting.
This meeting is where we vote on the new budget that officially begins on April 1st. This meeting has been postponed even though the new budget will take effect on that date.
March 29th is also the Global Day of Prayer and Fasting. It’s an initiative of the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada urging everyone to pray and fast on this day as a response to the present crisis.
April 5th and Start of Life Group session
April 5th is Palm Sunday and the start of a new Easter series, And He Shall be Called, which runs through Good Friday and Easter Sunday. The first Sunday of the month is when we normally have Communion, but we are deferring it to the Good Friday service (see below).
Our Life Groups begin this week as well and we are encouraging our leaders to prepare their group for meeting and studying online. The church uses Microsoft Teams and we are encouraging all Life Group participants to download the app. The study material will be posted online as per usual.
Good Friday (April 10th)
The live stream of the Good Friday service will begin at the usual 10:00 am start time. We will be serving Communion at this service and we are asking those who want to participate to prepare bread and juice for your family at home.
Easter Sunday (April 12th)
Resurrection Sunday (Easter), is undoubtedly the most significant date on the Christian calendar. We hope you will join us online as we celebrate the reason for our hope, the promise of our faith, and the Saviour of the world, Jesus Christ. Now, seemingly more than ever, this message needs to go viral.
A New Way to Give
We are also introducing e-transfers. You can now use envelopes@villagegreenchurch.com to make e-transfers to the church.
And Finally….
The year is 1527, and a deadly plague hit Martin Luther’s town of Wittenberg. He wrote a letter to a friend which he entitled, Whether One Should Flee from A Deadly Plague, where he explains how churches should deal with such times. We thought it good to pass along.
“I shall ask God mercifully to protect us. Then I shall fumigate, help purify the air, administer medicine and take it. I shall avoid places and persons where my presence is not needed in order not to become contaminated and thus perchance inflict and pollute others and so cause their death as a result of my negligence. If God should wish to take me, he will surely find me and I have done what he has expected of me and so I am not responsible for either my own death or the death of others. If my neighbor needs me however I shall not avoid place or person but will go freely as stated above. See this is such a God-fearing faith because it is neither brash nor foolhardy and does not tempt God.”
Praying and Hoping Together
Jon Korkidakis
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