Another week, another 1,000 changes to how we now “do life.” The Governor issued a “Stay At Home” order for the whole state that went into effect today at 12:01 AM, but not a whole lot will change for those of us living in Shawnee County as we were already under a similar ‘Safer-At-Home’ order.

What exactly does a “Safer-At-Home” order mean? According the Shawnee County Health Department, it means only essential personal are allowed to work away from the home. The County has a list of who exactly those essential people are, and if you are one, your employer would have already told you. It means NO public gatherings of ANY size. This is why we’ve closed the church these last two weeks and, there is to be NO activity up at the church at all.

You CAN exercise outside. Just maintain the minimum 6 foot distance. You can go to the grocery store or get food. You can go to the doctor to receive necessary care.

You can drive up to WHC and use the WiFi. We know that some families will start school this week, and they have no internet access. We are keeping the WiFi on for our community to use it as a hot-spot if they need it.

You can also drive up to WHC to use our locked drop-off box for your giving as well.

You can stay connected online.
Our Connect Groups, small group Bible studies, and ministry teams are still meeting. It’s all online, using tools like Zoom, Google Hangouts, and FaceTime, but it’s still incredibly effective in staying connected. If you don’t have a Connect Group, we can get you in one!!! It’s super easy and fun.

Our groups are telling us some incredible stories of connection, playing board games, and having ‘dinner’ with each other online as well as praying and getting into the Bible. In my own Connect Group, that time together has become the new normal for us, and just seeing those faces and hearing those voices encourages us so much. IF YOU DON’T HAVE THAT – YOU NEED IT! AND YOU CAN HAVE IT!

You can join us for LEAD Night.
Tonight (Monday) at 6:30pm, I will continue the tradition of LEAD Night. This is where our leaders get around the table and we get better. We take care of our souls. If you serve anywhere, you are a leader. If you are INTERESTED in serving, you need to be at LEAD Night. Heck, if you just want to hear what we are doing and wrestling with through this pandemic, you can be at LEAD Night.

I’ll be talking about how we are leveraging technology to stay connected through this time and how each of us can do the same. Plus what we are looking at in the future to continue to get better at being the church ‘scattered’ instead of ‘gathered.’ I’ll be issuing a prayer challenge for us through this crisis.

If you’ve never been to a LEAD Night… If you are feeling just a bit overwhelmed…. If you need just a little dose of encouragement… make LEAD Night a priority tonight. Sign up. We will send you a link to join us via Zoom. All you need is a device that can get to the internet OR just a phone that can dial a number. That simple.

UPDATE ON PASTOR TD HICKS
Many of you have asked about Pastor Hicks of Antioch Missionary Baptist Church. He is improving every day! He’s walking. He’s getting his strength back. I’ve had many text and Face-time calls with him, and I’m very encouraged about where he is and where he is heading. He won’t be preaching for another month or so, but he really appreciates the prayers and encouragement from all. Keep praying.

Just a thought…
I wish we weren’t going through this as a community, as a nation. But I’ve purposed to not waste this opportunity either. To get closer to my family. To get better as a leader. To get closer to Jesus. How can I do that? How can you do that?

We’re going to be exploring this idea all this week. Together. So come take the journey with me.