Covid Update and Sunday Worship

Dear St. Paul family,

With the Apostle Paul, I begin this church update with these words, “Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” The word for “peace” is “shalom.” It is a peace that has nothing to do with our circumstances but with the reality that we are the Lord’s and He is with us through every storm of life. In fact, because He has given us “the” eternal life, we have nothing to fear either now or in eternity. As the Scripture says, God's perfect love casts out fear, and we are filled with hope.

In these unprecedented days in our lives, the Church Council and I will strive to keep you up to date with our current thoughts and actions surrounding the Coronavirus (Covid-19). Please know, information is always being gathered and is changing rapidly.

No matter the circumstances, God is in control, and we are seeking His wisdom as we set direction for our family of faith at St. Paul. In Romans 16:3-5, the apostle Paul greeted the church, the congregation of people, that met in the house of Priscilla and Aquila in Rome. While we love and look forward to meeting as a community, we are reminded that the church is our people, not a building. We will continue to gather, but it will look a bit different.

We have made the difficult but necessary decision to cancel all St. Paul worship services through Sunday, March 29. This is in accordance with our Governor's announcement.

On Sunday you will have two options to connect with St. Paul. First, you can go to the St. Paul website and read my message. You will find it under the “Blog” tab. Or, you can watch it at 9:00 a.m. as it will be live streamed on our Facebook page. Additionally, if you know someone who would like a paper copy, we will be glad to mail the message to that individual. For those who live stream the message, you will also be able to hear the morning prayers and receive a blessing as we do at the end of all our worship celebrations. This allows us to have at least some community in a safe way in spite of this difficult situation. You can share our web service with a friend, or invite a family to watch church online with you.

Continue to view our web page (splcosceola.com) regarding Covid-19. We will post updates on it and on our Facebook page, including a message from our Council President, Steve Davis.

Continue to be in prayer for all those affected, and for our health care professionals, and for those in fear. Pray that those who are carrying a tremendous amount of fear turn that fear into hope in Christ. Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever. He is here with us, always.

Finally, as the ministry of St. Paul continues, and as the Lord continues to provide for you, please continue to share your tithes and offerings, either through the mail, by stopping by the church office, or in person when we begin to worship together again.

Feel free to contact me with any questions, concerns or needs you have. The Lord be with you.

Pastor Dan