March 11: COVID-19 Update

Dear Third Family,

As we are all following the development of the Coronavirus (COVID-19), I am writing to let you know what steps we are taking here at our church home to create a safe and healthy environment for our gatherings.  We want to share with you our thinking and planning for the coming weeks.

First and foremost, we can each commit to careful personal health and hygiene practices. Because COVID-19 spreads like the cold and flu, take great care to wash your hands frequently, avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth, and cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash. Most importantly, if you or someone in your household shows signs of a cold or has recently travelled to a known high-risk area, please stay home and enjoy worshipping with us online. If you are a person at a higher health risk or an older adult, you might consider worshiping with us from home as well. By committing to these simple practices, we commit to “look out not only for your own interests, but also the interests of others” (Phil. 2:4).

On our end, our building is thoroughly cleaned every week with special attention to classrooms, restrooms, and countertops, and we have instructed our teachers to wipe down all classrooms with disinfectant wipes after each use. During Sunday worship, we will do what we can to discourage personal contact, including replacing handshakes and hugs with smiles and waves during the greeting of peace. Until the crisis abates, we will refrain from passing the friendship pads and passing offering plates, and instead our ushers will stand at the doors at the conclusion of services to collect tithes and offerings. We also strongly recommend that you enroll in online giving through our online portal. 

We will vigilantly monitor the situation, listen to the experts and will be ready to take more serious action (canceling events or services) if needed. In the meantime, we encourage you to stay informed with reliable news sources, such as the U.S. Center for Disease Control's up to date resource page about the Coronavirus, as well as the Virginia Department of Health’s recommendations for faith-based organizations. 

Finally, and most importantly, let me speak to our posture as Christ followers. The spread of this virus, in conjunction with the non-stop media coverage, can produce a lot of fear and anxiety for many. It can make us feel destabilized and afraid. Yet the unqualified command of Jesus to us is: Do not be afraid. We remember the words of Jesus, “Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body. . . . Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” (Matthew 6:25-27) We have a good Father who cares for us, and we maintain perspective by remembering the Father’s oversight of our lives as creatures in a finite world. This doesn’t mean we should be careless or unconcerned. Rather, we work together in such a way that demonstrates trust in the Lord, “our ever-present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1). To trust in the Lord amid trouble is to experience and bear witness to the power of Christ.

Let’s trust our Father and pray for all those who are most impacted by this health crisis and for those who are leading the response. 

Yours in Christ,

Corey