THE SITUATION
This morning, March 11th, Washington governor Jay Inslee announced that there are an estimated but unconfirmed 1,000 cases of Covid-19 in that state, mostly around the greater Seattle area, and that all gatherings including religious gatherings of 250 or greater are banned for the rest of March. Additionally, the World Health Organization this morning officially declared the outbreak a pandemic.
This past Sunday, one of our sister churches in Eastern Washington had to cancel services because the building they rent for Sunday services was being deep cleaned after a member of the local square dancing group (yes, you read that right ;) ) was confirmed to have the virus. My own high school alma mater has cancelled school for the rest of the month as have intuitions like the University of Washington.
The state of Oregon has taken a different approach however. Both UO and OSU remain open as do our schools and all other aspects of public life. But this is a very fluid situation so our Church leadership is keeping a very close watch as the situation with the Covid-19 pandemic and will respond as necessary.
For now, as I shared at church on Sunday, Faith on Hill will follow three guiding principles:
DON’T PANIC
There is nothing worse than the unknown. If you know something bad is coming or how bad it’s going to be or for how long then you can wrap your head around it and make plans or adjustments. But the unknown doesn’t afford us that luxury; this leads to the temptation towards panic.
When we panic we do two things: 1st, we lose sight of Jesus and 2nd, we limit our ability to make the correct decision. God has always known about Covid-19 and he just as much our LORD as when we had never heard about the corona virus a few months ago. But more than that, the reality is that while the Covid-19 pandemic is incredibly serious, even the experts predicting the worst-case scenario agree that this is not an apocalyptic situation.
BE SMART
The best thing any of can do are the things we should have already been doing:
-Wash your hands… really good… no, I mean really good… like how your mama taught you
-Cover your cough with your elbow/sleeve, not your hand (repeat: NOT your hand)
-If you’re sick, stay home
-If you’re high risk because of age or pre-existing condition, stay home
BE CONNECTED
We have said for a while that the main reason we focus on small groups is to be connected with the things we need most in times of crisis: The word of God, and other Christians. We are in a time of crisis, we know God’s word is true that our God is powerful and actively involved in this world of sickness and death (John 16:33, Romans 8:20). We are also a church family (Ephesians 2:18-19). With the idea of family in mind, we want to encourage the following:
-Be connected with the church’s lines of communication. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram at @faithonhill. Check our website: FaithOnHill.com. and keep your contact info updated with us through a Keep In Touch card.
-If you need something: ask :)
-We will continue to post our Bible Studies up at HERE
-We even if we aren’t at church we can still support God’s work at Faith thru Online Giving
FINAL THOUGHTS
1. If you are going to the grocery store, restaurants, etc then keep coming to church
2. Small groups will continue to meet at the discretion of each individual group
3. If you’re sick, stay home
4. If you’re high risk: pre-existing conditions, etc, then feel free to stay home for the next few weeks
5. Don’t give into fear. In the end, fear will never do good and only lead to harm
6. Love one another in prayer, words and action, and love your neighbor as yourself, and in this way we will please God