Hi friends,
Enjoy these excerpts from our Connections electronic newsletter from Friday April 10, 2020. (Sorry this is getting posted a little bit late.) Special thanks to Pastors Kristen, Ryan, and Noah for helping us mark Holy Week with morning devotions, a Maundy Thursday liturgy, live-streamed good Friday service, and thoughtful Easter reflections during this unusual time. (Easter links below)
Christ is Risen!
Jen

In-Home Worship for Easter Sunday–April 12

Pastor Ryan Boes
“Kingdom and Cross: Resurrection”
Matthew 28:1-10

Sunday’s Easter sermon by Pastor Ryan will premiere live on YouTube at 9:00am. If you start the liturgy around 8:40 you should find yourself at the sermon right around 9:00.
Liturgy
Songs & Pastor Ryan’s Message (YouTube)

If your children would like to participate and engage by using the new children’s bulletin, it is attached HERE.

 

Council Briefs

Council came together this past Monday evening at our regularly scheduled time via online conference.

After Pastor Ryan led us in devotions, Leslie Doorlag gave us an update on the rotating homeless shelter we have been hosting. The gentlemen staying at our facility currently have few options and are a severely vulnerable population. Other rotating shelters hosts have canceled out of the schedule, and the COVID-19 situation also has severely limited the places where they can stay during the daytime. For this reason, the deacons have decided to extend the program through the end of April.

The men are very grateful and happy with the situation and are expressing their gratitude in tangible ways by helping around the inside and outside of church.   We as a congregation may have not been able to assemble and worship at the building on Sundays recently, but God is definitely present there in others and is being glorified.

As some of you may have seen in the news, the federal government is offering a Payroll Protection Plan to small businesses (profit and non-profit) in the form of a loan to pay employees. With the approval of council on Monday, our church is applying for a loan to be used primarily towards payroll. The church administration will be using the funds under specific conditions so that most if not all the loan will be forgiven as per the program criteria. At the time of this publication, the application is still in process.

We also would like to thank those who have been faithful in giving during this time. Use of the My Well Giving app and My Well online system for giving has increased significantly lately, and we are grateful for those using that tool or sending in financial gifts in other ways. We continue to ask you to be faithful in your giving to your church and its ministry.

Blessings,
Bill VanderMolen on behalf of Council AACRC