Covid-19 update
Covid-19 presents a unique set challenges to the life of our church. We are not unique in sailing these uncharted waters; other congregations are scrambling to figure out what the appropriate response is. I have had several conversations with the elders over the past couple of days, and a variety of factors were weighed to determine how to Bowersville Church of Christ should move forward. One factor was the physical health of our church family; a significant number of our members would be at risk if they contracted the virus. Another consideration was how our decision whether to meet together or not might impact the health of our community; we do not want our insistence on meeting during this time to aggravate the situation, putting our friends, neighbors, and family members at risk.
The decision was made to not meet together physically this Sunday, March 22nd. If coronavirus spreads like it is expected to, we will not be physically meeting in the short-term. The face to face interaction of the church family is valuable, but the risk of meeting together now outweighs it. We are planning on posting a communion meditation and sermon onto our website, bowersvillechurchofchrist.com, and Facebook page on Sunday morning. We are researching ways to connect with our members who don’t use the internet, and we will convey those as soon as possible.
There are a couple of logistical issues that warrant mentioning:
Lord’s Supper. If possible, we ask you to secure crackers and grape juice for the communion before Sunday. Contact me if that presents an obstacle.
Prayer Requests. We already use our One Call system to convey prayer requests during the week. We will continue to do that during this time.
Offering. If you planned to give financially to the church, send a check to PO Box 337, Bowersville, OH, 45307 and mark it to the attention of “treasurer”. We are planning on creating an avenue for online giving. We will pass along the details when the plan is finalized.
If you have questions or concerns, do not hesitate to call me at 937.708.1990.
Brent Smith
Bowersville Church of Christ