O Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
Horatio Spafford
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound and the Lord shall descend;
Even so, it is well with my soul.
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Hope
This Sunday I plan to conclude the short Bible series we’ve been doing on the all-important topic of hope. We’ll be looking at Romans 15:1-13. As you prepare for worship at home this Sunday, you might find it helpful to spend the next couple of days reading and meditating on that portion of Scripture – particularly verse 13 (which is one of my favorites) – May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. Consider: what would it look like for a person to truly abound in hope, particularly in our world right now? What would it specifically look like for you to abound in hope?
TBD
I’m sure you’ve been wondering yourself: When will we get back to our public worship gathering? What will it look like when we do? Are there intermediary versions of gathering for worship if certain restrictions are adjusted but not lifted? Have the elders been talking about this? All great and important questions!
Given the recent updates that have come this week from our local governing authorities on the current public health crisis in NYC, we will continue at this time to not gather in person for any church meetings. Furthermore, it looks like we’ll continue in this way until at least the beginning of June. However, there is so much that is still TBD (to be determined). One thing I’ve learned over the last two months is that information, prognostication, and even policy can change quite quickly. Both your elders and your church Council have been discussing these matters and trying to think through different timelines and plans for ministry at CCNYC. Please be praying for us that we’d have much humility, gentleness, and wisdom as we seek to make decisions about all this.
Zoom
I know most of us are getting worn out with all the many Zoom calls in our lives, but I think there are still two Zoom calls worth having every week.
- If you’re not yet connected to one of our online community groups, these groups would love to have you join in their weekly Zoom call. They continue to be wonderful opportunities to connect with others in the church and to pray together. Please let me know if you’re interested and I’ll help connect you.
- The other weekly Zoom call worth having is our weekly Hymn Sing and Bible Reflection. Every Sunday at 4:30 PM there’s a group of people calling in to sing some great songs and reflect on the Psalms – I’ll be providing a reflection on Psalm 94 this week. It’s also a good way to see some other faces in the church! (Look for the email that goes out on Saturday with all the information.)
As always, if I can be of any help to you, please don’t hesitate to email me or just give me a ring.
Your brother and pastor in Christ,
Keith Paulus