COVID-19 March 20 Update
/Shoreline,
We are praying for you and hope that you are finding peace and strength in God our refuge. We want to keep you updated about what's going on at Shoreline and what to expect in the next week or so.
Current health and safety guidance recommends suspending group meetings of 10 or more people. To love our neighbors well, the elders plan to abide by that recommendation and suspend in-person Shoreline worship.
But we will continue to act as a church family! Our priority through this unusual time is retaining pastoral care and fostering ongoing fellowship and communication throughout the congregation.
Here’s what you can expect this week:
Pastoral Care: The elders are touching base with every individual or family in the Shoreline directory to check in, see how you’re doing, and ask how we can serve and pray for you. If you have spiritual or physical needs before check in again, feel free to reach out to any of the elders or contact us online.
Community Groups: We are recommending our community groups use wisdom in choosing how to meet. You do not need to suspend in-person gatherings, but if you choose to do so please continue meeting digitally for prayer and fellowship. We are working with your community group leaders to help make this as accessible as possible.
(The women’s prayer group is also canceled tonight.)
If your group continues to meet in person, we recommend you meet for your normal weekly gathering and again on Sunday morning to sing and pray together with the Sunday message from the elders (see below).
If you don’t have a community group, now is a great time to join one! Fill out the connection form and we’ll get you plugged in.
Fostering Fellowship: The elders strongly encourage you to continue and even increase the amount you communicate with your church family.
Serve your brothers and sisters (and your own joy!) with phone calls, texts, video chats, and social media messages. Start with your community group and expand from there. For starters, ask how they are doing and how you can pray for them. This is the single best way for you to stay connected and to serve your church family.
Watch for increased use of the Shoreline Facebook page. If you have a FB account look for new ways to engage soon.
If you feel like you need help connecting, please let us know and we’ll get you paired up right away!
Sunday Worship: The gathering of the saints together is precious and unique. It is not something that can be replicated online, no matter how polished the execution. We will not attempt to recreate a Sunday worship service while our meetings are suspended.
Instead, on Sunday morning, we will give a short pastoral update, prayer, and devotional that can be streamed live or watched later in the day. Stay tuned for details on how to tune in.
In all these things, we are striving to be the church to one another as we follow Christ in this unique moment. Our hope for Shoreline is not just that we would survive this difficult time. Instead, we pray that through these efforts of fellowship the Lord knits us closer together as a family.
If you have any needs or suggestions please let the elders or deacons know!
In Christ,
The Shoreline Elders
Dave, Jordan, Matt, Mike