“For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” -2 Timothy 1:7

I’m not sure many of us in our lifetimes have seen anything like what’s going on right now. There’s so much uncertainty in every corner of our lives, and for so many of us that’s a pretty scary thing, especially if we like a comfortable routine. Everywhere we look around us there seems to be some degree of chaos. Chaos only feeds the twinges of anxiety within, which only grows with every new social media headline we read.

I understand. I have had my own moments where, for a second or two, thoughts would begin to pull me towards fear of what this virus is going to mean and what the short-term future is going to look like, especially as I look at a calendar and have to make difficult decisions with our church leadership.

But it’s in those moments that I must make a choice: feed the fear or feed the faith? Who is it that we belong to, child of God? Is He not Sovereign and all knowing? We can trust Him – and He’s able to not only handle this, but also handle US!

God has NOT given us a spirit of FEAR – but He HAS given us a spirit of POWER, LOVE and SELF-CONTROL (or discipline), and it’s those last two qualities especially that are causing us to give serious thought to how we, as church leadership, will respond to this virus outbreak.

Within our church body we are so very blessed with the young and aged alike, and we treasure both so deeply! Both local, state, and national government and health officials have stated that the most vulnerable among us are the elderly, very young, and those with compromised immune systems. We cherish every life and want to follow the advice of those God has ordained to govern us in doing our part to help stop the spread of this virus.

So, it is out of LOVE and SELF-CONTROL that we have chosen to make the following changes to our schedule here at Mt. Pleasant for the next two weeks (March 18- 29), and we will re-evaluate at that point as to whether or not to extend these changes into April.

1. On Sunday, March 22 and March 29, we will gather ONLINE ONLY on Sunday morning at 10am. There will not be a Sunday School hour – but we encourage each family to gather together at 9am for an hour of prayer for our nation and world and for the ending of this virus spread. Then join us at 10am as we worship together at facebook.com/mpbchillcreek. You can also access this live video on our website www.mpbchillcreek.org if you do not have Facebook. The sermon audio will be available after the conclusion of the service at www.mpbchillcreek.org/media. The message will also be played on KVOM each Sunday for the next several weeks, but we are not sure of the airtime as of today.

2. Small Groups on Sunday nights will be dismissed for March 22 and 29. Again, we encourage each family to use this time to sit down and read Scripture together and discuss this as a family.

3. There will be no Wednesday night meal or Bible studies for any ages for March 18 or 25.

4. Our monthly Community Outreach scheduled for Saturday, March 21, WILL GO ON – with some adjustments. This month only food will be distributed (no clothing), and it will be a drive-through distribution. No one will have to get out of their cars – our volunteers will deliver boxes directly to each car.

There’s one thing that doesn’t change with the changing of the schedule – expenses and missions funding. While things will look different around here for several weeks to come, we want to remind you that the bills will still have to be paid and missionaries will still need to be funded – and, as a body of believers, our tithes and offerings are the way that’s accomplished.

There are a couple ways during this strange season that you can continue to faithfully give.

1. The first is obviously just by mailing your check to the church office. The address is Mt Pleasant MBC, 896 Hwy 92, Plumerville, AR 72127.

2. Another option is to setup online giving through your bank by contacting them directly. This is what I do, and my weekly check is mailed directly from Arvest to the church automatically each week – I never have to touch it. Most banks will even let you set that up through your bank’s website, and all you’ll need is the church address.

3. For help with another auto-draft option you can contact Katy at the church office, and she can walk you through how to set that up. The number is 501-354-6365, and her extension is 3.

4. Or you can always drop your gift by during church office hours (Monday – Thursday, 8:30am – 4:30pm).

The early church seemed to thrive just as much on small, house-to-house gatherings as they did on the large, public gatherings. In Acts 1:42 – 47, Scripture tells us, “And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.”

It would appear as though God is giving us a season of small gatherings during this challenging time, and we must not cower down in fear. Let me just close with this: there are people around us who will need us, REALLY need us, during this time. Mt Pleasant – let’s BE the church to our community. Make some calls to a few folks and make sure they have groceries. If they don’t and you’ve got some to spare, maybe drop off some on their porch. Did you buy up a truckload of toilet paper? Maybe check by phone on someone with small children or an elderly couple next door and drop off a few rolls to help someone else besides your own household.

We will get through this – and the thing we’ve got to be thinking about right now is simple – what kind of church do we want to be on the other side of this crisis? How we handle this will determine that. Don’t feed the fear – feed the faith.

We’ll see you – online – Sunday.
-Blake