Dealing with COVID-19 (3/12/20)

Greetings dear saints of the Lord, 

To start with we want to acknowledge that many in our communities and our state are nervous and scared about the potential effects of the rapidly spreading coronavirus. As Christians we have a unique privilege and role in this time in our lives to encourage and proclaim the gospel, the message of hope, to many who have no hope in the face of what is being called a pandemic. Remember dear Christian that Jesus is on the throne and that there is not one molecule nor virus that can live or move without His authority. We encourage you to not let the minute by minute news feeds distract you from the hope of the gospel. The fear that we have all seen in the recent days and weeks cannot characterize the one who has placed their faith and trust in the Lord. We have an obligation to be the voice of reason and the voice of hope.

As Psalm 91 reminds us "He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, my refuge and my fortress my God, in whom I trust! For it is He who delivers you from the snare of the trapper and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings you may seek refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and a bulwark."

Only the Christian has hope in the midst of despair. Let us as a church see this as a unique opportunity to share the beauty of Christ and our eternal hope to people who have no hope. Let us hold fast to our faith and commitment to Jesus Christ no matter what comes our way.  
That being said, in light of the local outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19) we wanted to reach out and make you all aware of some steps that we will be taking as leaders of the church. First and foremost, at this time we will continue to meet at 10:30am on Sunday mornings for our worship service. We feel that the priority of gathering together as the church should continue to play a vital part in all of our lives. We encourage you to plan to be here on Sunday mornings at this time. 

When you come on Sunday mornings, please refrain from shaking hands, hugging, or any close personal contact as advised by our health care professionals. 
Although we will continue to meet on Sunday mornings for our normal 10:30am worship service, we are going to temporarily postpone all other meetings held by the church. 

This includes:
- 9:30am Sunday morning Bible Classes
- The Saturday morning men's group
- The Tuesday morning women's group
- All Life Groups

Again, we will continue to meet for our Sunday worship service at 10:30am, but all other church functions will be temporarily postponed.
In preparation for our Sunday morning gatherings we will be giving extra attention to sanitizing the church, particularly commonly used handles and fixtures, to help reduce the spread of any potential illness that may come. 

Reasons to not attend:
If you have any symptoms of illness such as fever, cough, or any flu like symptoms we ask that you remain home. If you are sick or choose to remain home, please reach out to the leaders of the church so that we can pray for you and make sure that your needs are attended to. 
If you are someone who is immune compromised, we encourage you to seek out the Lord for guidance and to speak to your doctor about whether or not you should attend services. If you choose to abstain from coming on Sunday mornings for a period of time due to the virus, we fully honor and respect that decision and ask that you would keep us informed so that we continue to minister to you.

If you choose to not attend for a period of time, please remember sermons will be available online at vccburlington.org (to stay connected). Please continue your financial support of the church through this time. Your regular offering can be made through your personal online banking, online giving, or simply sending a check to the church. We want to continue supporting the work of the gospel through our church, our pastors, and our missionaries throughout the world. 

Let us as a church truly rest in what the Lord has promised us. The apostle Paul gives us these words precisely for a time such as this. "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Your brothers in Christ,
The pastors of VCC