Dear Bladen Charge Church Family,
Greetings, and grace and peace to you in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. I wanted to greet you today. There is much anxiety in the world, and in our lives, around the coronavirus, the markets, and the normal things that go on in our lives. This week we were asked to do something that we have never been asked to do. We were asked to suspend public gatherings to prevent the spread of this virus and to protect the most vulnerable among us. I am not one to cancel worship, unless it is absolutely necessary. But I also wanted to reach out and share hope. I don’t know about you, but listening to the news too much makes my blood pressure rise. So Amy and I have had to turn the news off. Instead of being a people of fear and anxiety, God calls us in the scripture to not worry or be anxious, and to be a people of hope and faith.
The coronavirus is mostly not any more dangerous than the flu. The majority of people who contract it, recover from it like it is any other virus. It does have a stronger affect on the elderly and those with pre-existing health conditions.
We have acted not in panic, but in a thoughtful response to protect those who are vulnerable, and to play our part in slowing, or even stopping, the spread of the virus by not gathering.
As I have prayed about this, the exodus story comes to my heart. There were various plagues that went across Egypt and the Hebrew people had to turn to God and rediscover their faith in a God who heard their cry and ultimately set them free from captivity. I have been thinking about the last plague, the angel of death. The people had to do some things that they had never been asked to do in order to live. They had to listen to Moses, their leader, and mark their doorways with the blood of the lamb, isolate and go inside with their families, and then wait and pray. They waited for the terrible plague to pass over. God helped them through this time, leading them into a new future.
I have heard that phrase “Passover” a lot in my conversations. We are waiting for this to pass over, and it will. In the meantime, I believe that this is an opportunity to wait, pray, and to trust in God in an unusual time.
This season is unprecedented and historic. But when unprecedented seasons happen, God tends to do unprecedented things. I believe that God will use this for his glory, and I am excited to see how God will move.
Please remember that the life of the church is still going on, even if it is in a different way for some time. We are still a church family, and we remain active with our faith. Please remember to pray, to watch the virtual services and videos that will be sent out, to reach out and care for one another. We will have a virtual worship service that will be shared on Facebook live and YouTube tomorrow morning at 10:00. Please also remember to continue to tithe and give to the church. Our financial health is still important during this time. We are working on the possibility of opening up ways to give online. But also, please feel free to mail your tithe and giving checks to The Bladen Charge, PO Box 96, White Oak, NC 28399.
Thank you for your time, and please help to make sure everyone can have access to the messages, services, and videos, especially our elderly members.
It is a tremendous blessing to be your pastor, we will get through this time together.
Love,
Pastor Brock
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