NEW INFORMATION AND UPDATES:

08/01/2020

Hey church family,

    I want to again thank you all for being sensitive to one another and following all the guidelines we put in place for our reopening. I’ve had several comments that they feel very safe in coming back into our gatherings. This week we will celebrate communion together. The elements will be separately packaged and in the back for you to pick up and take to your seat with you. We also will be starting prayer ministry at the altar after the service. There will only be one prayer team available and will be expecting you to wear masks and be touch-free.

    The Yoder’s are offering a zoom meet up for anyone interested in catching up with them and hearing an update on their upcoming ministry plans. There will be two sessions: one Sunday evening 8/3 at 7PM, the other Monday morning at 10 AM.  Links for these sessions were sent in an email earlier this week. 

    On Sunday August 16th, we will be having our friend Dan Lockwood as a guest preacher. I know that he will have a powerful word from the Lord for us!

    This week we start our new series on “Breaking Legalism”. Often times, for a variety of reasons, we allow ourselves to live as if we were under the law again rather than under grace. This is a perfect Segway from our series on REST. I love how John says in 1 John 3:19,20 “...how we set our hearts at rest in His presence whenever our hearts condemn us...”. Living under legalism never allows our hearts to rest, but only leads to condemnation.  So it’s important that we embrace the life Jesus intended for us through His great sacrifice to be able to live under His grace! See you all on Sunday!

Blessings, Pastor Al

*** Chat Live With the Yoders! ***

This is an exciting way for you to connect with one of our Missionary families that our church supports!!

The Yoder family is offering 2 Zoom calls this weekend for you to talk with them, and ask questions about their ministry in Nigeria!  Many of you remember them from the couple of years they were the main presenters at VBS.  Christy grew up in our church and we love sending missionaries from our family.

If you don’t know the Yoders, they have prepared a video here as an introduction to their ministry:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/13ZgtWLNUi0u_Md6Hz2YllY_4UkwsC78X/view?usp=sharing

To talk with them LIVE, use the information below.  The meetings will be at Sunday at 7pm and Monday at 10am.

Check your email for the meeting ID and password (or email church for this information).

We hope that many of you participate in this unique way to catch up with them or get to know them for the first time.

07/25/2020

Hey there church family,

We had around 50 on our reopen day last week. I was so proud of all of you for wearing your face coverings whenever appropriate and applying good social distancing. I know it’s a pain, but I do believe it’s the right thing to do, so that any and all can feel comfortable in coming as we’ve essentially provided a touch-free service environment. 

Yeah! The “Rest Assured” one week devotional books arrived and will be on a table in the cafe as you enter. If you cannot attend tomorrow and would like a copy mailed to you, email Deanna at rnlcsecretary@gmail.com. We also have an e-version we can send out, but I wanted to distribute all the hard copies first. I hope that you plan to participate! For me personally, it was very good to journal my thoughts and have a plan for how I will enter God’s rest in a greater way in my life. 

Tomorrow, we will finish the series with a passage from Exodus 33, where God promises Moses, “My presence will go with you .... and I will give you rest!” Often our focus is on the first half of this verse and the second half loses some emphasis. Moses had one of the largest orders to fulfill as a result of God’s calling. It was going to be a LOT of work. Even at times was overwhelming, like the all day line people would stand in to receive his counsel. I believe this a key promise for us to embrace in order to thrive in His calling. I think that many believers suffer burn-out as a result of not working from God’s place of rest. Hope to see more of you there tomorrow!! 

Love and Blessings, Pastor Al

07/17/2020

Hey Church Family,

I hope that as many as possible will be able to attend our reopening service this Sunday! This week we will be looking at Heb 4:1-11 as God calls His people to ‘enter’ His Sabbath rest. To enter something you often have to leave something first. God has certainly not intended for us to live hurried stressed out lives. His promise for us is to live in His rest. I wanted to give a few reminders as well as answer a few questions that came up from last week.

 Please don’t plan to attend if you are having any Covid-19 symptoms, tested positive or had contact with confirmed or suspected positive case or subject to a travel quarantine. Regarding face coverings: We are requiring you wear a face covering while entering and leaving the building, while within 6 feet of someone other than a family member and while singing. Someone asked about face shields. The guidelines state that any and all of the following are adequate for face coverings: cloth (homemade sewn, quick cut, bandana), surgical masks, N-95 respirators or face shields. So, yes a face shield would be acceptable. Keep in mind that each of these have a different level of effectiveness. It’s up to you to determine which one is best and most appropriate for you and your family. Whenever I have seen someone wearing a face shield, they also were wearing an underlying surgical or N-95 mask. 

Someone also asked about what age a child must wear a mask. The guidelines say: any child age 3 and above is expected to wear a mask. Also, someone asked about those that are unable to wear face coverings due to an underlying medical issue. After consulting with the health dept, they clarified that they should not plan to attend but continue to join services online, as they already have an underlying health issue and on top of that cannot wear a mask to protect themselves or others. 

Ushers and greeters will be prepared to help you in any way to find appropriate seating for your family and have extra face masks and sanitizer available. They will also point you to offering baskets or communion elements on appropriate weeks. For the first few weeks we won’t plan to offer testimony time or a closing song. Children will be offered children’s church packets but will be staying with parents throughout the service for now. 

I also wanted to clarify a statement I made about hugging. I realize this is the one thing that many of you have mentioned you were especially missing from your brothers and sisters in Christ. I am certainly one of them! But in no way am I encouraging you to engage in hugging one another. The touch guidelines simply state to prohibit the holding of hands or handshaking. A polite person may oblige to give a hug if offered, but in reality they or their parents may not be comfortable with that. I’m simply asking you to be very sensitive towards one another. We are providing a way for your experience at church to be completely touch free, if you so desire. 

We recognize church may not feel normal for awhile. In spite of a few setbacks with materials being back ordered for projects as well as the devotionals for this Sunday, all systems are a Go. We still can come together, online as well, and worship Jesus, the one true Savior and Lord, who is worthy of it all! 

Love and Blessings to you all, 

Pastor Al

07/10/2020

Hey there church family,

I’m so excited for our church reopening next Sunday July 19th. I know it’s been long overdue. I can’t think of a more appropriate series for our reopen than REST. Not only does God want to release us from “COVID fatigue”, but He also calls His church to enter His rest. Last week we looked at the importance of God’s designed rhythm of rest for us from the very beginning. This week we look at Jesus offer in Matt 11:25-30, “Come to Me .... and I will ‘give’ you rest”. God asks us to lay down our burdens, weariness and laboring to receive His gift of rest. My gift to you on reopen day will be a one week devotional “Rest Assured” by EF pastor, Kent Murawski. My prayer is that through it you will enter His rest in a fresh new way.

I want to share with you what church might look like on reopen day. The pastors believe God gave them 4 core values to honor in designing the reopen plan:

1.  Respect our authorities
2. Protect our witness in the community
3. Protect the vulnerable
4. Love one another    

We decided to honor the recommended guidelines from the state and local health officials for religious gatherings. This provides a safer environment for all who desire to attend. Obviously, even following precautions can’t guarantee you won’t be exposed to the virus, so each person will have to decide what’s best for them to do. We know there are many differing opinions on this matter, all we ask is that you respect our decisions, so that we can walk together in unity and love. Here’s a summary of the guidelines:

•  Live indoor services begin on 7/19 with no supportive ministries like children’s church or altar ministry at this time.
• Weather-permitting, we will have coffee hour outdoors following the service.
• Weekly email reminder will be sent to ask you not to attend if you have had any Covid related symptoms, tested positive, in contact with a confirmed or suspected positive case, or subject to a travel quarantine.
• Rows of chairs will be spaced appropriately. We will simply ask you to sit with your family with proper spacing between other families.
• We won’t be using bulletins, so all announcements will be given verbally and on screen.
• Communion will be served in individual packets.
• We ask you to place tithes and offerings in baskets as you enter or leave or encourage you to give electronically.
• We will require masks/face coverings while entering and leaving the building, while within 6 feet of someone other than a family member and while singing.
• We will have masks available if you forget as well as plenty of hand sanitizer throughout the building.

We are scheduling a zoom meeting this Sunday 7/12 at 11:30 AM following the morning online service to brief all pertinent volunteers and church workers.  This is for all worship team members, ushers and greeters as well as cafe workers. We will discuss in more detail all the guidelines, allow for your input and answer any questions. We will start with everyone, then break into 3 separate zoom rooms.

I want to offer some final thoughts on mask-wearing. I’ve gathered feedback from several churches that have already reopened. Most have required masks and social distancing and have commented that at first it feels awkward. Others that have made it optional have also expressed that many were uncomfortable with people not wearing masks. No matter what, I’m asking you to be sensitive to one another. Here are some verses that have guided my thinking. 

Matt 22:36-40: The golden rule is to “love your neighbor as yourself”. I can personally affirm, no one should want to get COVID-19. If I don’t want someone exposing me, then what  justifies me taking the risk I might be asymptomatic and inadvertently expose someone else?

1 Pet 2:13-17: No matter what we think of a law or those who pass it, God calls us to obey it, unless it forces us to disobey God’s word. I personally find no biblical basis that being asked by authorities to wear a mask to protect the health of the public violates God’s word.

1 Cor 10:23-33: Life is not all about us. At times, we’re called to surrender our personal liberties for the sake of the gospel, our neighbor and our community.

I’m confident God will lead us through this season with joy and victory. Hope you plan to join us for our last all online service this Sunday.

Blessings and love to you all!

Pastor Al

*** Service Link ***

Reminder - starting at 10:00 am on Sunday, our service will be streamed from this link now https://live.rnlcny.org

*** Email Address ***

If you have any messages or requests to send to the entire deacon or trustee board, you may now use the email: deacons@rnlcny.org or trustees@rnlcny.org

*** RNLC Prayer Chain/Opportunities: ***

rnlc.prayer.opportunities@gmail.com