What exactly am I supposed to be seeking in these two weeks?
We want every person in our church to participate with us in seeking God for “Our Church, Our Mission.” If you find you’re a bit hazy on what we’re talking about, first:
· read David’s email from Monday, June 8
· if you missed the June 7th Sunday Lounge, watch the 16-minute intro video
· Then, read through the vcclife.org/2weeks pages
After that, if you’re still unclear, we hope you will reach out to any of our leaders. You can find a list of some leaders at www.stlvineyard.org/leaders. You can reach out to them directly, in our Slack Community, or look them up in CCB. (or just contact the office)
Why can't we meet together on Sundays right now? What is the hold up?
We know that many of you are wondering this! We, like many of you, long to meet together again and fully intend to continue taking steps toward that goal.
Our initial prayer and discussions on the topic of when and how to meet together on Sundays again led us to knowing and understanding the following:
- We feel called to respect the government authorities, along with the guidelines they have issued.
- In the short-term (and due to the guidelines), any Sunday gatherings will look and feel very different than what we were used to in pre-Covid days (see the next FAQ for more explanation on this.)
- In the short-term, we will be able to reach fewer people each week and in a way that is not likely to do the following as well:
- Community & connection, especially for those that don't yet feel connected to people in our church
- an opportunity for anyone to deeply experience the Spirit's presence and power
- an opportunity for everyone to minister to others in many ways
- an opportunity for new people to come in who need God
- In order to continue to bring God’s Love, Truth, Power and Presence to move every person toward Jesus, we would need to do MUCH MORE than just meet on Sundays.
Despite the obstacles, we know that God is NOT LIMITED in moving in us and through us as a church to bring people to himself. However, the obstacles and changes to our Sunday gathering gave us enough pause to press into God and ask what He really wanted us to do as a church. From that place, we felt faith rise up in us that God wanted to birth new and creative ways in our church for the entire Body to carry out our mission together. We strongly believe God wants to show us how we, as individuals AND together as a church, can bring His Love, Truth, Presence and Power to move every person toward Jesus.
So, while we have every intent to meet together on Sundays, we felt led to give space and time for God to speak to each one of us about the additional ways He wants each of us to participate in and carry out our mission: to move every person toward Jesus.
What will Sunday look like when we do meet together again?
In order to meet the guidelines for indoor public gatherings in our county, here are the changes that will currently need to made for our Sunday services. (this is obviously changing all the time, but this is what we know right now)
- There will be no Children’s Ministry
- We will not provide any food or drinks
- We will only have up to 55 people in the sanctuary at one time
- Our members will be seated, spaced out at least 6 feet apart
- Social-distancing means no in-person prayer ministry
Will we have Worship Wednesday during these two weeks?
Craig Stevens recorded a Worship Wednesday, released on June 10. Watching that is a great way to make space for God to speak to you. We hope to have one on Wednesday, June 17 as well, but we aren’t sure. You will be notified by email (and the YouTube subscription notification) if we have one!
What should I do on Sunday mornings with no Sunday broadcasts on June 14 & 21?
You can, of course, choose to spend your Sunday morning time any way you like, but here are some ideas to help you continue to reserve that time for worshipping God:
- Get together with other believers to worship, pray and encourage one another to seek God. This can be virtually or in-person, as your family’s personal restrictions allow.
- Reserve Sunday morning for a personal and private time to seek God and worship Him.
- Here are some resources to use for worship:
- Our Worship Singles Playlist on YouTube
- Our VCC Current Worship Playlist on Spotify
No matter how you worship God on Sunday morning, remember that you can still request prayer ministry at vcclife.org/prayer ANY time on Sunday or during the week. You can expect a quick 10-minute prayer ministry phone call, hopefully within the hour.