Matthews Presbyterian Church issued the following announcement on May 5.
See below for more information about how you can connect to MPC during this time.
May 5, 2020
Dear MPC Saints,
What a great Bluegrass Sunday we had! Plans for that service were well underway before the virus hit, but like so many things, I almost assumed that Bluegrass would be cancelled this year. There was just no way, I thought, that we could pull it off remotely. Robert Austell, from Good Shepherd Presbyterian, and our own Sarah Allred had other ideas. I was very pleased with how things turned out. Charlotte Presbytery Executive, Jan Edmiston, gave a powerful sermon and the music was spectacular. I am most grateful to her, our musicians, and the IT experts who pulled it together.
Second, thank you to everyone who filled our survey out last week. We had a good response to it. From your input, we have devised the following preliminary plan. Once we get the go-ahead from the state, we will start worship with fifty attendees. Most people opposed having multiple services on one Sunday for sanitary reasons, so we will stick to one at first. We will minimize touching: no hymnals, no opening doors, no shaking hands or passing of the peace, no passing offering plates, and no bulletins. For joint liturgy, we will use screens. We obviously still have a number of details to sort through and will keep you updated as the plan develops.
We will also continue to livestream the worship services for those who are unable to attend. In fact, we see that continuing well into the future. We will also, of course, continue to offer daily devotions and weekly classes via livestream or zoom.
While these changes are hard and challenging, they also give us an opportunity. It’s no secret that the church in general has needed to change for years. We just never had to change until Covid-19. I was never a fan of online worship or social media in general, for example, but I now view them both as vital tools for ministry. We are also connected in ways that we were not before. We have learned immensely through this. When all of this is in the past, when we gather again for worship, study, or fellowship, we will be a better version of ourselves.
My main point is… God is doing a good thing in this crazy time and leading the church to a good place. I firmly believe that. Stay safe, maintain your distancing, wash your hands, and keep the faith. God is good and is doing a good thing among us. God has provided a future for us. I am excited to be going there with you.
In Christ,
Luke
Links to join us virtually during the Coronavirus closure.
- Facebook Live Worship on Sundays at 10:30am
- Daily Devotions at 9am on Facebook
- Sign up for our new Connecting in Christ Ministry: Get to know and support another church member during this time
- Have a youth or child? Make sure you are receiving emails from Sarah Evans.
- Pastor Luke's Minor Prophets Bible Study Facebook Live Wednesdays at 6:30pm
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