Lamar Avenue Church Family,
We wanted to communicate regarding the Covid-19 pandemic and associated recommendations that have been announced recently. As you are aware, caution has been advised for gatherings of greater than 250 people. As your shepherds, we have been praying fervently and speaking with other church leaders as we try to determine what is best for Lamar Avenue. Unfortunately, the nature of the pandemic is such that we will not truly know the full impact until it is too late to take appropriate action so for now, we realize that we may be erring on the side of caution.
We believe it is time that we put Philippians 4:6 into practice: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God.”
We first and foremost ask you to join us in praying this virus is controlled. Friday evening, your shepherds met and have made the following decisions in the best interest for all our members and in keeping with what health experts have recommended:
· All services and programs of Lamar Avenue have been suspended for two weeks beginning Sunday 3/15 through Saturday 3/28.
· This includes Sunday morning Bible Class, Worship time, Life Groups, Sunday Evening Services, and Wednesday Night Services.
· Kiddie Kollege will not hold classes for the next two weeks.
· The Latchkey Program will not be providing after-school services for the next two weeks.
· The Weight Watcher Program which utilizes our building on Thursday evening will not meet for the next two weeks.
· The ‘Young At Heart’ event scheduled for Tuesday, March 17, has been cancelled.
· There will be no home school activities at the building the next two Fridays.
We will continually monitor the local, regional, state and national health news and make any future decisions as necessary and communicate that to you.
We are aware of these churches who provide streaming services through their websites and encourage you to select from one of these, or others you may be familiar with, for you and your family to participate in a worship service tomorrow.
·www.pinetreechurch.org Longview, TX (click on YouTube icon at top of page)
· www.edmondchurchofchrist.com Edmond, OK
(click on ‘experience worship live’ under Media/Resources tab)
· www.shilohroad.com Tyler, TX
· www.mcoc.com Houston, TX
During this challenging time for our church, community and nation, the ‘work’ of the church will continue. In fact, as a service to our members who are among the highest risk of the virus, we would ask that you let the church office know if you need assistance in such ways as picking up your medicine, getting groceries or other needs. The office will be open Monday through Friday, (903) 785-0387.
At the same time, we encourage you to consider using the online portal to make your weekly contribution. Online Giving, which can be found on the church website http://lacoc.org/give/. If you prefer, you may mail your offering to the church office.
We encourage you to spend time in prayer regarding Covid-19. We have faith that God will lead us through this worldwide crisis as he always has in the past.
As updates and additional decisions are made, your shepherds will provide more communication. It is our hope to lead from a place of careful wisdom and prayerful discernment, instead of fear and anxiety, and we encourage you to try your best to live from that same viewpoint. As the latter part of James 5:16 notes, “…the prayers of the righteous avails much.”
If you would like to be better informed about the Coronavirus,, here is the Center for Disease Control’s website: www.cdc.gov/COVID19.
The Lamar Avenue Church of Christ Shepherds
We wanted to communicate regarding the Covid-19 pandemic and associated recommendations that have been announced recently. As you are aware, caution has been advised for gatherings of greater than 250 people. As your shepherds, we have been praying fervently and speaking with other church leaders as we try to determine what is best for Lamar Avenue. Unfortunately, the nature of the pandemic is such that we will not truly know the full impact until it is too late to take appropriate action so for now, we realize that we may be erring on the side of caution.
We believe it is time that we put Philippians 4:6 into practice: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God.”
We first and foremost ask you to join us in praying this virus is controlled. Friday evening, your shepherds met and have made the following decisions in the best interest for all our members and in keeping with what health experts have recommended:
· All services and programs of Lamar Avenue have been suspended for two weeks beginning Sunday 3/15 through Saturday 3/28.
· This includes Sunday morning Bible Class, Worship time, Life Groups, Sunday Evening Services, and Wednesday Night Services.
· Kiddie Kollege will not hold classes for the next two weeks.
· The Latchkey Program will not be providing after-school services for the next two weeks.
· The Weight Watcher Program which utilizes our building on Thursday evening will not meet for the next two weeks.
· The ‘Young At Heart’ event scheduled for Tuesday, March 17, has been cancelled.
· There will be no home school activities at the building the next two Fridays.
We will continually monitor the local, regional, state and national health news and make any future decisions as necessary and communicate that to you.
We are aware of these churches who provide streaming services through their websites and encourage you to select from one of these, or others you may be familiar with, for you and your family to participate in a worship service tomorrow.
·www.pinetreechurch.org Longview, TX (click on YouTube icon at top of page)
· www.edmondchurchofchrist.com Edmond, OK
(click on ‘experience worship live’ under Media/Resources tab)
· www.shilohroad.com Tyler, TX
· www.mcoc.com Houston, TX
During this challenging time for our church, community and nation, the ‘work’ of the church will continue. In fact, as a service to our members who are among the highest risk of the virus, we would ask that you let the church office know if you need assistance in such ways as picking up your medicine, getting groceries or other needs. The office will be open Monday through Friday, (903) 785-0387.
At the same time, we encourage you to consider using the online portal to make your weekly contribution. Online Giving, which can be found on the church website http://lacoc.org/give/. If you prefer, you may mail your offering to the church office.
We encourage you to spend time in prayer regarding Covid-19. We have faith that God will lead us through this worldwide crisis as he always has in the past.
As updates and additional decisions are made, your shepherds will provide more communication. It is our hope to lead from a place of careful wisdom and prayerful discernment, instead of fear and anxiety, and we encourage you to try your best to live from that same viewpoint. As the latter part of James 5:16 notes, “…the prayers of the righteous avails much.”
If you would like to be better informed about the Coronavirus,, here is the Center for Disease Control’s website: www.cdc.gov/COVID19.
The Lamar Avenue Church of Christ Shepherds
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