Dear Community Church, 
 
This evening, after another crazy day of global, national and local news of responses to the coronavirus, the leadership team of our church met together for an extended time of planning and prayer.  We had already planned this time months ago, but it was timely that we could meet to discuss how we can play our part in the community response to everybody’s health.  
 
The leadership team has decided to cancel church services and activities beginning tomorrow (3/14).  We will be communicating this as much as possible to everybody, and we appreciate your help in passing along this news.  We hope to be able to worship together in person on Palm Sunday, April 5th.  
 
We are grieving and anxious and confused about the pandemic and all of the consequences it brings with it, and none of us has any real sure idea of what to expect in the weeks ahead.  But we read Psalm 46 tonight: “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.  Therefore we will not be afraid even though the earth should shake and the mountains fall into the sea….Be still and know that I am God.”  As a leadership, we are going to stick ourselves into this psalm and make God our refuge and trust Him. 

With this in mind, we are going to ask God and all of you to join us in a unique moment as a church.  As we don’t meet together in our regular pattern, we ask all of you to join us in a movement of God’s Spirit during this unusual spring break.  We are calling it “#CommunityHopeGrows.”   We are asking God to help us creatively trust His Spirit and unite in love, prayer, devotion and HOPE this Spring.  We will be sending you a myriad of colorful ideas and initiatives of how we can grow in hope as a church and in our bigger community in fresh ways.  We want to love Jesus and each other MORE deeply during this unique slice of Life.  
 
Even though you know this, I really love this amazing church of ours, and I hope that we become more Real in Him during this time.  I’m glad to be here with you all. 
 
Grace, 
 
Larry