Update on Regathering the Church
Friday, May 29, 2020
Dear Peoria Nazarene Church Family,
I want to bring you an update about regathering the church, but before I do, I want to express how thankful I am for our church family’s response to this time. We have not forgotten our identity and the mission God has given us. This has been apparent in the many small, but important ways that you have faithfully adapted to these times. Because of your faithfulness and the goodness of God, the reach of the mission of our church has not decreased but increased during this time.
Having said this, we all miss our corporate gathering and are looking forward to the day we will all be together. This is right and good for us to have this longing. As our leadership continues diligently developing our plan to regather, I wanted to share more information about that process.
On May 12th, our Church Board appointed a Regathering Task Force to develop a plan and timeline for regathering inside our facility. The task force is working carefully to make sure we are fully prepared. This involves a complete review of our facility, procedures, and programs. The task force will present the fully developed plan to our Church Board on June 9th. We expect to be able to share the details of our plan and timeline to regather shortly thereafter. We have been targeting June 28th to regather with our plan in place, but it could be sooner as we continue to develop our plan and monitor this situation.
In the meantime, I want to encourage you to continue joining our livestream and to consider this as a unique opportunity to develop and deepen relationships. While it is true that we all miss our corporate worship service, what we miss most is being with one another. Now that the shelter-in-place order has been lifted, perhaps this is a good time to consider reconnecting in our homes and neighborhoods with the proper guidelines and precautions in place. People in our community are eager for connection. This is a tremendous opportunity for us to build friendships around the patio or backyard barbecue to share the hope and love of Christ inside and outside of our church family.
When the time to fully regather comes (which it will soon), we are committed to continuing our online and livestream services. We realize that many will not be comfortable gathering in person even when that time comes. We are committed to leaving no one behind and increasing our connection as we are able.
Finally, I want to thank you for your faithful love for God, one another, and commitment to share Christ’s love with all people. This provides a clear framework for us to navigate through this time. The plans we develop are at best contingency plans as we continue to carefully process this fluid situation. Our leadership will continue to adapt and seek to serve you wisely through these times.
If you have any concerns, questions, or need support please feel free to reach out. I want you to know that you are deeply loved by our staff, church family, and by our loving Heavenly Father. Let’s continue to lean into and rely on His love during this time.
Blessings,
Pastor Mark McCall
“Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.”
Ephesians 4:2–3 (NLT)
See Also NWIL District Communication: May 28, 2020 – “Regathering the Church”
