CHURCH UPDATE AND CANCELLATION NOTICE
Dear Sand Harbor Family,
It is with great sadness that we send to you this announcement and notice that we never expected to have to send to our church family. Due to the guidelines set by our federal government and health officials, we are cancelling all our corporate worship gatherings until further notice.
I agree with my Pastor friends at Treasure Coast Presbyterian in Stuart, who wrote the following to their congregation:
Considering the way in which the corona virus is transmitted, often through seemingly healthy people who have no symptoms; and considering the great risk it presents to those who are elderly and those who have compromised immune systems, we do not think it is loving to one another and to our neighbors to act in a way that increases the danger this virus presents.
We want to do our part to help “flatten the curve” (click the link to see what that means) and ensure that our healthcare system and hospitals have the capacity to deal with the medical needs that this health epidemic is presenting them with.
The inability to gather for corporate worship should put an ache and a thirst in our heart because it will probably be some time until we get to experience what the Psalmist speaks about in Psalm 122:1: “I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord!’” Instead, our situation will be more like David’s when he was unable to gather for worship with the people of God and expressed these desires from his heart in Psalm 84: “How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts! My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the Lord…For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere.”
Now, having noted that we are cancelling our corporate gatherings until further notice does not mean that we are cancelling our ministry to the flock of Sand Harbor. Corporate Worship is a vital part of our ministry but it is certainly not the only part.
With that let me give some information in a few categories:
SPIRITUAL SUPPLIES FOR YOUR NOURISHMENT
The grocery stores may be in short supply (or out altogether) of toilet paper, paper towels, and hand sanitizer, but we want to ensure that you have ample supplies of Bible-Saturated, God-Centered, Christ-Exalting resources to keep you spiritually well-fed in the days ahead. So we will be experimenting with posting a pre-recorded sermon each Sunday along with a modified order of worship that you could go through personally or as a family or, if you’re comfortable, with a small gathering in your home provided you take the necessary precautions recommended to us by the CDC.
In addition to posting a Sunday sermon, we will be experimenting with supplying various devotional resources during the week. For example, I have already been collaborating with other Pastors to record short 5 minute devotionals that work through the book of 1 Peter, which I will be posting on our website soon. This will very much be a trial and error approach so go easy on us in your customer reviews!
CONGREGATIONAL CARE AND CONTACT
“Social Distancing” doesn’t mean we have to be anti-social! We plan to reach out and keep in touch with our church family to check in on how you are doing, take any prayer requests that you have, and see if you have any needs that we can help you meet. If any needs should come up or if you would like a “pastoral visit” please don’t hesitate to call us at 561.316.3862 or email us at sandharborpresbyterian@gmail.com.
Also use this time to reach out to one another. The blessing of having a church directory is that you have a pre-set prayer list and a list of people that you can reach out to and seek to practice the “one-another’s” with. If you don’t have the latest copy of our church directory, please email us (sandharborpresbyterian@gmail.com) and request one
STAYING IN TOUCH
To maintain communication with you, we will be sending out periodic updates that will keep you informed about all the resources that we are making available for you. Also, so that you can stay in touch with us check our website regularly: sandharborpca.org. We will even be resurrecting our previously slumbering church Facebook page so that we can utilize it as one more tool to keep in touch with one another.
FINANCIAL GIVING
Finally, we would kindly ask, that despite our inability to gather, that you would maintain your financial support of Sand Harbor. We know that many of you give by providing a physical check when we take our offering during worship and so here are some alternatives that you can utilize:
You can mail a physical check to our P.O. Box:
Sand Harbor Presbyterian Church
P.O. Box 3187 Tequesta, FL 33469
You can set up an automatically generated check through your banking system (kind of like a bill pay) and send it to our P.O. Box
Or you can give online through our secure online giving tool by going sandharborpca.org/giving
Most importantly, remember that God is still in charge over every molecule in this universe and that Christ is still our only comfort in life and in death, in sickness and in health.
With much love for the Flock,
Andrew, Mark, and Rick