COVID-19 Updates
UPDATE – March 21, 2020
To help us stay connected, growing, and thinking about how to BE the church during this time, we will be posting “mini” messages from the pastors twice a week: Wednesdays and Saturdays. The current messages are already available on our YouTube Channel (links are below). We will have a section on the home page shortly that will give you a more direct link to these messages, and you will also find those links in an Enews update sent out when the message is posted.
If you do not receive the Enews, sign up through the Enews link at the bottom of any page on our website.
Saturday Message from Pastor Fred
INITIAL ANNOUNCEMENT (No Worship Services) – March 13, 2020
Dear Sonrise family,
Effective immediately we need to suspend our Sunday worship services and other weekly gatherings in response to the coronavirus outbreak.
On Thursday I had hoped we could gather to worship. However, after I sent out an announcement, Gov. Eric Holcomb issued the following statement:
“Non-essential gatherings must be limited to no more than 250 people. This includes any event or gathering of people who are in one room or a single space at the same time, such as cafeterias, churches, stadiums, meeting and conference rooms, auditoriums and the like.”
Friends, I am not a medical authority. I have not lived through a pandemic before and honestly do not know how to respond to one. But I choose to trust God in the middle of this. I also need to submit to the direction of those who know more than me. It makes little sense to have some large groups cancel while others do not.
I want to reassure you, we will never stop being the church! At the beginning of 2020 my first words during my first message were, “Stop just going to church and start being the church!” Since then I have concluded each worship service with the challenge, “It’s time to go and be the church!” That challenge is never more true than right now.
Also, remember one of my challenges was to ask for help when needed. If you need anything, please call.
My cell is: 574.238.1132
Pastor Gabrielle’s cell is: 260.341.0456
Also, please feel free to contact our Director of Care Ministries, Susan Abbott at 260-403-3210.
So, tomorrow– Worship God! Remind yourself of the awesome truth that God’s got this. Enjoy the change of pace. We will continue to communicate and update as needed.
I love being your pastor. Let’s be the church, Sonrise!
Pastor Fred