“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling … “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah – (Psalm 46:1-3; 10-11)

We need to trust the Lord during times like these, while at the same time using wisdom to navigate through these uncertain valleys. It has become apparent that the situation with the COVID-19 virus has become more serious than at first. Just in this last week, we’ve all seen this virus metastasize from a faraway foreign threat to one that is now very much in the very community in which we live. According to our government and health organizations, the best way to prevent community spread of COVID-19 is to limit, as much as possible and with reason, the number of gatherings.

With that said, the leadership of Calvary has decided to take the following temporary measures concerning the schedule of events for church gatherings.

• • Starting this Lord’s Day (March 15) we will go to a virtual format for our public worship service (Sunday school and morning Worship)
    By the Lord’s providence, we’ve been doing this even before the crisis, so this should be a seamless transition for us. We will be LIVE STREAMING at 9:30 am on Sunday for Sunday school and 11:00 am for the Worship Service.
  • Online giving is also available online on our website  (click GIVE on the upper left menu) or on the Calvary App for Android or iOS
  • Children’s Sunday school is suspended, although we’ll see if we can get teachers to send out some resources for the kids to do at home
  • Worship Team / Choir / Food and other regular Sunday ministries are suspended as well
  • All other events are suspended for this week (March 15-21).

We are in the process of investigating how some of these events might look like virtually going forward(prayer meeting, bible studies, home groups, etc.) We do these things not out of fear, but out of love. The physical health and safety of our congregation (and the family members we interact with that may be at risk) is also an important stewardship from God.

And, it seems like in the last day or so, most others are following suit — almost all area school systems, surrounding universities, most professional sports teams, businesses small and large, and many other churches in the area and around the country are being canceled or also going virtual for the time being. The speed at which this has happened has been truly breathtaking — we certainly live in strange times!

We are definitely saddened to have to take this step, but we are convinced it is necessary to protect the congregation at this time, given how severe the symptoms can be in at-risk populations, how easily the disease spreads, and how it can be spread by people who do not even have symptoms.

Brethren, this is a time to pull together, to pray, to watch out for our brothers and sisters in Christ who may need our help. This is not a time to complain or grumble. It is our responsibility to keep the unity that the Holy Spirit has given us and to be faithful to one another in our church family.

It is with this great confidence of hope that we together face the trial before us that is COVID-19. Because we know God is faithful, we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?” – Hebrews 13:6

We plan to provide you with regular updates as we navigate these waters together.