July 4, 2020
Dear Church Family,
Looking forward to our Sunday gathering tomorrow.
Some temporary modifications are as follows:
- Please take children to children’s church classes upon arrival.
- We will not have “meet and greet” during service.
- Communion cups will be available for all who are in adult service as you enter - just pick up as you get your notes.
- Touchless thermometers will be used by teachers/nursery workers if a child appears symptomatic.
Thanks for your flexibility with these temporary changes.
Permanent changes:
- Three touchless hand sanitizers are now in the foyer area.
- Sunday services will be live-streamed for our church family at home and as an outreach for others.
- Offering will not be taken - plates will remain up front for offering if not done online.
Finally, please pray for our church family to grow in every good way through these times.
Blessings,
Pastor Ron & the Elder Team.
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June 28, 2020
Dear Church Family,
Time to regather!
Sunday, July 5th. at 10:00 am. Come with faith in God. Children's church and nursery will be available as well.
Also starting midweek gatherings on Wednesday, July 8th. at 6:30 pm. Study of Romans for adults, Youth Group, God Squad and Bible Adventure Hour as well.
Blessings upon you,
Pastor Ron & the Elder Team.
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June 3, 2020
Dear Church Family,
As we continue to monitor the spread of the virus, it seems that Audrain County has had a relative surge in the last couple of weeks. Due to this and the concerns of many in our church we find it prudent to be flexible in terms of our regathering and will now delay it to Sunday, July 5th., and Wednesday, July 8th.
The video streams will continue and we hope you are availing yourself of this form of gathering that God is using during this peculiar season.
We are available for you so feel free to call with any needs or concerns.
Blessings upon you,
Pastor Ron & the Elder Team.
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May 28, 2020
Dear Church Family,
We will be regathering Sunday, June 7th at 10 A..M.! Wednesday evening services will resume on June 10th., and small groups will resume at the group leaders' discretion.
Anybody that is symptomatic (non-allergy related fever/coughing) should remain home and enjoy the video service which will continue. Also if you have traveled out of state please use extra precaution.
We will have children’s church and nursery. Any children determined to have symptoms of fever and/or coughing will have to be taken home. Temperatures will be taken by no touch thermometers for children in the nursery and children's church.
As tough as it may be we would ask for you to refrain from hand shakes/hugs for the month of June.
We will have hand sanitizer stations at entrances and masks available upon request (particularly for our senior brothers and sisters).
Looking forward to our return from this imposed “Exodus” season, of course we will continue the video stream offerings through the rest of May.
Blessings,
Pastor Ron.
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April 3, 2020 (Update)
Due to the statewide Stay-At-Home order issued today by Gov. Parson, we will not have in-person services until after the order is no longer in effect (April 24th, 2020).
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May 1, 2020
Dear Church Family,
After much consideration I have decided we need to continue to suspend our Sunday and Wednesday gatherings through the month of May to give us a bit more clearance (hopefully) in terms of the virus.
I am longing for the gathering like everyone else so this was a difficult decision to make. Until then, we will continue to provide the video streams which I hope you are viewing.
We will be diligently monitoring this situation and have an update for regathering later this month. My hope is that the first Sunday in June will be the glorious reunion.
Blessings upon you and please keep in touch with needs and support for your church family.
Pastor Ron
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April 3, 2020 (Update)
Due to the statewide Stay-At-Home order issued today by Gov. Parson, we will not have in-person services until after the order is no longer in effect (April 24th, 2020).
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April 2, 2020
Dear Church Family,
We are sorry to have to say that based upon the extended federal guidelines discouraging gatherings of ten or more, we will not have our services over the next two weeks, but will reassess on April 15th, and notify if perchance the surge has come and gone.
Video streams will continue at least twice a week and we are available either by phone or in person. Thanks for your continued prayers and support through this season, which will come to pass.
Pastor Ron & the Elder Team
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March 19, 2020 (Please click to view Pastor Ron's video update)
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March 17, 2020
Dear Church Family,
In light of the Federal Government's guidelines to avoid social gatherings in groups of 10 or more to potentially mitigate the spread of the virus over the next 15 days, we have sadly decided to cancel all our public gatherings for the next two weeks. The plan is to gather again on Sunday, April 5th provided it is safe to do so.
I will still be available and plan to release messages online as well as providing scriptures via text.
Also, please let us know how we can help you as a church, particularly some of our senior brothers and sisters who may be under a self-quarantine.
Finally you can continue giving online, drop contributions off at church building, Tuesday or Thursday mornings from 9-12 noon or mail to PO Box 771. The need for help in our church family is undoubtedly going to grow in terms of resources and financial support during this tough time.
God is at work in this unsettling season as He wants to motivate a slumbering, intoxicated world towards Himself, while shaking His people as well. Remember that God does not change and we will prevail through Him. (Romans 8:31-39).
Blessings upon you and if you need anything, I and the elders stand ready to serve you. Please help us spread this word to our church community.
Pastor Ron & the Elder Team
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March 14, 2020
Dear Church Family,
After consulting with Doctor Joe Fugaro, the following was crafted for the benefit of our church family:
Our hearts break for those affected by the outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19). As the scale of this virus becomes more apparent, we believe our responsibility is to prioritize the well-being of our congregation and community.
We are reaching out to provide you with an update on the precautionary steps VCF is taking to help prevent the spread of the virus. Our leadership teams are very closely monitoring this situation. We are planning to have Sunday Service at this time, but in the event it is determined to be the best decision for our church and community to cancel our public worship gatherings, we will keep you posted. Also, live streaming is an option that we may offer should it be deemed necessary.
There are some changes taking place in the following areas:
- HOSPITALITY - We will have additional greeters in place to hold exterior doors open to minimize the need to touch door handles. There will also be some hand sanitizer available when you enter and we suggest you and your family use it.
- CLEANING - In our children’s and student spaces and classrooms, besides our normal high-level cleaning that takes place frequently, we will ask our children's ministry and nursery volunteers to wipe down frequently used areas. Moreover, we will not provide snacks and drinks for the foreseeable future in the children's classes and nursery - sorry kids.
- COMMUNION - When we observe communion together, we will provide pre-packed, individually-wrapped communion elements and will distribute with gloves.
- GIVING - We will not pass the offering plates during services. We will have plates up front to put your offering in during service and of course online giving is still available (see Arica Walker for details - its pretty easy). Also, there is a box outside the office door that one can put their contribution in as well.
- FEELING SICK? - If you’re feeling sick, we encourage you to stay home. We will upload the messages Sunday afternoon as we want you to continue to be fed the word for the flock.
As a reminder in the weeks to come, if you are exposed to, have symptoms of, or are being treated for the coronavirus, self-quarantine is the God-honoring step to avoid infecting others. We encourage you to take some time to understand proper prevention measures to avoid spreading the virus by reading through the CDC recommendations here.
Also, though we are a loving church, we may want to refrain from hand shaking and hugging for a season until this passes, seems like elbow bumping is becoming the new thing.
Finally, have faith in God and how He can use this opportunity to shake the world in His direction. Pray much, be wise and remember if God is for us, who or what can be against us (Romans 8:31).
The blessings of the Lord be upon you, and may no plague come near you.
Pastor Ron and the elder team.