March 17, 2020

Hello, Grace family!

This update is more extensive than others, but please read the entire update :)

Current Status of COVID-19 in OH

As of today, Governor DeWine has signed executive orders closing all restaurants, movie theaters, bars, gym & rec centers, indoor water parks, bowling alleys, & indoor trampoline parks. He has also stated that there should not be gatherings of 50 people or more. (President Trump has suggested no gatherings of 10 or more).

Dr. Amy Acton (Director of the Ohio Public Health Department) believes we are just beginning to go up "the curve" & is urging us all to be mindful of how we can take precautions to help slow the spread of this virus.

Looking Ahead (Sunday services & Grace ministries)

We have decided to cancel all ministries & gatherings at the Church (including Sunday services March 22nd & 29th) through April 4th. We will continue to give you an update at least once a week to update you on what we've decided as a leadership team.

We will be livestreaming through Facebook & the website at 10:45 am Sunday, March 22nd & 29th. We encourage you, however, to use Facebook as we plan on leveraging the live comment feature to interact with one another during the service (commenting, "amen"-ing, getting prayer requests, etc.)!

As for gatherings outside of the church building: groups are still not banned from meeting, but please do not gather if there will be more than 10 in attendance. As always, please use wisdom & discretion in all your interactions.

How can you help?

In this season there is an ever increasing need for us to care for one another faithfully, especially in light of our not coming together on Sundays.

Giving

Your staff continues to work to serve you well. & while we are not meeting, our regular bills & obligations continue. Our missionaries & workers beyond Cedarville continue to have their same expenses, & many of them are in places of greater need & less infrastructure to help. A few have had to evacuate & faced additional expense. As we shared last week, as long as we are able, your church staff will continue to faithfully work to see that our Grace family is equipped & empowered to faithfully follow Christ during this time.

All of this means that there are still costs related to the ministry. Let's continue to be faithful stewards of what the Lord has given us. You can give online, drop your offering off at the church office, or send it through the mail.

Another giving option is to consider signing up for tithing directly through your bank (for how, email Kenton Durham, Pastoral Team Administrator).

Congregational Care / Service

We are not ready to launch any kind of services at this point to aid those who are in need quite yet, but know that your elders, deacons, & staff are working & will be working to connect with those at higher risk & finding out ways to serve them.

Also, we are in conversation with Feed The 'Ville & the food pantry to find out more ways we can love & care for those in this community who have very real & immediate needs.

If you would like contact information for those in the Grace family you can utilize Church Community Builder which is a resource for our members to use in order to have a kind of online church directory.

Please stay tuned for a forthcoming email / update regarding this area specifically!

Creative Measures

Below are the ways our various ministries are seeking to equip us all to learn God's Word, live God's way, & light God's world during this time. We pray it encourages your heart & further strengthens your faith & hope in Jesus Christ.

Pastoral Updates

Craig Miller (Senior Pastor) as well as others will be giving short video updates throughout this season. Please frequently check this webpage for these videos!

GraceKids

Barb Hunt (Children's Ministries Director) & Alex Ford (Children's Ministries Assistant) are working to hard to make sure that our parents are equipped to care for & disciple their children.

They are currently using the following resources:

Barb & Alex have created a Parent Resource area in Connection Central that will be available during office hours. Here you will find handouts that go with the Sunday & Wednesday lessons, as well as Easter Craft kits. They have also moved the lending library out as well for you to check out & use!

GraceStudents

Josh Taylor (Pastor for Student Ministries) and Jake Russo (Student Ministries Assistant) have also been working hard to strategically think through how we can engage & disciple our students.

Read Pastor Josh's ministry update he shared yesterday here. He highlights how small group leaders are planning on engaging our students & how he plans to engage our students.

All high school (Radiate) & middle school (Ablaze) messages will be livestreamed at 7:00 pm on Sundays through the Grace Facebook page and YouTube channel & archived here.

Updates concerning GraceStudents will be posted on the Grace Student Ministries Facebook page.

If you would like to subscribe to the GraceStudents newsletter, you can do so here.

Be on the lookout for a GraceStudents channel on RightNow Media where Pastor Josh will be sharing some extra announcements & teaching videos (see explanation of RightNow Media below in the Grace Adults section).

Worship Ministry

Taylor Robinette (Worship Director) has put together a Spotify playlist of all the songs we have sung together so far this year! We have also added 10+ songs that have been done in our GraceKids ministries. What a way to worship our great God together!

Grace Missions

Many of our 33 missionaries (in units) are being directly impacted by the outbreak of COVID-19. Our desire is to provide specific ways you can be praying for our missionaries each time we send out an update.

Pray for the Kleis Family serving in Italy.

Italy is currently in a state of national emergency, confining the Kleises to their house.

Please pray:

Pray for Joel and Becky Williams serving in the Philippines.

Here is an update from Liz Winey (Executive Ministry Assistant) who is Joel's sister:

Beginning Saturday, Manila was put on lockdown for at least a month - no coming in or out. It is the same for Biblical Seminary of the Philippines - Becky is acting as school nurse (she is actually an RN) for students still on campus. Classes are all online and the school is working hard to minimize risk and keep everyone safe and healthy. Manila has a curfew 8pm-5am and everything is closed except for groceries, pharmacies and food delivery. The mood on campus is good - everyone is watching out for each other.

We are so thankful for those who are sacrificing much for the sake of Christ. Please be lifting our missionaries up. View a full list of our missionaries here. If you have questions about any of our missionaries, you can email Marcus Croll (Pastoral Resident).

Grace Adults

Here is a message from Dalton Deffenbaugh (Pastor of Adult Ministries).

The days ahead are likely to find us in our homes far more than usual. This presents unique opportunities for ministry and devotion. Consider prayerfully taking on one of the following:

Your RightNow Media account is loaded with great resources. If you don’t have your free account yet, you can create one here. Find a list of suggested resources from staff here (must sign in to view).

Church Office

As of right now, the Church Office will remain open during our normal office hours. Monday–Thursday: 8 am–5 pm & Friday: 8 am–4 pm.

If you have any questions, please email Kenton Durham or call the church office at 937-766-2391.

Blessings,
Grace Leadership

*One to One Bible Reading: a Simple Guide for Every Christian by David R. Helm. Matthias Media, 2011, pp.44-45.