Lincoln Christian Church Covid Update

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A Brief Note on COVID First the bad news: Coronavirus is continuing to spread. The unemployed numbers are still too high. Business as usual is still slow to recover. There’s continued political and racial turmoil. Our church was closed to on-campus worship for several months. Any one of these issues could be viewed as a recipe for disaster when it comes to ministry. And here we are . . . experiencing all them at the same time.
For most people, we can’t wait for 2020 to end. Truth is, we’ve placed so much hope in next year, I question if it can ever live up to our expectations. This may not be the most optimistic opening to a newsletter you’ve ever had, but hold on, give me a minute.
When our children were small and I would read them books on Winnie the Pooh, if Tigger and Eeyore were in the story, I would always ask: “Should we be more like Eeyore or more like Tigger?” Most times, they saw the value in being upbeat and positive like Tigger. I do as well!
So, the good news then: this isn’t our first crisis! I repeat, this is not our first crisis financially, as a country or as a church. We have been through many. And we have always recovered. We have always rebounded. We have always come out better on the other side. COVID-19 has done a lot of damage, but it is not however the end of the world; nor the end of our ministry, nor the end of our calling. In the middle of crises, churches that stay the course, stay optimistic, and continue to spread the good news of the gospel of Jesus do the best and came through the healthiest. We plan to do just that—stay calm, do what we can do for now, be hopeful and carry on! With that, here are our plans for December and January.
Christmas at LCC December: Christmas at Lincoln Christian Church will look a little different this year. No choirs! No big Celebrate! Christmas program. No in house Christmas Eve service! However, the church will be decorated to inspire joy. Our Sunday morning services will also be Christmassy with all the usual carols as we begin our Christmas sermon series on December 6.

There will however, be two NEW ways to enjoy Christmas Eve this year: 1) Online Biblical Christmas Story. There will be a special program produced online by our senior staff taking you and your family through an indepth look at the Christmas story. Much of this will be filmed outdoors on location at a local farmstead. Can you tell I’m excited?! We hope this online video experience can help us, young and old alike, appreciate the birth story more fully. This program will be available to access anytime on Christmas Eve for you to celebrate within the comfort of your own homes. 2) Carols & Cocoa for Christmas Eve. We would still like to do something in-person on Christmas Eve and we have thought of something a bit new, but still nostalgic. Weather permitting, we are going to host an outdoor carols, candlelighting, and hot chocolate celebration in the LCC parking lot. It will take place at 5:00pm, again, weather permitting, and might be the one uplifting moment we need the most this Christmas. Better still, our neighbors at Full Gospel Evangelistic Center will join us! We hope to close the street between our churches to utilize both parking lots. We think what we need as a church and as a community is a chance to come together for Christmas Eve. There is something beautiful about tradition and regaining just a little of that traditional feel this holiday season will keep us discovering the specialness of Christmas. Being outdoors and gathering in family units will allow us to maintain COVID protocol to experience this together!
Ron Otto, preaching minister at Lincoln Christian Church

 

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