Update From Pastor Jed About Sunday Gatherings

Although we initially planned to have our worship gatherings this week, along with significant adjustments to those gatherings, we are going to move our in person gatherings for the next 3 weeks (March 15, March 22, March 22) online at 10:00am at redemptioncity.com/watch and our Facebook page. During this time, we’ll get a clearer picture of the best next steps for our church. As we learn them, we’ll communicate them. Hopefully, we’ll be back up in April. This Sunday, I’ll have a message on “Overcoming Our Fears” from Psalm 3.
 
Why are we moving our normal gatherings online for the next 3 weeks? 
Well, after a great deal of research, discussions with some of our state’s key leaders, and prayerful conversations with church leaders in our church and in other churches, we thought it was the wisest and most loving thing to do for the following reasons:

• Williamson County leads TN in coronavirus infections. The more known infected people there are, the more unknown infected people there are.
• We still don’t have the type of coronavirus testing kits that we need in order to get an accurate picture of how many folks in our area are truly infected. But many leaders think the number is much higher than we think.
• The larger the gathering the larger the potential for spreading the infection unintentionally. That’s why many states are asking groups of 250 or 100 people or more not to meet.
• The more action taken to reduce the spread of the virus, the more we reduce its negative impact. This is especially important for the most vulnerable amongst us. We want to do what we can to be a part of efforts to “flatten the curve” of projected infections.

 
How can we make the most of this situation moving forward?

• Join us online Sundays at 10am for messages.
• Stay connected to us through all of our communication channels. Our circumstances are developing everyday. There will be opportunities to help, points of communication to understand, etc. that we’ll make available through these channels. 

• For email updates, sign up here.
• For twitter, here.
• Instagram, here.
• Facebook, here.

• Pray for the most vulnerable around us. Follow the common sense practices (washing hands, stay away from people if you feel sick, don’t touch your face). Look for ways to help those in need who may not have a church or community to support them (older neighbors, etc.). Practice social distancing as much as you can (we know people still have to go to the store, see folks, etc., just be intentional when you do).
• Communicate needs to us at info@redemptioncity.com that you come across. Even if we can’t meet all of the needs, we want to do what we can to be a part of figuring out the solution to help those most negatively impacted by all of this.
• Use some of the extra time we all have (because of cancellations across our culture) reading, thinking about, and praying God's life giving word into your heart.

 
How can we continue to support the church financially during this time? 
One of the negative consequences from all of this is that most churches will take a big financial hit. Let’s not let this be true of our church. In order for us to continue to have the impact we are having locally, nationally, and internationally, we will need continued financial support. You can automate your giving here.
 
Will the work on the farm continue to provide Hope for the Hungry? 
As of now, we will continue to work on the farm. At most, there are a few people out there at a time not working near one another. Please pray for that continued work. The people that we are growing food for will only need it more, not less, because of the current virus challenge. If anything changes in regard to that, we’ll communicate it through our communication channels.
 
I love y’all. I hate this challenge is here, but God’s in control. And he’s called us to follow him through this moment. Let’s look for the unique opportunities to experience Jesus' love and extend Jesus’ love in the midst of all of this.
 
Praying for you all,
 
Jed