Faith, DBC and the Virus

Dear DBC family,
I know that almost all of you have been wondering what was going to happen at church and AWANA regarding the Coronavirus. The elders have been praying and seeking God’s wisdom in this current pandemic. While we realize that there are those in our congregation who believe that it would be foolish to keep meeting in larger groups because of the spread of the virus, and others who believe that closing the Chapel is succumbing to fear, it is important to strike a balance. Our prayer is that Satan will not use this “crisis” to sow a seed of discord and disunity within our congregation. He would like nothing better than to keep us from God’s goals for the Chapel. Though we have not been given a spirit of fear, but of power, love and self-control (2 Timothy 1:7), we are also commanded to be wise (Proverbs 4:5). We have spent countless hours diligently reading articles, seeking medical and health professional advice to try to understand what we should do For DBC. As followers of Jesus Christ, we should not panic, but we should pray and take appropriate precautions to protect others as well as ourselves. 

We will still be having our worship service tomorrow, March 15th. In addition, one of the wondering kids in our congregation will be getting baptized. While we are requesting that people  who feel that they are high risk, those who have recently traveled and those who are coughing, sneezing, sick, have a fever or showing signs of the flu to worship from home, we do hope that God will provide all healthy congregates the ability to come and witness this exciting step in this child's faith. 

AWANA for this week, March 17th, is cancelled. The commanders will reevaluate this week as to how to proceed for the future clubs.

Youth for the Lord will still meet, but only for the Large Group time. They will join the adults for baptism. My message is a passage that we chose almost 2 months ago, and I believe that God did that on purpose. It is found in Matthew 6:25-34 and is about fear and anxiety and seeking God's kingdom. This is no coincidence.

While we are unsure of how the future should proceed with this virus in our town, please know that we are seeking God's guidance. We truly hope that you will back our decisions, even if you feel they should be different, knowing that the heart in which they were made is steeped deeply in love for our congregation.
​Ivan