Dear Westminster Family & Friends, 

Your session and diaconate held a joint meeting last night (March 17) to discuss an action plan for life and ministry at WPC for the next few weeks.  The first thing we want you to know is that you are greatly loved and we are praying for you regularly.  We are committed to caring for you and ministering to you as best as we can in these trying circumstances.  There are some specific challenges we will face as a congregation in the coming weeks but we will trust the Lord together and see what great things he will do.  Let me outline the specifics from our meeting:

1. In accordance with CDC guidelines and the President’s request to limit in person gatherings to groups of no larger than 10 people until March 31, all gatherings of Westminster Presbyterian Church including Sunday worship, Bible studies, small groups, food ministry, etc. are suspended until further notice. At this time we do not know how long this will last but we are praying and planning with the best information we have available at the time.

2. We will record the audio (and possibly video) for both morning & evening sermons and have them available on our website before Sunday. We will also post the bulletin online as we normally do.  You can access the sermons here: sermons; and the bulletins here: bulletins.  We want to encourage you to go through the whole service together as a family.  Read the call to worship, pray together, sing the songs, confess your faith, read Scripture, and listen to the sermon.  You may find it an encouragement to gather with another family or a few other people and worship together (minding the recommendations for no large gatherings and social distancing).  Afterwards, you can share a meal together and enjoy some fellowship with one another.   That being said, please use wisdom in gathering informally in small fellowships, especially if you are in a vulnerable category (elderly, respiratory issues, immune issues or other underlying health conditions). Please consider the welfare of your brothers and sisters and refrain from gathering with others if you have a cough, fever, runny nose, cold or if you have been exposed to others with symptomatic conditions.

3. We are going to offer a livestream of the Revelation Sunday School class beginning this Sunday at 9:00AM. We will be using a teleconference program called Zoom to facilitate this.  It is free for you to use and easy to set up.  Instructions will come in a separate email.

4. We want to encourage you to continue your regular giving during this time if you are able. You can give safely and securely online at our website here: Online Giving.  You can also mail a check to the church.

5. There will be a virtual prayer meeting for anyone interested in participating on Sunday mornings at 8:00AM. If you would like to be a part you can contact Gordon Eldridge for how to call in.

6. Your elders and deacons will be in regular contact with you over the coming weeks to pray with you and minister to you. If you have any needs you can also reach out to them or contact the church office.

7. It is important that during this season you continue to feed your soul on the living and abiding word of God. Take time each day to drink deeply from the fountain of Scripture and lift up your heart to God in prayer.  There is a great resource for your prayer life called the Valley of Vision.  It is a collection of Puritan prayers.  You can access that here: Valley of Vision.  In addition, Ligonier Ministries (the producers of TableTalk) have made all of their teaching series available for free online until at least June 30.  You can access those here: Ligonier Ministries.

I went for a run with one of our church members this morning and he reminded me of an old saying he once heard: “Never waste a crisis.”  That got me thinking that though we are in difficult times and largely uncharted territory, it makes a difference how we respond to this international emergency.  People all over the world are filled with fear and are searching for answers.  Dear Christian, we have the answer. We have the hope of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  We have the opportunity to shine the spotlight on Jesus during this crisis and encourage others to flee to Christ for the peace, hope, joy, and rest that only he can give (Matthew 11:28-30).  So let us look for ways that we can encourage one another and build up the body of Christ.  But let us also take advantage of every opportunity to tell others about the hope that is found in Jesus.  The Lord wastes nothing.  He is in control of this virus and he will order everything for his glory and for the good of his church.  So let us entrust our lives to him for he is faithful and he is good.

“The LORD is righteous in all his ways and kind in all his works. The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.”—Psalm 145:17-18 

Your Pastor & Friend,

Chad Watkins