Watching two minutes of a news broadcast, or making a simple trip to the grocery store, has highlighted for us all the fact that the COVID-19 virus has us in some uncharted (at least in our brief window of time) territory. With considerable wrestling, and lots of input from sources around the world, we have made the following decisions with regard to the ministry and operations at Crossroads over the next few weeks.

Decision Summary

  • For this Sunday, March 15, 2020 we will continue with our regularly scheduled 10:30 a.m. congregational assembly.
  • We will NOT have our normal CrossTraining program this Sunday. We are asking families sit together as much as possible during the service.
  • We will NOT conduct our normal 9:00 a.m. Sunday School programs (children’s and adult).
  • The Sunday afternoon Youth Program is CANCELED for this week.
  • All mid-week activities that are held AT THE CHURCH FACILITY are CANCELED for this week. This includes Wednesday’s AWANA club (as well as Saturday’s “build-a-car” clinic), Tuesdays at Crossroads Women’s Bible study, and other classes or clubs that normally meet at the church.
  • We encourage other smaller size groups that meet during the week in homes or elsewhere to continue to meet as appropriate for that group. We encourage group leaders to consider implementing some of the new protocols being suggested for social settings.
  • With these decisions made and as next week progresses, we will be evaluating the situation and reevaluating our plans for the subsequent weeks. We will keep you informed.
  • We ask that as you make decisions with regard to your and your family’s participation in corporate events that you exercise great care and concern for your brothers and sisters. Even apart from COVID-19 this has been a difficult season in our community with different illnesses. If you aren’t well then please sit out a week in consideration of others.
  • Pay extra attention to the many encouragements around us about proper hygiene and perhaps new norms for social interaction (hand washing, hand shaking, etc.).
  • We invite those at higher risk (age over 60, underlying health conditions, etc.) who choose not to attend corporate services to keep us in the office, or your small group leader, informed so that we can plan best how to minister to you.

Background

These decisions have not been taken lightly but have resulted in hours of reading, consulting other organizations, and internal dialog, all driven by our desire to be good shepherds of the people under our care. We should all be motivated by a desire to love and care for those in our congregation that may be more physically frail and vulnerable. We also want to be good citizens of the community that God has placed us in. However, we need to remember that not every decision should, or will, be driven by JUST physical self-preservation. We must always look at the entirety of our lives as believers and what God has called us to be and do.

In addition to documents from the State of NM and the CDC, we have referenced several excellent papers dealing with churches and our response to COVID-19. If you would like to do further reading, we can make these resources available.

What’s at stake?

While much of the focus around us is put on the physical and medical aspects of the COVID-19 situation we also want to remember that none of this has taken God by surprise and that we may be on the precipice of God shaking us and our culture’s individualistic self-reliance and self-confidence. We may be looking at unprecedented opportunities for the church to be the church in all that that means. History may come alive as we get to show Christ’s love and compassion for those suffering in our congregation and our neighbors around us. Pray that as we continue to assemble together we would count it not just a privilege but as a necessary and vital aspect of our living out what it means to be the body of Christ.

Mark, for the Elders of CBC