Since our last email yesterday, a lot of changes have taken place and things seem to keep changing by the hour. All of the school districts in Parker County have extended their spring breaks by at least a week. Tarrant County has declared a state of emergency and requests that gatherings for more than 250 people be cancelled.

So far, we know that at least three of our churches have elected not to host worship services on-campus. Each of those has attendance of more than 250. They will each broadcast a sermon or a complete worship service online. Other churches are encouraging those who are at high-risk of infection to stay home and watch online.

A church does not have to be large to broadcast its services online. Bobby Gilstrap, a former Director of Missions, has posted a simple guide on YouTube to show how a church of any size can broadcast on FaceBook Live. His church of 30 does it every week. You can watch the 5-minute video at this link. This type of broadcast may not rival a professional TV production, but it will definitely serve the purpose of keeping your congregation connected on Sunday morning.

I suspect that we will see more changes in the next week as local leaders address the need to protect our communities. Please keep in touch with our office if we can assist you to adapt your schedule or the way that you are able to do ministry.

John Thielepape

Director of Missions