I hope that you are recovering from the jolt we receive each year when we “spring forward” into Daylight Savings Time…it usually takes me about a week…but I have to say I REALLY enjoy having more time outdoors in the evenings!
Aren’t we blessed to have the comfort the Holy Spirit gives us by His presence during times of stress and crisis! Jesus’ promise for Him to be with us is a glorious truth and joy as we navigate times of difficulty. Psalm 56:3-4 has always ministered to me in times of distress:
When I am afraid,
I will trust in you.
In God, whose word I praise,
in God I trust; I will not be afraid.
Psalms 56:3-4 (CSB)
Speaking of stress and crisis…
As you know, Governor John Bel Edwards issued a proclamation on Friday, March 13, 2020 stating:
“Today, I signed a proclamation that immediately halts any gathering of more than 250 people until Monday, April 13, closes all K-12 public schools statewide effective Monday, March 16 and also moves upcoming state elections.
We are at an inflection point now and we are going to take bold action to minimize the further spread of this illness. That is why I am issuing this order today, ending all events of more than 250 people, closing our schools, and reducing the amount of face-to-face public interaction at state government buildings.”
As a result of the COVID-19 outbreak and the dangers involved with exposure to the virus (especially for the aged, immuno-compromised and vulnerable among us) the leadership of KBC is taking the following steps to ensure the safety of our flock:
First
, we are following the lead of Governor Edwards and the Centers for Disease Control in suspending all of our large-group gatherings until after April 13
th
. That means that our services will be streamed online only for Sunday School, Sunday morning worship, Sunday evening and Wednesday evening. We will use Facebook Live as our streaming service for now. Live streaming will begin this Sunday and will air at 9:00 am, 10:30 am and then at 5:00 pm and follow with Prayer Time and Bible Study on Wednesdays at 6:00 pm. We will send an email with specific instructions on how to log in to Facebook Live (even without a Facebook account) so that you may watch the services, Sunday School, prayer time and Bible study online. For Sunday School, we will stream Bible study led by one of our Children’s leaders, one of our Youth leaders and one of our Adult leaders. You can reach these livestreams by going to
https://www.facebook.com/KingsvilleBC
Second
, we are changing a number of events on our church campus.
Our
Bible Drill
for this Sunday (March 15) will go on as scheduled with a number of
precautions being taken…Wendy will contact each leader and participant with
those precautions.
Our
Volunteer Banquet
will be postponed until a later date…stay tuned for updates!
Our
Mother’s Day Out
will be closed for the duration of the public school closings.
Our
Monday School Co-op
will be closed for the duration of the public school closings.
Our
Men’s Retreat
will go on as scheduled on March 24-27 (this could change).
Our
Trucker’s Ministry
will take a break for a few weeks and monitor the situation for a
time to re-open.
Our
Upward Soccer Ministry
decision is still in process and we will update you on
Monday, March 16
Our
Men’s and Women’s Ministry
night on March 29 has been postponed…stay tuned
for updates!
Third
, we are organizing and mobilizing our deacons, staff and church members to watch over the elders, home-bound and vulnerable in our congregation and community…you will hear more about this in the very near future.
Fourth
, we are seeking to continue operation of our normal day-to-day work in the office and on the campus. This will give us extra time for some organizing, deep cleaning and administration.
Our offices will presently maintain the same hours.
Our staff will continue to take care of their responsibilities and meet the needs of our
flock and community.
Our Janitorial staff will be working extra to do some deep cleaning,
repairing/preparing for the future.
We will continue with the Capital Campaign renovation in the two-story building and
send updates with pictures as things progress.
We will continue to keep our campus secure.
Fifth
, we have provided a means for giving and supporting our church online, by text message and in person.
Our church has been
so faithful
and
so generous
, and this will provide each of us an
opportunity to continue in that faithfulness and generosity even when we are unable to be
together. Each of our offerings and gifts are vitally important to the continued
operation of our ministries. We are all counting on each other to sustain Kingsville
Baptist Church in this unusual season of life and ministry.
Our
online giving
is now set up and this link will take you to the place where you can
with the church management software that we already have and keeps a record of
your giving!
We can give by
text message
also! Text GIVE2KBC to 73256.
We can
mail
in our offerings to 3911 Monroe Highway, Ball, LA 71405
We can
drop off
our gifts at our office between 8:00 am and 4:30 pm, Monday through
Friday.
Finally
, we will be joining Southern Baptists across the globe as we lift our hearts to God in repentance, prayer and intercession concerning the COVID-19 Coronavirus. Asking God for the following:
DAY OF PRAYER FOR THE CORONAVIRUS
(COVID-19) GLOBAL PANDEMIC
SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION
SUNDAY, MARCH 15, 2020
In light of the coronavirus (COVID-19) global pandemic, we are asking all Southern
Baptists and our 47,500+ churches of the Southern Baptist Convention to commit
to a dedicated time of prayer this Sunday, March 15, 2020, to seek the Lord in
unity about these matters:
1)
Ask God, in His mercy to stop this pandemic and save lives - not
only in our communities but around the world, particularly in
places that are unequipped medically to deal with the virus (Isaiah 59:12).
2)
Pray for President Donald Trump and other government leaders
international, federal, state, and local - to have the wisdom to direct
us in the best courses of action for prevention and care (Romans 13:1-4).
3)
Scripture says - teach us to number our days carefully so that we
may develop wisdom in our hearts. Pray that the Lord will give
us wisdom in this moment of fear as the foundations of what we
know are shaken, that others would realize how fragile life is
and how real eternity is, and they would see their need to turn
to God (Psalm 90:12).
4)
Ask God to protect our missionaries and their families around the
globe, using this global crisis to advance His Good News to the
world (Mark 16:15).
A few final words…
In this time of crisis, I find that people generally tend to swing towards two very wide extremes in their responses to a potentially frightening situation:
fearfulness
that draws us away from trust and criticizes those who rest in the Lord and
pridefulness
that makes pretense of faith and diminishes the seriousness of a situation and the genuine struggle of fear and doubt in others.
Our job in this crisis is to rest so fully on the grace and comfort of our Lord Jesus that we are attractive to the fearful…portraying calm and joyful rest in the storm, yet we are so humble in our trust that we are a source of conviction to the prideful. Let us strive for this middle ground in our hearts, attitudes, speech and love…it will honor Jesus, encourage the flock and reach out to the lost. What a great time to be a witness for Jesus as our eternal hope rests fully in Him!
The coming days may test us. Our faith may be tried, our families, neighbors and church may endure unanticipated hardship. But because of God’s faithful promises to us in Christ Jesus and His presence with us by the Holy Spirit, we are able not only to endure, but to advance the kingdom of God in the face of the storm.
Join me in remembering the words of the great hymn by Horatio Spafford…
When peace like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll
Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say
It is well, it is well, with my soul
It is well
With my soul
It is well, it is well with my soul
Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul
It is well
With my soul
It is well, it is well with my soul
My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, o my soul
It is well
With my soul
It is well, it is well with my soul
I sure do love you all and can join you in saying:
It is well with my soul! All because of Jesus!
God willing I’ll see you Sunday as we Livestream,
Pastor Bart and the KBC Leadership Team
