Ministry at High Pointe for the Remainder of 2020

“And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds, and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ,…”
(Ephesians 4:11-13, ESV)

Ministry is hard. Under normal circumstances, ministry is hard. But in 2020, ministry has been especially challenging. When the spread of the coronavirus forced a shutdown of public gatherings, we responded in the wisest and safest way possible. The point is, we reacted. That’s how much of 2020 has been – us reacting. After a summer of reacting to the various challenges facing the church, it is time to press on and move forward in the new reality we find ourselves.

Regardless of personal opinions about the virus and our present societal issues, it is clear that we are in a new normal that will last another 6-9 months, at the very least. So, rather than sit back and wait to see what happens, we are moving forward as a church. Regardless of our circumstances, our mission does not change. Throughout its history, the church has faced many challenges, obstacles, and threats, including previous epidemics. Even in those times, the church pressed on fulfilling its mission. In his book The Rise of Christianity, Rodney Stark argues that during seasons of epidemics, the church grew dramatically because of its commitment to caring for one another. Jesus promised that the gates of death/hades would not prevail against the church. That was true when Jesus said it. It was true when the church faced wars and pandemics. It is true today as we face a global pandemic. Our mission continues, so we press on.

On Sunday evening, August 23, 2020, I announced at our members’ meeting what pressing on in this new normal would look like. Allow me to elaborate here what I mean. For one thing, it does not mean we are throwing caution to the wind. Nor do we think you should either. The coronavirus is serious, and we encourage everyone to take the necessary precautions recommended by the CDC. We also understand and affirm the decision of those who prefer to avoid gatherings for your own safety or the safety of vulnerable family members. We only ask that you help us know how to care for you during this season when we are separated from each other. We want to make sure you don't feel isolated.

As for our Sunday gathering, the present precautions we are practicing have proven effective. In the weeks we’ve been meeting together, no one has become infected with the virus during our gatherings. For that, we rejoice in the Lord. We will continue to gather on Sunday mornings with masks, practicing social distance for the foreseeable future. We thank you for your patience and for your willingness to love one another and gather with us while taking the necessary precautions.

What will change is that we will resume some of our other meetings. We will still ask you to maintain social distance, but we will leave it to the discretion of the group as to whether or not you will wear masks.

Life Groups
We want to give our Life Groups the freedom to resume meeting together. You’re not required to meet, but if you are not meeting already, we want to let you know you can. LG leaders, discuss meeting with your group and decide together what that will look like.

High Pointe Institute and Biblical Counseling Training
High Pointe Institute and Biblical Counseling training will begin this week. The Institute is already filled, but if you’re interested in biblical counseling training, there are a few spots left. Unfortunately, we are unable to provide childcare for Wednesday nights at this point. More on that below.

Women’s Ministry
Women’s Bible Studies will begin – one on Tuesday mornings (September 8-November 17) and one on Wednesday evenings (September 9-November 18). Also, T2Gs (Titus 2 Groups) are underway. For more information on these gatherings, click here.

Student Ministry
We’re excited to welcome Dan Lisa as our new Director of Student Ministry. Our Wednesday student ministry gatherings for 6th – 12th graders will resume on September 9, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Since the make-up of this group will likely be different each week, the students will maintain social distance, and wear masks. Parents and students, look out for a survey Dan will send out this week. Please respond so that he may start getting to know you.

Child-care: Our Biggest Need
Presently, one of the biggest challenges we are facing is the need for volunteers for childcare. As you can imagine, many of the volunteers previously serving in the nursery were older members who are vulnerable to the virus. Additionally, some of our workers were younger parents who are not prepared to return to the nursery. As a result, we find ourselves lacking childcare workers.

We will resume the nursery for our Sunday gathering, beginning September 13. The nursery will be available for children ages 8 months through 3 years. As we receive more volunteer help, we will be able to increase the ages for the nursery.

Additionally, as we increase our volunteer force, we will also be able to resume KidsPointe. Until that time, we are unable to offer it.

What About Sunday Nights?
As we press on, we are trying to move wisely. We do not have a set a date for when we will begin to gather again on Sunday evenings. Our members’ meeting this Sunday night was well attended, so we are encouraged by that. We will continue to evaluate week by week and month by month how to move forward in ministry to care for one another faithfully. We, the elders, ask you to pray that the Lord would give us all wisdom.

Our primary concern as elders is how to care for you during this new normal. Lots of things have changed in 2020. What has not changed? Our mission and our need to care for one another. So, we invite you to press on with us as we seek to be the church God is forming us to be for one another and our city.

Love,

Pastor Juan