Coronavirus Update – March 19th, 2020

Dear Church Family,

In accordance with the CDC’s recommendation to cancel or postpone gatherings of 50 people or more, and the President’s recommendation to avoid gatherings of more than 10 people, Calvary Baptist Church will be suspending all public services through April 1st. We will evaluate and communicate the plan for April 5th and beyond. The confidence that we have in our sovereign God – Who does all things in accordance with His will – gives us joyful assurance in His plan for these challenging days. We do not act out of fear, but out of love for one another and our surrounding community. This is an unprecedented circumstance for all of us, and during this time we have the opportunity to joyfully honor our governing authorities, as God has instructed us to do. We intend to fully comply with the regulations that our government leaders deem wise for our safety.

During this time of social restrictions, we want to follow these basic principles to help guide our practice:


We desire to…

- provide teaching that points people to the Bible

- provide Biblical guidance

- instill a valuing and longing for the corporate worship gathering

- promote personal and small-group connection around the Word

– provide ways to serve one another

- and (most importantly) remember our identity in Christ and the Gospel mission we pursue.

What can you expect over the next few weeks?

1. Live Stream at 11:00 AM each Sunday Morning

We will be using our service livestream as a way we can still “gather” – at least in spirit – and focus our attention to the Word of God. Using discretion as to whether this would be wise in your situation, explore the possibility of gathering in small groups to participate in the livestream together. We are encouraging people to stay within the limits our government has set, yet we acknowledge the necessity and importance of Christian fellowship around the Word. Your deacon will be contacting you to find out if you can host others or would like to join another household for the livestream. This suggestion is offered as a way to fill the need of Christian fellowship during a time we can’t all join together. The livestream will be posted on our church website and Facebook page.

2. Adult Bible Study

We will be recording a weekly Bible study and producing a study guide that is designed to be worked through in a small group or one-on-one type setting. Please use this to encourage one another spiritually and spend time in prayer together. This will be released each week on Sunday morning, and could be either a part of your Sunday time in the Word, or as an additional study opportunity during the week. If you do not have internet access, you can let your deacon know that you would like a recording.

3. Children’s’ Lesson

We will be recording a weekly lesson targeted at the children’s church age group (4 years old through 2nd grade), though other ages can certainly benefit. This will be ten-fifteen minutes in length and will also become available on Sunday morning.

Remember that God is in control and it is in Him that we have our confidence. This is going to be a stretching time for us, but I am excited to see what God will do in the hearts and lives of His people. Let us pray that God would be exalted and glorified and that we would grow to love and treasure Him more.

In Christ,
Pastor Mark