From Pastor Gunnar's Desk 04/15/20

​Dear Church,

To quote Pastor Alastair Begg, “Unless Christ is a necessity to you, He won’t be a reality.” I hope you had a good Passion Week and celebration of Easter and that you’re doing well, physically, but most of all that you’re well in spirit, in Christ. It seems that the longer we’re in quarantine, the more tensions grow in our world, country, community and perhaps our homes. Yet, amid our struggles, we have a great opportunity to redeem the time, to grow closer to Christ through His Word and prayer – and through holding out the gospel to one another and those around us who do not yet know Him. John 14:21; Ephesians 5:15-17

That said, even though it was hard to be deprived of seeing one another on Sunday, I was encouraged to see how many of you joined us on our YouTube channel, and even invited others to worship with us. Personally, I had family members listen in that I haven’t heard from in years. So, as we cling to Christ, and follow Him by faith –we are still partaking in the certainty of His grace. We are even experiencing His blessings in new ways – as we learn about and use technology that may be new to us.

With that in mind, we’ll continue to have audio messages and videos of the service available on Sundays. Thankfully, Maria Cerdena has worked diligently to make both the audio and video versions of the service more accessible on the church website. All you have to do is go to the church website and click on the format you prefer. There’s now no need to download either first.

Further, Life Groups continue on Google Duo, Wednesday night at 6:30 and Thursday at 11:00. It’s been awesome to have people from different groups in fellowship and to have new people join. If you’re interested in connecting with one of these groups, please let me know by calling or texting 360.470.8406.

Continuing with the theme of adjusting to uncertain times, the food bank is grateful for increased financial support, but they are still concerned about purchasing food. Donations of groceries remain important, not only to help those with chronic needs in our community but also to assist our neighbors with potential new struggles. Whatever the case, your giving is much appreciated.

We are so thankful for your continued support and fellowship. The Lord is using this time to help us grow in dependence on Him and one another. Please let us know if there’s anything you need – or if you know of someone else who may be in need. I look forward to the day when we can see each other face to face—and worship together in person. In the meantime, may God bless you richly in His Son.

Because of Christ,
Pastor Gunnar

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