Dear Friends and Family,
“Should churches be open during the pandemic?” Those who equate church with large Sunday gatherings have forgotten that the church is people and not a building, and so the church never closes! But what do you do with that building when your Sunday worship service is now live-streamed?
New Story Church found a use for their building in downtown Los Angeles. In the present season it has become a food storage and distribution site. The lobby and several ground-level rooms are stacked high with boxes of fresh produce, rice, diapers, wipes, and other household supplies. Small groups of volunteers come throughout the week to prepare boxes for distribution to local churches and ministries and to gear up for their own distribution on Saturdays.
The pandemic has opened a huge door for this church to serve its community. Each Saturday parallel lines of cars and people (i.e. walk-ins) stretch around the block waiting for a box of food, household supplies, and prayer. Those who share their contact information are followed-up. Not many New Story members speak Spanish, so I have recruited students from The Urban Ministry Institute and local Latino congregations to join the Saturday outreaches to pray for, counsel, and gather contact information from Spanish speakers who come to the church for assistance. Now there is talk of adding a service in Spanish, and even the possibility of planting a new congregation!
What new opportunities has God provided for your church during this season?
Blessings,
Bob and Chris Lay