Dear GEF Church Family,

With the world being affected in so many ways by the Coronavirus, the pastors & elders wanted to let you know what our plans are for church during this season. Since religious gatherings and gatherings of 10 or more people have been prohibited right now, we are not able to meet together on Sunday mornings or for youth activities and Awana. But right now, with human contact being limited to try to slow the spread of the virus, it's crucial for us as a church family to stay connected as much as possible. With that in mind, here are 7 things we're going to try to do during this season (even though this email is long, please read it in full):

1. Livestream of the worship service - On Sunday mornings at 10:00, there will be a very small group of us at church to conduct the worship service. We would love for everyone in the church family to gather at home with their families and participate in the worship service online. You can sing together during the worship time, follow along in your Bible during the sermon, etc. You can find it at https://www.facebook.com/GEFChurch For those who are not on Facebook, we will be emailing out a link to the service a few minutes before 10:00 on Sunday mornings. You should be able to click on the link and it will take you to the service. We're also planning to have a "test run" on Saturday morning at 10:00 for everyone to try.
2. Since many people will have more time at home during this season, it's a great time to dive into God's Word. As I continue preaching through 1 Thessalonians, we would love to encourage everyone to do their own personal study of 1 Thessalonians. In fact, we are encouraging people to pick up a copy of the Pathway Bible Guides study of "1 Thessalonians: Standing Firm." You can find it here for $5.91 + $1.00 shipping: Along with this study, we're working to create an online "chat room" where anyone from the congregation can go to discuss the study throughout the week. We would love to go through this 8-week study and have many people posting comments online as we "discuss" each week's lesson together.
3. We're working on creating an online prayer board. You will be able to go there to post prayer requests for others in the church to read and pray for. Even if you don't post anything, you can go there a few times a week and pray for the requests of others. We'll let you know when we have this up and running.
4. The elders are dividing up the church directory, and we are planning to call each family/individual in the church every 2 weeks. We'll be asking how you're doing and how we can pray for you. We want to do everything we can to care for our church family during this time, and please let us know if there's any way that we can serve you. (The elders are Pat Ennis, Will Kesler, Jared Eakins, Pastor Nathan, and Pastor Haddon.)
5. Pastor Nathan is working to provide a devotional resource for families. Since families will be spending more time together, it's a great time for all of us who are parents to teach our kids about the Lord. We'll try to make an easy-to-use devotional resource available to all the families in the church in the coming days.
6. Elizabeth Baxter is working to provide Awana material for kids to work on at home. Since our Awana year was scheduled to conclude at the end of April, we want to make some Awana-type material available to kids and families so that kids can continue learning God's Word over the next month.
7. We're planning to make a mid-week devotional video available each week during this season. Pastor Nathan or I will be sharing a short devotion in each of those videos, and we hope they can be an encouragement to you during the middle of the week.

There are a couple more things that I should mention: first of all, if you encounter any trouble with the technical things so that it's difficult for you to access the worship services and other resources that we'll be posting online, please feel free to contact Jared Eakins (641-451-3284) or Don Teeter (641-923-3573). Jared and Don have graciously volunteered to be our "Geek Squad" during this season to help people with the challenges of technology!

Secondly, we're working on having smaller meetings (small groups, Bible studies, committee meetings, etc.) available through an online platform such as Zoom or GoToMeeting.

Thirdly, please remember that the expenses of the church continue even when we aren't meeting. You can mail your offering to the church at P.O. Box 184, Garner, IA, 50438. Also, if you would like to give electronically, you can fill out the attached document and mail it into the church.

Finally, let's be in prayer during this season. Please be praying for us as leaders as we try to shepherd the flock well through this season. Let's pray for one another, that we would know God as our refuge and strength. And let's pray for the lost world around us, that many would turn to Christ and find the hope of eternal life in Him.

God's blessings to you all,
Pastor Haddon for the Elders

Beloved Church family,

We find ourselves in strange times don’t we? A month ago most of us had never heard the word ‘Coronavirus’ before. Today we hear it every couple of minutes. Last week we had full offices, full schedules, and full shelves. Today we have empty classrooms, empty toilet paper aisles, and empty March Madness brackets. Yesterday we had old expectations. Today we have new announcements, new concerns, and new closures every minute. These are strange times. Today we face a level of fear and pandemonium that has not been seen in our country for quite some time. There is concern over food, resources, and contracting an unknown virus. People are hoarding, hiding, and hating one another. The stock market is rocky, the world is shutting down, and we are quarantined to our homes. Indeed these are strange times.

The question now is: what do we do? What should we as Christians do in such a time as this? Should we be worried? Should we be drastic? Should we hide? What do we do? The good news is, our Lord speaks!

In Luke 12 Jesus speaks hope to an anxious people. He’s preparing His disciples to live faithfully in a fearful, selfish, and panicked time. He begins in v.1-7 by telling us not to fear man, but to rather fear the all-powerful, all-knowing God. In v.8-12 He tells us not to fear what we say before others; rather we are to trust in the Holy Spirit and acknowledge Jesus before man. In v.13-31 He tells us not to fear losing our inheritances, our food, or our clothes; rather we are to trust the faithful Father who knows our needs and provides for them. In v.32-48 he tells us not to fear the end; rather we are to live faithfully in light of the Kingdom-giving Father.

What’s the point? Don’t be afraid little flock; trust in the Lord.

This text is such a pillar for me. I have struggled with anxiety all my life, and today is no different. We are living in strange and concerning times. In fact God promises we will face such times (Matt. 24:6-8). But we as Christians do not need to give into fear. Instead, like Paul, we can boast in our weaknesses admitting them before the Lord, and then wait for Him to show His sufficient grace and Power through them (2 Cor. 12:9)!

So what does this look like for us as Garner E. Free Church moving forward? Haddon gave us some great ways last Sunday!

First, he mentioned that we must not fear like Luke 12 says. We have a hope that extends far beyond a grocery store with fully stocked shelves! We have Jesus! So I’d just practically encourage all of us to do as 1 Peter 5:6-11 says and not try to hide our fears but rather admit them before God and our neighbors, and then cast them upon the Lord fully trusting that He cares for us and is in complete control. Many of our neighbors are afraid right now. But what an opportunity we have as the Church to acknowledge a peaceful, sovereign, good, and forgiving Lord before them!

Second, Haddon mentioned that we must love one another. This includes all kinds of things in this opportune time like sharing Christ with our neighbors, spending time with our kids, not hoarding resources, and using cautionary and proper hygiene.

As a local church we as elders decided last night that in submission to our governing authorities and in love for one another we are going to postpone and/or move most if not all of our church ministries online for the time being. This includes all Sunday school, Sunday morning, children’s, and youth activities. We would also encourage all of the small groups and Bible study groups to consider moving online in order to protect others and prevent the possible spread of the virus. We are looking into several good online platforms to use for such things so stay tuned.

Even in such strange times our divine command of equipping and making disciples has not changed (Matt. 28:18-20) so we as leaders and church staff will be spending the next few weeks figuring out how each ministry will look. We graciously ask that you would bear with us in this process as we will most certainly have to go through a few bumps and flat tires on our digital journey together. We are thankful that God has placed us in an age of technology where we can do ministry digitally, and we look forward to what He has for us moving forward!

Third, Haddon mentioned that we must pray. Our Lord is absolutely in control of all this and will use every bit of it for His glory and the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28)! We are guaranteed that. The amazing thing is that He still asks us to pray. Why? I think it’s because God delights in the prayers of His people, and He enjoys using them as a means of grace.

So I’d encourage us all to pray. Let us pray for those who have been infected. Let us pray for the end of the virus. Let us pray that the Gospel will go out. Let us pray for families at home to glorify God as they spend so much time together. Let us pray for the peace that surpasses all understanding to flood the world. Let us pray for wisdom for the doctors and leaders that have to make difficult decisions. Let us pray with thanksgiving for what God has given us, and the provisions He makes for our needs. Our God is good!

We live in strange times. Things are uncertain from our perspective. We don’t know what will happen tomorrow. We don’t know how things will look moving forward. We don’t know what kind of consequences this may bring. But one thing is for sure. Jesus Christ is seated on His throne, and He is coming back to make all things new! There is a day coming when there will be no more viruses or empty shelves or sin. Rather we will be physically with the Lord in perfection and glory! What a future!

So Church as we go through this divinely orchestrated time together know that we as elders love you and the Lord loves you most! We as pastors and leaders will be doing all that we can to equip you for the work of ministry in the days ahead, and we have been and will continue pray for you. It may be strange times, but these are times to be glorifying and praising our great God by trusting Him with whatever He brings!

May the Lord be your peace and strength in this time!
Pastor Nathan