**Important Update**
Please read and share the following update from our Senior Minister:
“Dear Friends of FCC Erwin,
As we continue to evaluate the Coronavirus situation, we at FCC Erwin have decided to not meet this Sunday morning, as originally planned.
This is a heart-wrenching decision. It is never easy to give up a practice that is important to us, and meeting together with church family is among the most important things that we do, and so this is not something we do lightly or without careful consideration.
1 John 4 reminds us that “Perfect love drives out fear.” Even as the world around us grows increasingly fearful, we are committed to acting and living and serving not according to that fear, but according to the love that God has for us, and that God has commanded us to have for others. Sometimes, love means making hard decisions on behalf of those we have been called to love and serve. This is one of those times.
Over the past several days, in addition to praying, and in addition to reading and researching several thoughtful, fact-driven articles about the Coronavirus, I’ve talked to some people in the medical field to try to gain insight about the best ways to respond. I want to know how best to love and serve those in our congregation and out community who might be most vulnerable. While these voices I’ve consulted haven’t agreed on everything, they are in solid agreement that the best thing anyone can do, especially during these early days of the virus’ spread, is to avoid being around groups of people as much as possible.
While we encourage you to spend this time praying, reading scripture, worshiping in whatever way you can, this won’t be a substitute for being together, for singing together, and especially for taking communion together. We will work throughout the week to provide resources online and ways to continue worshiping together, even if this current situation necessitates that we remain physically separated from one another for a more extended amount of time.
At present, we are also cancelling a number of other activities for coming weeks, including Wednesday night programs and other midweek gatherings. In the meantime, please pray for one another. Hold one another in your thoughts. Check in through phone calls, emails, and texts, so that loneliness does not become another, even more widespread, symptom of this virus. And pray for those in leadership, not just in the church but in communities and nations around the world, that those who lead might have the wisdom to make the right decisions, the loving decisions, even when they are hard decisions.
Grace and Peace,
Todd”