Strange Days, But Good Work Goes On

The live stream setup in the sanctuary.

On Monday, April 4, Governor Murphy extended New Jersey's social distancing guidelines for another 30 days. This extension takes us up to June 5. Church council had already been in discussions about extending our building closure through the end of May, so this new timeline actually fits into what we were considering. Given this new timeline, I wanted to give our community some updates on our current situation.

The Church Building Remains Closed

We know folks are eager to get out and gather together in person once more, but it's important that we don't open too soon. If we do so we run the risk of making our worship gatherings a vector of transmission. Given the number of people in our congregation who are immunocompromised, that is an unacceptable outcome.

We will continue to follow New Jersey's guidance regarding gatherings and social distancing, which means the earliest we will be able to meet for worship is June 7. I am hopeful that the curve will continue to flatten and June will be the time for us to begin opening the building.

Opening Doesn't Mean "It's Over"

This is the big risk we face when opening. Folks want to "get back to normal," which is understandable, but the virus it still circulating and we continue to have neither an effective treatment nor a vaccine. Because of this we will continue to have mitigation measures in effect when we return. Masks will be required, physical distancing will be in place, and non-contact will be the rule of the day. For more insight into what the council is considering when we return, please read my musings in this blog post. Some of the elements of the post, notably Communion, have been tweaked, but in general it covers Council's thoughts on the matter. I would also like to take this opportunity to offer my appreciation for Central's Church Council. They have done an excellent job of promoting Central's mission during a difficult time.

Church Finances Remain Good

I do not often write or preach about money, when I speak about "stewardship" it's always from a whole-life perspective, but I cannot let what I've seen this past month go unremarked.

Throughout April the country was shut down, we weren't meeting in person, and our physical connections are almost non-existent. We were not together for Holy Week, or the celebration of Easter, and "worship" is done through a video screen. And yet, for all that, Central Baptist came out ahead by $4800! But we didn't just receive offerings from people, we helped support other work. We were able to send $385 to America For Christ, gave $100 to the New Jersey Pandemic Relief Fund, and $100 to Project Hope. After Colleen, Karen, and Amanda all refused their salaries for the month the church made further offerings–$200 to the New Jersey Food Bank and $200 to the Bread of Life Food Pantry. Also, during this pandemic where shipping is bringing the world critical supplies, we gave $300 for the Mission to Chinese Seamen. All this is through this community's incredible generosity, and I know there are any number of things folks are doing for others in quiet.

And if you are wanting to be a help during this time, and don't know what to do, you can drop off food pantry donations to the Boulton's front porch.

To say I am proud of Central Baptist Church is an understatement. Thank you.

But wait, there's more.

The Taques Are Returning

Ronnie let me know they had received their immigrant visas in the Fall of 2019. They spent the past months saving money and making travel plans, expecting to return in late April.

But then CoVid-19 hit and their travel plans were thrown into disarray.

First, their flight was cancelled, which meant they had to find expensive last minute tickets. The money for the original tickets will be refunded, but it could take up to a year to do so. They would have liked to wait for a less expensive flight but had no choice–their travel window closes May 11.

Second, the exchange rate between Brazilian and US currency terrible, about 5.6 Brazilian real to 1 US dollar. So the money they saved will not go as far as they'd hoped. Furthermore, while they are being supported by their church in Brazil, a lot of the funds which would have gone to support the Taques is being directed to local relief due to CoVid-19.

So Ronnie wanted to know if Central could help locate inexpensive temporary housing while they look for a more permanent abode. Normally, this wouldn't be an issue–we could just open our homes to the family as they hunted for housing. In a time of a global pandemic, however, this isn't so easy. But, once again, Central stepped up. The Taques will spending fourteen days in an extended stay hotel, with a small kitchenette so they can cook meals. From there they will be able to do some apartment hunting, and if they aren't able to find something suitable in their budget after 14 days it will be much safer to offer hospitality in a home.

We'll be exploring ways to help the Taques get more settled as permanent US residents in the coming weeks. And I know we will be successful. It's going to be wonderful having our partner back with us!

Hang in There

Please remember, you are loved. Loved by the triune God and by this community formed in Jesus' name. We will get through this. Things may look different, and will feel odd for a while, but by the grace of Jesus we will strive on. Together.

Stay healthy, be wise, and live with grace.