Our Response to COVID-19 Update - May 15

Posted: Friday May 15, 2020  |  8:00 PM          Cantonese 粵語  |  Mandarin 國語

Our Response to COVID-19 Update

Dear Fraser Lands Church,  

On May 19, the province will enter phase two of its gradual reopening plan. But in light of continual uncertainties surrounding the spread of this coronavirus, all ministry gatherings in our church building will remain suspended until further notice. As a church, we would like to take it slowly, see how things develop over the next few weeks in our city, before making any concrete plans to open up the church building for smaller group gatherings.  

But even though our church building remains closed at this time, our church is definitely not closed! In some ways, we’re probably connecting more with one another than before. We have been gathering online virtually to worship, to pray, to fellowship, to learn, and to just hang out with one another. You see, church is about you; it is about us, the body of Christ connecting with and loving one another and the community in which we live in. As the situations & circumstances continue to change in our city, we will adjust our strategy as the Spirit of God leads and directs us going forward.  

During this time, we want to continue to extend our care and prayers for you. And so, we will make every effort to connect with you in the weeks to come. Our goal is that people will not feel isolated or unsupported during this time. If you are not a part of our regular church community, but would still like to stay connected or to receive a call, please let us know at info@fraserlands.ca or go to our website and sign up for our church newsletter at fraserlands.ca. So, what does this mean for our various church ministries at the moment?  

Small Groups & Fellowship Groups  

We are encouraging small groups/fellowships to continue to meet online at least until the end of June when the regular small group season comes to an end. However, each small group can decide whether they will take a break or continue on throughout the summer. For the fall, however, pastoral staff will work with small group leaders to re-imagine what small groups could look like going into the future. Care and consideration for our families and loved ones, especially the elderly and those with underlying health conditions, are at the forefront of our minds and thoughts as we consider when to open things up again.  

Worship Services & Christian Education  

Scripture calls us to come together to worship the Lord, and while we cannot do that in person right now, we are thankful to be able to offer our services online every weekend. This is also a wonderful opportunity for us to invite others to church who may not have come to church before. If you know someone who needs to hear the message of God in such a time as this, please share this link with them: fraserlands.ca/news/online-services. You never know how their lives could change as a result of your invitation for them to join in one of our online services. In addition, our various congregations are continuing with different Christian Education options online, so please visit our church website for more information at fraserlands.ca.

Staff & Opening of Church Building  

At this time, our pastoral and admin staff are still working from home with the exception of some of our facility staff who are maintaining and upgrading our building/exteriors during the hours of 9:30 am – 4:30 pm on Monday to Friday. If you would like to drop off or mail in your donations to Fraser Lands Church, please feel free to do so at: 3330 S.E. Marine Drive, Vancouver, BC, V5S 4R8. As we continue to monitor the spread of this virus in our city & province, we will discern and let you know when the staff may potentially go back into the church building to work and thus, will determine when smaller gatherings can take place at the church while following the strict guidelines and procedures from our local officials.  

A Word of Encouragement  

Dear brothers/sisters, we have a message of hope to share with the world and especially with those who are around us, and you are doing a wonderful job in living out your faith during this time. Let me encourage us with this from the writer of Hebrews: “Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:22-25)  

Hope to see all of you at our Prayer Summit Online (live on Zoom) as we seek the Lord’s face and hear His voice together as the body of Christ, the family of God at Fraser Lands.  

In His love,
Pastor Abe