Dear Congregation,
After prayer and thoughtful discussion, the Glencairn elders and pastors have decided to cancel the service on Sunday morning March 15, 2020.
Though the COVID-19 virus does not appear to be spreading freely in Waterloo Region at this time, we want to take precautions to protect vulnerable people in our congregation—especially those who are elderly or who have underlying health conditions.
As we made this decision, we took into consideration the local health advisory to cancel gatherings over 250 people (our weekly attendance is right around that). We also considered the other local churches that have cancelled their gatherings.
This Sunday morning we encourage you to watch a sermon by Pastor Craig Groeschel entitled Not Afraid that he has provided to help the global body of Christ stay focused on the Lord during these challenging times. You could watch it with your family, your life group, or people from Glencairn in your neighbourhood. As you gather, also take time to pray and worship the Lord. We’ve also included their discussion page which is equivalent to our Going Deeper.
As we prayed, we felt assurance that God is in control and that perhaps he will use this situation to show us how to be the body of Christ in new ways. Please watch this short message from Pastor Richard and Pastor Jon for some encouragement on how to respond in this situation.
We encourage you to stay alert for how God is working in this situation. One life group has already volunteered to deliver groceries to anyone connected with the Glencairn congregation who is quarantined or too afraid to go out.
The elders and pastors will be meeting again on Monday night to create a more detailed plan for how to modify the activities of the church in the coming weeks.
Peace,
Pastor Richard, on behalf of the Glencairn Leadership Team