First Baptist Church of Brownsville, Oregon

These are unprecedented days in our world, our state, and our community. Due to national and statewide restrictions and recommendations, we will be suspending all activities and gatherings at the church facility for at least the next four weeks (until April 14). We are cooperating with the efforts of everyone to try and limit the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19). Our State Governor yesterday restricted any gatherings of 25 or more people for four weeks. I also saw that the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had recommended no gatherings of more than 50 people for eight weeks. Today I saw that the White House plan is to avoid groups of 10 or more people. So there are extreme measures being taken to try and avoid overwhelming our health care system.

We read a few things in our daily Bible reading yesterday that are great reminders that as followers of Jesus, we do not need to fear or be anxious. So these steps we are taking in the next number of weeks are more out of love for our neighbor than out of fear. 

• “Fear not, you are of more value than many sparrows.” (Luke 12:7)
• “… do not be anxious about how you should defend yourself…” (12:11)
• “… do not be anxious about your life…” (12:22)
• “Which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?” (12:25)
• “… nor be worried.” (12:29)
• “Fear not, little flock…” (12:32)

I want to share links to a couple of places where you can find information, so we will respond to this situation as knowledgeably as we can. Here are a couple sources with updated info: 

• CDC
• OREGON HEALTH AUTHORITY

What does this mean for our church services? Until the restriction on gatherings is lifted, we will be posting our worship service online. We plan to send/post a link that will include the worship songs (on youtube videos for us all to sing along with at home) as well as a recorded sermon. I believe God directed me to be going through 1 Corinthians at this time, so we are going to continue with our messages from there. You can find our church YouTube page here: FBC YOUTUBE. (There is no content there yet.) We will be able to send an email to you with a link, we can put a link to it on our WEBSITE, and we will post it on our FACEBOOK page. We will be recording the message this week, and it will be available for viewing starting at 9:00 A.M. on Sunday. 

Of course I am greatly disappointed that this most likely means having our Easter Sunday (April 12) service online only. But I am praying that the Lord will use this time of crisis to draw many people to connect with our church and more importantly connect with Jesus Christ through our online services. Pastor Justin and I also want to suggest that when the restrictions are lifted, and we begin meeting in person again, that we as a church celebrate a belated “Resurrection Sunday”, whatever that date might be! Please continue to EXTEND THE INVITATION to your friends, relatives, co-workers, neighbors, etc. to join us online! They can watch from wherever they are and will be able to watch whenever they want (after it gets uploaded on Sunday)! Also, you may want to invite someone in the church who you know doesn’t have e-mail or doesn’t use the internet to watch it with you (but probably limit it to less than 10 people watching together).

Parents, the discipling of your children can still be taking place during this time. I will include a couple links to some ideas and material:

• LIFEWAY KIDS
• D6 at home discipleship

Obviously we prefer to meet in person, but we can continue to be the church during this event. Please check on one another with phone calls, texts, and e-mails. Please check on your neighbors, and see if there are things we can be praying about for them, or practical things we may be able to do to help them. If you find out about a serious need whether from someone in our church family, or someone in our community, please contact one of the following people. We as a church may be able to make trips to the store for someone, provide food or other resources, possibly help financially, or other tangible expressions of our love and care.

• FBC office – 541-642-3000
• Pastor Michael – 541-979-1777
• Elizabeth Beach – 541-979-1774
• Pastor Justin – 907-355-5306
• Erika Marvin – 541-223-9701
• Gordon Moritz – 541-995-6264
• Marilyn Neuman – 541-517-4553

Or, you can e-mail me (pr.mbeach@gmail.com) or the church office (fbcbrownsville000@gmail.com).

A couple other ways we are hoping to remain connected:
Pastor Justin and I are both hoping to post videos of us reading (and maybe briefly commenting on) the daily Bible reading that many in the church are following. Hopefully we will each do a few days each week, and post it on our YouTube and Facebook pages. You can follow along with us on the video at your convenience. So watch for those videos (hopefully beginning tomorrow)!

We are both also willing to lead Video-based small groups, using “Zoom“, a service that lets us have a group video-chat. We are both in a discipling cohort that meets this way monthly, and it works very well. We are thinking that we can share prayer requests and pray together, and do a Bible study or devotional reading together, just like a small group (just not meeting in person)! If you would be interested in being in a group like that, please reply to this email and let me know. Also let me know if there is a preferable day & time that would be best for you. If there is enough interest, we could each host a group (or groups)!

A few other encouraging links I’d like to share (since we all have extra time to watch such things!):

“Behind the Song” CHRIST OUR HOPE IN LIFE OR DEATH

David Jeremiah’s message “FACING CORONAVIRUS”

FREE teaching videos from R.C. Sproul’s LIGONIER MINISTRIES

Even though we will not meet in person for awhile, we all still have the privilege and responsibility of giving to the Lord out of all He has given to us. Please remember that during this time the financial obligations of FBC will continue to go on. Along with the normal bills and expenses, we support 20 missionaries and missions organizations around the world, along with our church staff. So if you are able, please consider giving online here: ONLINE GIVING. You can bring it in to the office (check to make sure someone is here). You may also mail your offering in to P.O. Box 537, Brownsville, OR 97327. Thank you for being cheerful and generous givers!

Lastly, let’s make the most of this difficult situation. Let’s truly be the church and continue to love and care for one another. Let’s be praying diligently for each other, for our friends, for our nation, and for our world. Take advantage of any extra time you have to dive into the spiritual disciplines deeper than normal: Bible reading, prayer, journaling, reading good Christian books, fasting, worshiping, and witnessing. Don’t waste the extra time on endless scrolling through Facebook, mindless and fruitless television, etc. Watch something instructional and good! If you were too busy to pray, you were too busy. Maybe now you’re not too busy! If you were too busy to read your Bible, you were too busy. If you were too busy or too distracted by lesser things to read good books, maybe now you have more time for all that good stuff! When we have good weather (like today), get outside! Get some exercise! Play games! Make the most of it!

Love From Your Pastor,

Michael