Updated – March 19, 2020
Dear Friends in Christ,
Last night our Board of Elders met to discuss whether or not we should continue to gather for worship, Bible Study and other activities during the COVID-19 pandemic. After much prayerful discussion, we have come to the very difficult decision that we should honor the request of our leaders and do what we can to mitigate the spread of the virus by suspending virtually all live gatherings, including worship services, at First Lutheran for the next two weeks. At this point our hope is, the Lord willing, to resume worship and possibly other gatherings and activities by Palm Sunday, April 5.
Now is NOT the time to minimize our time with our loving Heavenly Father! That said, we will need to change how we go about doing this for a time. We encourage all members to:
- Worship With Us – on Sundays or anytime online at firstlutheranhelena.org. We will be recording a service and placing it on the website each week. There are many other sermons on Vimeo from the past there for you also.
- Spend time each and every day in prayer and God’s Word – Some outstanding materials include: Portals of Prayer, My Devotions, Today’s Light, and our Lenten devotion booklets. Online resources available are: free Sunday School lessons and more at cph.org; Bible studies and more at lwml.org, LHM.org, issuesetc.org; and a variety of LCMS resources at kfuo.org and LCMS.org.
- Pastor Miller – will be available for the Sacrament of Holy Communion and time for prayer and to visit with you. Please call the church office (442-5367) or Pastor Miller (431-8828) to set up a time and place.
Please continue to generously support the ministry – at First Lutheran, as you are able, as our Ministry will continue in new ways during this pandemic, and as we expect there will be an increase in the number of needs within our church and school. You can return your offering by mail or drop it by the office. You can also sign up for “Simply Giving” (contact the church office), a service which will direct-pay the church each week. Some have also “paid it forward” giving their offerings for several weeks to help us through these difficult days.
If you need help, please let us know – We are currently in a strong position to help with God’s mercy to meet the needs in our congregation. Please also make a phone call or send a note to those you know who have needs. This is what the body of Christ is all about!
Please also pray – that God will see us each through this time of crisis, even as He promises to do. But also that He will give a miraculous cure so that His people can, with renewed vigor and passion, carry out the wondrous work He has given us each to do in and for His kingdom! He will hear and He will answer and we will glorify Him!
What will happen in the coming weeks and months? Honestly, we don’t know. God does! We can be certain that there will be challenges and difficulties. But we can be even more certain that God will watch over us and be with us through them all!
Oh Lord GOD! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth
by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm!
Nothing is too difficult for You! (Jeremiah 32:17).
First Lutheran Church and School + Helena, Montana