Tonight we encourage you to personally reflect, gather online with friends, or gather with your family and read below a portion of the lectionary reading for Good Friday. Allow yourself to remember that, even in our current circumstances, God is near. God is with us. God is pouring God’s self over into creation. This virus is not theological, it’s biological. We do not suffer alone, but we have a God who suffers with us. A God who knows isolation, fear, despair. We can trust God in this season precisely because God, in Christ, inhabits our humanity.
After reading, allow yourself to reflect on the questions below and share with each other if you'd like.
April 11th, 2020 Update:
With this amount and the $3,000 matching, we have blown way past our goal and almost have the ability to purchase double what we set out to purchase. This is amazing! Thank you for your generous giving.
April 9th, 2020 Update:
Great news... In celebration of reaching our goal, the elders have decided to raise the matching amount to $3,000. Let's keep it going and see how many computers we can give. Thank you for your donations!
April 7th, 2020 Update:
Amazing! In just one day ... $1560 was raised!
Give here until Easter Sunday, April 12
Pastor Coby announced this morning our opportunity to meet the needs of our community by raising funds to purchase Chromebooks to send to League City Elementary for kids to engage in online studies. We welcome donations of any amount, but every $200 raised will provide one Chromebook for a student to access their online education.
Hi again!
I hope this email finds you well! Attached below are the Early Childhood material for April 5. In our Early Childhood class, we do not cover The Crucifixion. This is because some of the children in that class are unsettled by the details in the story, but you know your kiddos best.
...
As we continue to maintain safe physical distancing guidelines and shift our worship services to online format, I'm passing on some resources to help your family worship together and experience the significance of this important season. I must admit - I'm having a hard time accepting the fact that we won't be worshiping in person together during Holy Week and Easter Sunday. It seems completely antithetical to everything I've known.
...
Dear Church Family,
In light of Governor Greg Abbott's executive order, the elders of Ecclesia Clear Lake decided to extend the suspension of public gatherings through May 3rd. We will continue to stream our prayer and sermon time every Sunday morning at 10 a.m. Also, we have added two additional online gatherings: Prayer Chapel (Wednesdays @ 8:00 p.m.) and Going Deeper (Sundays @ 11:00 a.m.). You can find more information and register for the online gatherings on our website (ecclesiaclearlake.org/events).
If you need prayer, email us at prayer@ecclesiaclearlake.org. If you or anybody you know needs extra support, please contact one of the elders.
The Elders of Ecclesia Clear Lake
Marla Morris
Melissa Pride
Lacy Hilbrich
Lucas Hilbrich
Coby Cagle
John Hatfield
ALL CREATURES + ALLELUIA, by our very own John Hatfield, is now available to stream on YouTube.
Hi everyone!
I am interning for Karis while she is on maternity leave! Both Karis and sweet baby Oliver are home and getting settled. Attached are worship materials for you to use with your children today. Like Karis said, the Early Childhood material is perfect for toddler-kinder and utilizes the Jesus Storybook Bible. Get it here if you do not have a Jesus Storybook Bible. I am thinking and praying for all of you and your families during this time.
Let me know if I can help in any way,
Anna Jane
One of my favorite songs we sing at church is Steadfast, by Sandra McCracken. Commenting upon the song, McCracken said it's all about "God's defiance against all that is broken and his ultimate victory over those things." This song is balm to my soul during this uncertain time. Markets are crashing. Hospitals are overwhelmed. Many are feeling isolated and alone. And yet, God is steadfast, God is here, we are not alone, God still reigns, and God's love endures forever.
I encourage you to spend a few minutes listening to Steadfast. Invite the Spirit to remind you of what is real, what is true, and what is everlasting. Invite the Spirit to comfort and encourage you.
Please, if you need prayer or encouragement, please reach out to me.
Sincerely,
Pastor Coby
The next two Sundays we are going to provide space to connect and dive deeper into our biblical text from the sermon. We will meet online using Google Meet from 11 a.m. to noon. CLICK THIS LINK to RSVP so you can access the Bible study.
On Wednesdays we will be hosting an online Prayer Chapel from 8:00-8:30 p.m. using Google Meet. You can join using audio and video from your computer or you can simply call in. The hope is for us to have space to connect, encourage one another, and pray with one another. If you are interested in joining, please RSVP here. The link you will use to join us will be emailed out 15 minutes before the chapel.