The Blog

Message from Pastor Mark: Sunday School School and Worship for March 22

Dear CHBC,

Hebrews 10:23-25 says, “²³ Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; ²⁴ and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, ²⁵ not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.”  There are two statements there which I hold as sacred for the church.  “Let us hold fast” and “let us consider”.  Church, these are indeed troubling times.  It is hard to know what is being wise, what is being alarmist, what is being loving, and what is encouraging fear.

I do not pretend to have the wisdom to navigate such waters.  But I do know the One who is all wise, and I do know to ask for His wisdom, according to James 1.  And I do know that we must do as Hebrews 10 commands.  We must hold fast the confession of our hope, without wavering.  God, who promised, is faithful.  And we must consider how to stir one another to love and good deeds.  And that stirring seems to occur most effectively in the assembly of the saints.  The question we are dealing with for this moment is how to do that while heeding the counsel to limit group gatherings to 10 or fewer people.

Your pastors have met and consulted with others, and have determined that at this time it is not sin for us to heed the counsel of our President, our Governor, and the CDC, and therefore to postpone the public gathering of worship for at least Sunday March 22, probably March 29, and perhaps beyond that.  We believe we can heed these commands and hold them precious in this season and be responsible stewards to other citizens of our community.  We believe we can be faithful to gather by family for Sunday School, and virtually during the sermon, and it still encourage one another to love and good deeds.

So, how we will CHBC gather this week?  Your pastors and others have been working tirelessly over the last few days to determine the best way in short notice to provide the church with its on going excellence in Sunday School and worship.  The solutions we have are not ideal, and they cannot replace what we normally do.  In fact, we do not think there is a substitute for the public and corporate gathering of the body of Christ.  We hope to provide a meaningful experience for Bible study and worship, and we hope that gathering via virtual means will cause a greater longing and treasuring of being able to corporately gather with the body in the coming days.

What do you need to do?

1. We have attached a Bible Study from Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington DC for use as a Sunday School Lesson for you to use at home this week.  Whether you may be alone, or be able to gather a few people with you, take this lesson and use it as a time for Sunday School at 9 AM.  There is a manuscript which we have edited.  You can see our edits marked out in red.  There is also a handout which you can use as a discussion guide or as a way to take notes.  Those of you with smaller children can take this information and adapt it to teaching and conversation for them.
2. Our worship team, AVL team, Pastor Tyler and myself will gather at the Worship Center to lead in worship via Facebook Live.  You can livestream our service by getting onto your Facebook account and watching the service from your computer, tablet, or even cell phone.  If you do not have a Facebook account it is easy to create one, so I would do that now, and then find the CHBC Facebook @chbcokc.  Once you are on Facebook you can watch as CHBC goes live at 10:15 AM.  We use this service weekly for all who travel, are homebound, or miss for sickness.  There are usually 200+ views to our Facebook Live feed each week.  The link again is here: https://www.facebook.com/chbcokc/
3. You will still be able to participate in giving tithes and offerings in one of three ways.  You can mail in your tithe or offering to the church office.  You can drop off your tithe or offering during regular office hours.  Or you can give online before or after the service.  The online giving link at our website is https://my.e360giving.com/App/Giving/chbchurch.
4. At 5 PM on Sunday evening rejoin Pastor Mark for a family devotion time through Facebook Live.  He will be broadcasting from his home, and all you need to do is go to the CHBC Facebook page to join him in an evening devotion time, that will last approximately 20 minutes.  The CHBC Facebook link again is here: https://www.facebook.com/chbcokc/
5. As one of our seminary presidents advised: Prepare for Worship the Same:
1. Awake on time,  and get your Bible
2. Have Sunday School with material provided
3. Give online during the service
4. Read the sermon passage along with the pastor
5. Sing together
6. Reflect on who you miss seeing

There will be more information in coming days regarding midweek opportunities to spend time in God’s Word.  I will be posting some videos for you along the way as well.  Reach out to one another.  Make phone calls, send text messages, use Facetime, send cards, and safely invite another family into your home for a meal or fellowship.  Do not let social distancing keep you from ministering to one another, or sharing the gospel with a lonely and frightened neighbor.

Mark D. DeMoss, Senior Pastor

Sunday School: A Place to Care

Over the next few weeks, Pastor Mark will be writing a series of blog posts on the subject of Sunday School and its various benefits. In those posts he will give some thoughts about how our Sunday School teachers could continue to create environments where ministry and mission can take place.

Sunday School Teacher,

 Thank you so much for leading one of CHBC’s Sunday School groups.  This is a vital ministry arm of our church, because we know that transformational discipleship occurs more often as believers meet in small groups around the study of God’s Word. 

In addition to the power of learning in Sunday School groups, is the opportunity to know about the needs of brothers and sisters in our family and assisting one another in practically meeting those needs.  When needs are beyond the abilities of the group or church, thank you for praying and directing your group to help from other resources.

Consider the power of some of these practical ways to minister to people in your group:

Provide a Meal
Providing a meal, or asking others to help with a few meals. Often people in our groups participate in more than one ministry area of the church.  Consider making sure the leaders of these other areas are aware of any needs that you are free to share, and allow them to participate in helping your group minister.

Just be Present
The ministry of presence can be very helpful. We do not always have the words to say in a particular circumstance, but just being present reminds us that God loves us and is present Himself.

Meet a Need
Are there practical, physical things that could be done. Babysitting, providing transportation, cleaning the house, mowing a lawn, running an errand, or some other personal act?  Don’t ask, “What can I do for you?”  Pray for God to help you see a need, and then just take care of it if you are able.  If you cannot, then  coordinate with someone else in the group or the church to take care of it.

Pray for People (and let them know it!)
We all like to know people are praying for us. So, while meeting practical needs, send a card, a text, or an email just to let them know that they are being lifted up in prayer. 

Share Needs Openly
Make sure the rest of the group is aware of any needs that exist in the group, if you are free to share. Help them know how they can help and pray.

Share the Load
Appoint someone, or perhaps several others to take on these care responsibilities for your group. This is helpful to you, it helps others be involved, and it reminds people in need that some besides the teacher are there to care for them.

Seek Help From the Staff 
As your pastors and ministry director we value your leadership.  We are always available as a resource for ideas, prayer, and guidance through the variety of struggles and trials we will walk through as Christians.  Never hesitate to reach out to us to make sure we are aware of the needs in the body, or to seek support or counsel.

God bless you, as you serve the Lord Jesus Christ,

Pastor Mark and the ministry staff of CHBC