Latest Information
December 18th, 2020
June 26th, 2020
Celebrating God’s Good Gifts
On June 21st, we had a joyous Sunday Morning that looked much more “normal” than our gatherings have for a while now. We enjoyed an excellent Coffee & Conversation time and had “Donuts with Dad” to celebrate Father’s Day. For the first time in about 3 months, our Sunday School classes met to dig into our Gospel Project studies once again. At 11:00 was the highlight though as we all came together to worship as one assembly. We prayed together, lifted our voices in song, heard our God speak to us through His Word, and then had the great privilege of taking the Lord’s Supper together as a church body. The gift of gathering like that brought deep joy and refreshing to me and I pray it did to you as well!
Looking Around
As we enjoy this movement toward something more “normal” we can be tempted to stop paying attention or to overlook things happening around us. As people who love our communities and want to glorify God well, I do not want us to fall into that type of trap.
As of this morning, there have been 13 cases of COVID-19 reported in Marion County. That number has risen because 8 new cases have been reported in the last 18 days. Speaking more broadly, across the total number of cases in the state has reached 19,421 following about a 9.5% increase over the last 7 days. The latest report says there have been 982 deaths related to COVID-19 in MO with 892 (90%) of those who died being people 60 years or older.
There can be a temptation in us to become a bit numb to these numbers, but I want to urge us not to do that. We need to continue to be aware, to care, to practice good hygiene, and to make smart decisions. Above all, we need to continue to pray and trust the Lord.
Living Wisely & Faithfully
As Christians, we want to think clearly about how we live every aspect of our lives to the Glory of God. There is certainly a balance we need to find personally and as a church body in living with wisdom, care and compassion for those around us and with continuing to obey the Word of God and prioritize things like assembling together for worship, meeting together to study the Word of God, and engaging in fellowship and service with one another.
Every day, I am praying that the Lord would give me clear wisdom from Him in making plans and decisions for our church. I am grateful that God is so kind to answer that prayer (James 1:5) and to share with you the plans as they currently stand today.
Staying Supportive
Before sharing all the details, please understand that if you feel sick at all or personally uncomfortable with gathering in a certain way or for a certain type of event/activity, that is okay and the church leadership encourages you to act as you feel in wisest for you and your family. We are still in a unique time, there are risks and personal situations that we all have to consider. As a church, we will continue to be understanding and supportive in any way possible of those who want to take more time/precautions as we phase back into gatherings.
Looking Ahead
With all of that said, I am excited to share with you our plans for the weeks ahead. There are many things to consider and be aware of, so after reading through this letter today, you can refer to the summary graphic attached for a quick “at-a-glance” reminder of dates!
Sunday Morning Schedule
Each Sunday Morning, we look forward to gathering at:
9:30 am – Coffee & Conversation
10:00 am – Sunday School Classes (for all ages)
11:00 am – Morning Worship Service
*For the next few weeks, our kids will be in service with us and we will have treat bags for kids available each week. More details on the Kids Ministry schedule are below!
Sunday School Classes
Resuming Sunday School last week, we began with Unit 22, Session 1. After more discussion, we have decided to combine a few lessons to get back on the suggested schedule for our lessons in order to make things easier going forward.
This week (June 28th), we will study both Sessions 2 & 3 in each class and then next week (July 5th), we will study both Session 4 and Unit 23, Session 1.
On July 12th, we will be back “on schedule” and will focus on Unit 23, Session 2. Moving forward, we will be on pace with the suggested dates listed in the Daily Discipleship Guides for both adults and youth.
Nursery Ministry & Kids Church
As a reminder, our Family Room is available at all times in Room 117 (off the hallway just outside the sanctuary). This room has comfortable seating, toys for kids, a private nursing mother’s room, and a TV with a feed of the service on it for any parents who wish to use this space during any of our class or service times.
On July 5th, we will have our team in place to minister to Nursery age kids (6 weeks through 3 years old) during the sermon time in the 11:00 am service. Parents will be reminded during the announcements that they can take kids in this age range down to Room 123 if they would like.
On July 19th, we will also resume our Kids Church program from kids ages 4 to 5th Grade during the 11:00 am sermon time as well. On the 19th, parents will be able to take their kids back to check-in during the announcement time after we have all sang together.
Special Events & Activities
Over the next few weeks, there are several special events and activities. On July 12th, following the Sunday Morning Worship Service, we will be having a special all-church lunch. The meat is being provided by the church, so members and regular attenders are encouraged to simply bring a side or dessert to share. We will have a few special guests from the Northern Missouri District Leadership with us that day, including Dr. Ray Brewer who will be preaching in the morning service.
That afternoon, the Marion County R-II School District is holding Baccalaureate Service at 2:00 pm and a Graduation Ceremony at 3:00 pm in Philadelphia. We will encourage everyone who is comfortable with such gatherings to attend this event and support the students there.
On July 19th, at 6:00 pm, we will be having our second Annual Business Meeting for the year. All members are encouraged to attend this meeting for an important discussion and the matter of pastoral election required by our by-laws. A separate letter regarding this is being sent to each active member, so please mark this date and review that letter as well.
On July 26th, at 6:00 pm, we will have a Missionary team that we support in world missions work to the people of Papua New Guinea visiting us. Phil & Kim Rojak will be sharing about what the Lord has done in that country and the work they are able to do because of our support!
On August 2nd, our church choir will be participating once again with the
“Church Night at the Fair” in Palmyra. More details on this will be forthcoming soon.
On August 9th, at 6:00 pm, we will hold a special prayer service for the start of the new school year. This is a dedicated time to ask the Lord to bless the students, staff, and administration in this upcoming year that will be quite unlike anything we have experienced before.
On August 16th, we will resume our typical Sunday Evening Worship at 6:00 pm with Youth Group meeting in the Fellowship Hall and Kids & Adults together in the Sanctuary.
Small Groups
As we look toward the Fall, we are excited about the chance to resume physical gatherings in Small Groups. We ended the Spring Session online using Zoom, but we plan to start up in the Fall with physical gatherings hosted by leaders in our church family.
On Wednesday, July 29th we will be having a special evening event - a cookout here at the church! We will eat, play games, and enjoy a (Lord willing!) beautiful northern Missouri summer evening together. We will also have sign-up sheets available beginning that night for the Fall Session of Small Groups.
On Wednesday, August 19th, Small Groups Week 1 will officially kick-off. Our study throughout the fall will be tied in with the Sunday Morning Sermon Series and we are really looking forward to a great 14 weeks of discussion and growth together.
Walking Humbly
The Christian life should always be one of humility. We know that we do not have the power or knowledge that we need, but we serve the One who is in control of all things. Just as we rely upon God daily to provide for us physically, we trust Him with our plans too. If things change in our schedules, we will humbly adapt and seek to glorify God in whatever comes!
In the meantime, we rejoice over these plans and the opportunities we will have to gather, fellowship, and worship our incredible God.
Soli Deo Gloria,
Pastor Isaiah Jesch
May 30th, 2020
A Situational Snapshot
On May 27th, the United States passed the 100,000 person mark for deaths that have been classified as due to COVID-19. While there have been over 1.7 million cases of COVID-19 in the country, in most places the growth of the numbers has slowed. Thankfully, in the State of Missouri, the numbers are holding steady or declining in most areas around the state. In our local county, we have had no new cases reported since May 5th and still have had no fatalities in our county from the virus. We are very grateful to God for this.
On May 28th, the Governor of Missouri ordered an extension to the first stage of the phasing-in requirements for the reopening of the State across all counties through June 15th. This order includes a social distancing element, for non-family units to maintain a 6ft distance from one another in all gatherings
Our Church Response
In light of this statewide extension, our church has opted to continue with our current structure, offering 2 services (9:30 and 11:00 am) through June 14th. Continuing in this structure two weeks longer allows us to continue offering social distancing and cleaning precautions to our church family and to those who are visiting or new to our gatherings.
This extension means that our plans to resume Sunday School classes will be postponed until at least June 21st due to the physical spacing of our classrooms as well.
An Opportunity For Worship & Witness
While these days and plans can feel like they are dragging on, I want to encourage you to instead look at this time differently. The Word tells us to “make the most of every opportunity” (Colossians 4:5). We now have the opportunity to gather together, to invite people to join us in a safe and appropriate way, and we have the opportunity to demonstrate our faith in Christ and love for our communities in how we conduct ourselves over these next few weeks. So, make the most of this time! Come and gather for worship, invite others to join us, and continue to reflect Christ in how we make the most of this opportunity before us.
Soli Deo Gloria,
Pastor Isaiah Jesch
May 10th, 2020
Preparing for Physical Gatherings
Sunday Worship Services:
On May 17th, our church will resume physical gatherings with a modified schedule. We will have two identical Sunday Morning Services (9:30 am & 11:00 am) for the month of May.
We are asking everyone to “sign up” via the website to let us know which service you plan to attend. We want to ensure we have enough seating for everyone! To do this, go to Nelsonvilleag.org/covid19 and click on the button at the top that says, “Service Time Sign Up.”
Based on the design of our facilities and seating of our sanctuary, in order to comply with the social distancing orders, we will have the following changes/guidelines in place:
We are asking everyone to follow the entrance & exit plan.
Please enter through the front doors of the church.
The front restrooms are open and available.
All classrooms, the fellowship hall, and the kitchen will be closed.
After service, we will exit through the side doors of the sanctuary and then immediately exit out to the parking lot through the north doors (the entrance near the fellowship hall).
Immediate family units will be seated together for the entire service.
There will be no separate Kid’s Ministry during May, so all ages will stay together in the sanctuary for the family integrated service!
Every other pew will be blocked off and unavailable for seating.
Please do not greet each other with physical contact (handshakes/hugs/etc.).
There will not be any coffee or breakfast treats served.
We will not pass the plate for Tithes & Offerings as we typically do in our services.
We will have an option for you to drop off checks/cash gifts but would also encourage you to look into using our Online Giving option available at Nelsonvilleag.org/give for either one-time or to set up reoccurring giving.
Evening Worship, Youth Group, Small Groups & Sunday School Classes
Sunday Evening Services will continue to be postponed until June. We will only have Sunday Morning services for a few weeks and hope to resume the full schedule in June.
Youth Group will remain online through the end of May. We will continue to offer our Youth Group ONLINE option during this month.
Sunday School classes will continue to be dismissed through the end of May. We plan to resume our excellent class in June if the distancing orders are lessened at that time!
Small Groups will conclude our current study online. We will continue to host a virtual small group in May and plan to take our scheduled summer break for the month of June.
Facilities Preparations & Precautions
We have had a team in our church family deep clean & disinfect our entire facility. Thank you very much to this thorough team for their work! In addition, all our carpets/pews have been professionally cleaned by a commercial company to help us prepare the best we can.
We will have a team in place each Sunday in May that will be using disinfecting products to clean in the foyer, restrooms, hallways, and sanctuary during & between each service.
If you feel sick at all or are not comfortable with gathering together physically yet, please feel free to stay home! We will post a video of the service as soon as we can on Sunday afternoon. Please use your best judgment and follow your conscience during this period of “phasing in” that we are all going through here!
Rejoice Always!
“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.” (Philippians 4:4) I am rejoicing that we will soon be together, face to face. Things will look a little different for a few weeks, but the joy of being back together far outweighs that! I am rejoicing in the Lord and I hope and pray that you feel the same way too! I look forward to seeing you next Sunday morning!
Soli Deo Gloria,
Pastor Isaiah Jesch
May 3rd, 2020
I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the LORD!
Psalm 122:1 (ESV)
The thought of being in God’s house again to worship Him in the assembly of other believers brought great joy to King David… and it brings joy to many of us today as well.
A Transition Time
The current “Stay at Home” order for the State of Missouri is set to expire on May 3rd at 11:59 pm. Effective at 12:01 am on May 4th is the “Economic Reopening Health Order” which follows the principles of the “Show Me Strong Recovery Plan” to begin reopening the State of Missouri economically and socially. Under this new plan, effective May 4th, the call for citizens to stay at home and the limits prohibiting gatherings of more than 10 people are removed.
Even though the state orders are changing and the recommendations from health officials are being relaxed, the reality is that COVID-19 is still present. This means life is not going to simply return to how it was back at the beginning of March. Across the state, there will be a “phasing in” that takes place. In places like Kansas City, St. Louis, and Springfield the local governments are keeping social gatherings, including religious ones, limited to very small groups (15 people in some cases). Here in Marion County, we have only had 4 reported cases of COVID-19 and 0 deaths from the virus. We are incredibly grateful to God for this kind providence He has shown us. As a result, the Marion County Health Department has not added any restrictions which impact our church beyond the statewide ones.
“Phasing In”
Those statewide orders are based on the guidelines released by the White House and the CDC which plan for the reopening of business, social activities, and religious gatherings to be done in phases. As businesses and church buildings reopen, we are being asked to do things differently in order to maintain new levels of care with regard to social distancing and sanitation requirements. This has led to many conversations among our church board and other key department leaders here in our church to determine the best course forward.
Missouri is taking a big step toward restarting the economy with this phase we are going to enter into on the 4th. However, the continuing requirement for non-family units to maintain a 6-foot distance from one another means that we still have to be mindful of gathering sizes based on the physical space available. This is particularly relevant for church plans.
Our Church Approach To May
We still have an enduring desire to love our communities well and to continue being a beacon of care and hope to those around us during this time of transition in our state. Because of that, we have decided to take the following steps during the month of May:
Small Groups & Sunday School Classes
Small Groups will remain online through the end of May. We are nearing the end of our current study (Praying with Paul) and plan to take a Summer Break during the month of June. For the rest of May, we will continue to host a virtual small group using Zoom.
Sunday School classes will continue to be dismissed through the end of May. Due to the social distancing requirements, the size of our class rosters, and the size of our physical classrooms, we will not be offering Sunday School classes on campus during this month.
Sunday Worship Services:
The big question is, of course, about our Sunday Gatherings. We long to hear those words that made King David’s heart glad in Psalm 122 and to be back to gathering with our church body in person. I am very happy to say that we are planning to resume gathering physically again beginning on Sunday, May 17th.
On May 17th, our church will have two identical Sunday Morning Services (the first at 9:30 am & the second at 11:00 am) with a limit on the number of people in each service.
Based on the design and seating of our sanctuary, to comply with the social distancing orders, we will have to limit the number of people who can attend each service by having every other pew blocked off to allow for a 6-foot distance between families when seated.
There will not be any Coffee & Conversation times or any Sunday School classes on this day (or throughout the rest of May). We will ask that everyone enter through the front doors of the church into the front foyer and then go directly into the sanctuary. Please refrain from greeting one another with handshakes and hugs, as much as we want to do those things.
When the first service concludes (at 10:30), we will have everyone exit through the fellowship hall doors into the parking lot. We will have a team in place to clean using disinfecting products to wipe down the hard surfaces in the foyer, restrooms, and sanctuary before we start our second service. Those coming to that service (at 11:00) will enter through the front doors and follow the same exit process at the conclusion of the service.
In addition, we will have a process for our regular attenders and members to “sign up” via the website to let us know which service you plan to attend. We will use this to help ensure we have enough seating for everyone, and if needed will ask specific families to consider attending the other service based on the available seating. More details on this process will be online and shared again in a future update as we get closer to the 17th.
On May 10th, our church will not gather physically for Sunday Morning Worship.We will still have a live-streamed message at 11:00 am on this morning as we have throughout the last 7 weeks though. We are grateful for this method of connection while we prepare for our physical gatherings on the 17th in this time of transition through these phases before us.
Thankful in All Circumstances:
“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”(1 Thessalonians 5:18). While the Apostle Paul never imagined COVID-19 and these unique requests and plans for church gatherings… God certainly knew it all. When He inspired Paul to write these words, He knew they would apply to this very moment in our lives.
As unusual as these circumstances are, I am profoundly thankful to God. I am thankful for each of you and for your willingness to be flexible. Knowing our church, I believe we will make the most of this coming month and will honor God greatly in it. It is my deep joy and privilege to be your pastor and I love each one of you. I rejoice to see you here again very soon.
Soli Deo Gloria,
Pastor Isaiah Jesch
April 17th, 2020
“God is never nearer His church than when trouble is near.”
- Richard Sibbes
What a comforting thought for us in these days. The Lord is very kind to faithfully be near His people, especially in times of distress and trouble. As the response to COVID-19 seems to draw on and as these weeks of being providentially hindered from physical gathering weigh upon many of us, my prayer is that each of you turns to God to be your refuge, comfort, and strength. When we draw near to Him in faith, He draws near to us in loving kindness.
Several important things took place yesterday, Thursday the 16th, that we need to be aware of. First, the Marion County Health Department reported the first positive case of COVID-19 in our county. While this may bring the situation much “closer to home” for some of us, I want to remind you of all that we have talked about over the last several weeks. God is sovereign over all things, He is not in any way surprised, and He is always with His people. As we navigate the next few days and weeks of watching this locally, we have a unique opportunity to demonstrate our faith in God. We have the privilege of bringing all our concerns and fears to Him in prayer, and now more than ever to share the message of hope!
The second thing which took place yesterday was that the Governor of Missouri ordered an extension to the Stay at Home order previously set to expire at the end of April. This extension runs through May 3rd, expiring at 11:59pm. Because of this and our continuing decision to follow these requests by the government, we will not be gathering for corporate worship on May 3rd as we had planned. We are praying and hoping that our next physical Sunday Gathering will be on May 10th. We are aware that the plans to ease these standards occurring in a phased approach may require us to readdress this as we get closer to that date.
As we continue to navigate this unique time, I do want to encourage you with some good news and give you some more ways to pray during this time.
Easter Weekend Review
Our outreach on Easter Weekend looked quite different this year than it did last year. In 2019, we printed up invite cards and shared those broadly across our communities.
We saw a great response to that outreach in 2019 and many people came to our Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday services. Our building was packed during both of those times as everyone there heard the Gospel that weekend. But this year, our building was empty. Instead of inviting people to come join us, we took the message out in a few unique ways.
For families, we gave away “Resurrection Egg Kits” that included tokens and instructions on how to share the events of Christ’s death and resurrection from the Scripture with the kids in our families. Not only did people from our church family get these, but so did several families from our communities who don’t regularly attend here!
We also gave away 20 “Hope Gifts” to people in our communities who don’t attend our church. Each of these included a brand-new “Jesus Centered Bible” and a letter explaining the Gospel with key passages for people to read in that Bible. The response has been great so far!
One of our church family reported that the person they gave this gift to was blown away by the timing of it. That person had just gone to read in their old Bible, looking for hope and comfort in these confusing times, when it literally fell apart. The economic impact of COVID-19 meant that considering going out to buy a new one was not an option. This brand-new Bible showing up last weekend was the perfect timing to say that God saw even that need, and in love provided a way for that family to read of the hope and peace that God offers in salvation!
Finally, though watching a live-streamed message on Resurrection Sunday without being able to gather physically was probably a first for most of us, the message has had a great reach online. Over 1,000 people have seen that Facebook post or a shared link to the video. Most exciting is that over 400 people have watched that message. That means at least 400 people have heard the Gospel and the call to respond to it! Let’s pray that the Lord would continue to use that and people from all over would find salvation as they trust in Christ’s atoning sacrifice!
If you have any needs, please let me know. I am praying daily for you and look forward to gathering soon. Remember: the Lord is still on His throne and is still at work all around us!
Soli Deo Gloria,
Pastor Isaiah Jesch
April 5th, 2020
“Still, imperfect as it is, the church is the dearest place on earth to us.”
- C.H. Spurgeon
In these days right now when gathering together as the church body in one location is providentially hindered, I find myself thinking this thought after Spurgeon. It’s not the building that is so dear… it is you the true church, the members of this body, that are dear to me and deeply missed. But we are not crushed or destroyed by a few weeks of unique circumstances. Our God is much stronger than anything we are facing, and His presence is with us no matter what and no matter where we are. So, we make the most of this time and we look forward to His grace bringing us back together soon.
The progression of COVID-19 has continued to grow around our nation and world in the last few weeks. Because of that, our nation and state governments have extended their orders through April. We as a local church are choosing to abide by the recommendations and forgo our physical gatherings in order to help care for our local communities and demonstrate our love for them. So, we are anticipating our next physical Sunday Gathering to be May 3rd.
Good Friday & Resurrection Sunday
That means that this year, we will not have the opportunity to celebrate together physically on Easter weekend. While we miss what we have come to enjoy year after year, we are grateful that God has given us opportunities this year to worship Him in unique ways.
We will be connecting online Easter morning at 11:00 to hear a message, the message, of Christ’s Victorious Resurrection and His gift of salvation to all His people.
We are also reaching out to our communities with special Give Hope Gifts! We have worked with our partners at Group Publishing to put together 20 Give Hope Gifts, which include a very nice free copy of the brand-new Jesus Centered Bible that we want to put into the hands of people in our area… with your help! Go over to NelsonvilleAG.org/easter to get more information and sign up to be a part of this “Social Distancing Safe” outreach!
We also have a special Resurrection Easter Egg Kit for the families in our church to make the most of celebrating the true meaning of Easter at home. These kits include Easter Eggs and tokens with instructions that will help you teach the Easter Story in a hands-on way! We will be putting these “into your hands” (so to speak) on Saturday (April 11th) between 8:00-10:00am. Just drive up to the church, pop your trunk open, and we will place the items in there!
Kids & Families
In addition to our Resurrection Easter Egg Kits, we also have put together physical packets of the Gospel Project Activity Sheets for each family. The videos and questions for you to use in teaching the lesson each week to your own kids are being emailed out on Sunday afternoons. If you are not getting that, or have questions about creating your Ministry Grid account, please let me know! When you come to get your Resurrection Easter Egg Kit on Saturday (April 11th) between 8:00-10:00am, we will also give you these activity sheet packets so you can make the most of your family discipleship time at home!
Continuing Connection
We are continuing to connect on Wednesday evenings via Zoom for our Small Group Study. If you want to be part of this and get to see everyone, please let me know so I can send you the information you need to join us!
Each Sunday evening, for students 6th to 12th grade, we are also doing Youth Group ONLINE! Our leaders are teaching the weekly lesson, we are talking and connecting with one another, and even playing some pretty unique versions of games on Zoom. If your student is interested in this and has not signed up, please visit NelsonvilleAG.org/youth and let us know!
Soli Deo Gloria,
Pastor Isaiah Jesch
March 27th, 2020
This week in our online Small Group discussion, we looked at one of Paul’s prayers recorded in the Scripture and this particular statement from him stands out in the midst of what we are going through right now: “…we pray most earnestly night and day that we may see you face to face…” (1 Thessalonians 3:10, ESV). Perhaps you have been praying along those lines lately too… I certainly have!
With everything going on right now and the timeline for us being able to gather together physically still not clear, it is important for us to stay connected to one another digitally and, most importantly, to continue growing in our knowledge of the Lord and His Word. With that in mind, we have been working on various things that we want you to be aware of for the coming weeks. These are things I really do believe the Lord will use in our lives during this time.
All Church Information
Livestreaming Sunday AM Messages
On Sunday mornings at 11:00am, we will continue to livestream a message and encouraging all of our church family to connect online. If you join the livestream, be sure to engage in the chat and talk with others there since we cannot enjoy our regular Sunday interactions right now. If you miss it at 11:00am, be sure to watch it later in the day on either Facebook or our YouTube Channel.
Virtual Small Group Meetings
We are hosting Zoom meetings at 6:00pm every Wednesday Night to continue working through our book study titled "Praying With Paul." If you are interested in joining in, all of our groups are combined online right now and we would love you to join in. Please contact me and I will make sure you get on our email list for the information to join the call. You can purchase an eBook version here if you would like to read the book, but that is not necessary, you can just join us for the conversation!
YouTube Worship Resource Playlist
We have also put together a list of great worship songs on our YouTube Channel to give our church family a chance to continue praising our Lord while at home. Take a few opportunities throughout your day to pick a song and just focus on the Lord. If you have kids, be sure to have them join in. Learn a new song together or sing one that you all know. Make the most of this opportunity to model worship through your actions. We will be adding some more songs to this playlist, so be sure to check in with it often.
Prayer Guides
Prayer is a crucial part of our Christian lives. Right now, we have the chance to really develop our praying. We will be sending out specific needs via our Text Group, but we will also publish some lists to help guide our praying during this time and beyond. Our first list is of all our supported missionaries (minus one serving in a sensitive context). Please be praying for each of these individuals right now as they are all in contexts where there is risk of exposure to COVID-19 right now. This first list is available here or from our website on our COVID-19 page.
Online Giving
We are in the final stages of setting up our Online Giving Solution that will enable you to continue to invest in the work of God here locally and around the world while we are unable to gather physically. There will be a variety of new ways for you to give, including reoccurring giving options that are quite helpful for those of us who don’t carry checkbooks regularly. Information on all of that will be sent out soon in a separate communication and you will be able to access this through our website once we launch it.
Kids & Families
The Gospel Project Study
Parents, we want to equip you to continue teaching your children the great story of Scripture during this time. While we live in a unique moment in history with a lot happening around us, our biggest need has not changed. We need to know God, to experience His saving grace, and to daily live our lives to His glory. During this season of additional time at home, we want to equip you as the primary disciple-makers to teach your kids the story of our Redeeming God through continuing the Gospel Project Curriculum at home.
Our partners at Lifeway have made these resources available to us digitally and we will be sending out an email on Sunday afternoon with instructions and resources. You will be able to print copies of the Activity Pages for your kids, watch a teaching video of the week’s lesson and a fun video of some questions and answers that real kids have asked about the lesson. We have also provided questions for you to ask your kids after seeing the video and doing the activity sheets so that you can engage in helping form their faith.
Family Faith Challenge Activities
We also know that the additional time at home means some of us are looking for meaningful ways to engage as a family. To help with that, we have put together a little challenge for you to work on as a family! Complete the activities listed on our Family Faith Challenge and build up points for each one you do. When we are able to gather together physically again, we will tell you about the ways your kids will be able to redeem those points for prizes here at the church!
Youth
Q&A Night with Pastor Isaiah & Nelsonville Assembly Youth Leaders
This moment in history is unlike anything most of us have ever experienced. Tonight (March 27th) at 5:00pm, we want to give the youth in our community (grades 6th to 12th) a chance to think about these things, ask the questions that may be on their minds, and hear what a Christian response to all that is happening all around us should be. To submit questions or request to be on the invite list for the Zoom call, have your students go to Nelsonvilleag.org/youth.
Weekly Youth Group ONLINE
One of the great benefits of our modern age is access to incredible gifts of technology that provide us the ability to connect with others digitally in a way that previous generations could never imagine. Each Sunday Evening, starting March 29th at 5:00pm, we want to give our Students (6th to 12th Grade) a chance to connect online and continue to study in our Gospel Project Curriculum. Invitations to this Zoom Meeting will be sent out through our Youth Group leaders and new students who want to join in can submit their information on our website at Nelsonvilleag.org/youth to get on the list to receive the invite each Sunday afternoon.
If you have any questions or needs, please let me know. I am praying daily for the needs and requests shared in our church family. I also want to make sure that even while we are physically apart and long to be together face to face, we are still the family of God who are connected and committed to one another. If there is anything I can do to help make that true or serve you in some way, please let me know.
Soli Deo Gloria,
Pastor Isaiah Jesch
March 21st, 2020 Update
Since we are postponing our physical gatherings for a few weeks to love and care for our communities well, we will be using various online technologies to continue to edify and encourage us while we are apart.
On Sunday Morning, at 11:00am you will be able to join a live-stream on our YouTube Channel with Pastor Isaiah sharing from the Word of God.
We have also prepared a playlist with Worship Resources that we will continue adding to throughout this season to help equip you to continue worshiping in song in your own homes.
On Wednesday Evenings, our Small Groups will be meeting online for study, discussion & prayer on a video conferencing platform called Zoom. For more information or questions how to join in, please email Pastor Isaiah using the form below.