Church Building Still CLOSED: I'm So Over It!

9 Months Later and We Are Still Closed!

It's been 9 months and my church building (and many other church buildings) are still closed. I don't know about you but I am so over it! 😒😑😐

I am fully aware of the many cases and the many deaths of this virus (even though we all know these numbers are not that accurate); however, the church has now become fearful. The church is fearful that people might contract this virus and possibly spread it unknowingly. Matter of fact, the church doesn't want to be the center of attention and criticism of coronavirus cases and possible deaths.

Don't get me wrong, I love my Pastors and church leadership but I am very disappointed and mad that the buildings are still closed. I know that forsaking ourselves together because of the fear of a virus spreading amongst us, isn't God's will for us. 

We are told in the word of God to not forsake the assembling of ourselves together. Having Zoom meetings, Microsoft Teams Prayer Calls, and Online Church on Facebook/Youtube should not be a substitute for in-person fellowship. 

Many believers, especially babes in Christ, are falling away because of this. They are isolated and left to the enemy as prey. Many believers have backslidden or have become stagnant in their relationship with God because of this. Many are feeling disconnected from others in the church. Are pastors and church leaders not thinking about this? Better yet, what will they do about these issues, and how soon? This is a problem!

Are we going to let fear or better yet, COVID-19, have dominion over us? We shouldn't but unfortunately, we have allowed them to these last 9 months. 

God Has Not Given Us a Spirit of Fear 

We know that God has not given us a spirit of fear but a spirit full of power, love, and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). So, why are so many church buildings still closed? What are we really afraid of?

I have really been thinking about how this isn't pleasing to God. I know we can worship and praise God at home with our families; however, we are called to assemble together and have fellowship. If we were at least going home to home like the disciples in the Book of Acts to pray and fellowship with each other, it wouldn't be as frustrating. Believers (just like unbelievers) are afraid to go to people's homes just because of COVID-19. Believers are afraid to contract or spread the virus, so they coop up in their homes ONLY with those in their families/homes. To "slow the spread" they decide to stay home no matter what and they refuse to fellowship in-person with their brothers and sisters. 

We need to really look into ourselves and be honest about why we are staying away from in-person fellowship. If the answer is FEAR, then we need to ask God to help us get rid of ALL of our fears concerning this virus. Just like King David, we MUST seek God and expect Him to deliver us from ALL of our fears (Psalm 34:4). 

Let's look at how the true believers and disciples fellowshipped with each other:

"So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved." (Acts 2:46-47)

I pray that the believers and followers of Christ in this generation will follow suit just like these disciples did. Nowadays, believers do not make time for one another to break bread and have true fellowship. This is truly sad and disturbing! I know it shouldn't be like this and I hope and pray we get it right, sooner than later.

We Must Take a Stand!

Look at California, in July the governor banned SINGING and chanting activities in church! Can you believe this? This completely goes AGAINST the word of God!

Check out these bible verses below about singing:

Psalms 95:1-2 - "O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation."

Colossians 3:16 - "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord."

Psalms 147:1 - "Praise ye the LORD: for [it is] good to sing praises unto our God; for [it is] pleasant; [and] praise is comely."

James 5:13 - "Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms."

Side Note: Psalms are sacred songs or hymns. 

Praise be to God for the many bold and biblical pastors in California that took a stand against this and some even sued Governor Newsom over his discriminatory singing and chanting ban for churchgoers 👏👏👍👍👊👊👊. 

COVID-19 Church Cases

Yes, there may have been reports of churchgoers in some churches who did test positive, and some died but that will not be the case everywhere in every church. I am sure that these reports played a huge factor in churches being closed. However, look at the mass protests that took place all over our nation but no one said that these protesters couldn't chant or sing. Some protestors didn't even wear a mask😷. There was no social distancing. Yet, we didn't hear any backlash or ban about anything concerning slowing the spread while protesting. This is the bias the church faces, yet we say and do nothing. Instead, we are comfortable in staying home to watch virtual church where no one can hold us accountable in our relationship with Christ. We can worship how we want and when we want because no one is watching (except God, of course!) I pray that the church AKA  believers all over this nation will rise up and start assembling together. I pray our pastors will see the need and urgency for fellowship because people are losing faith and hope. While we are busying trying to "slow the spread", the enemy is slowly spreading out the sheep and many are scattering and no one is noticing (sigh!😣😢) God help us!

Be Blessed,

S.Harris

What's More Essential: Liquor Stores or Church?

Liquor Stores are Open but Church Buildings are Closed! 

Due to COVID-19, places including church buildings have closed. It's been more than 2 months since I've walked into my home church 😣 It's bittersweet because we still have church online on the weekends and in the week for Bible Study and Prayer, which is awesome! But it's not the same as gathering together physically. So, I am definitely still being fed spiritually by the Pastoral Team and Worship Team 🙏🙏🙏🙏 But, my thoughts and feelings about this whole STAY-AT-HOME order for churches are getting to me and I can't continue to suppress my thoughts and feelings anymore. 

 
I live in New Jersey and the governor, Phil Murphy, has decided to close everything that is seen as NON-ESSENTIAL. My first thought is: Isn't church ESSENTIAL? Isn't church essential to people's spiritual, mental, and emotional well-being? I think so and I am sure a lot of people think so too. However, according to Murphy and many other governors, the church isn't seen as essential, so, therefore, we were forced to "close". Murphy even says gatherings of ANY size is prohibited! Like seriously? This order goes against our freedom and right to worship and gather. This is the issue I have and I want to know how many other Christ-followers feel the same. I haven't heard much from my circle of believers on social media and I think that's a problem!

Liquor stores are OPEN, though!

What confuses me is the fact that liquor stores are OPEN! Why are liquor stores open? Better yet, how is liquor essential? or how are liquor stores "essential businesses"? This baffles me! Some people might say "well, liquor stores aren't as big as churches" or some might say "people don't stay long or congregate at liquor stores as they do in the church". Although all these ideas are valid, my issue is about what's important and what's not. Even bars are still open! How can we stay quiet about this? or better yet, how long will we stay quiet about this?

The church IS essential!

The buildings might be closed but the church is still open. The Word is still being preached and taught by the pastors and pastoral team. The worship team is still singing spirit-led songs. The Children's Ministry pastors and staff are still creating engaging lessons and videos to keep our children connected. So, yes, the church is still functioning as it should. To God be the glory 🙌🙌🙌 But enough is enough now! We are ESSENTIAL!

It's time for the church to take a stand!

The church isn't the building; it's the body of believers that gather together in Jesus' name. But we have a God-given right to gather together! I totally understand that COVID-19 is deadly and people are losing their lives, even people that believe in God. Trust me, I get that! I am not downplaying the severity of this disease but I am sharing the severity of denying our right to worship and gather together. 

The Bible says that we must "not forsake (abandon, quit, give up, renounce, etc.) the assembling of ourselves together, as in the manner of some, but exhorting one another" Hebrew 10:25. To assemble means to bring together or meet together for a definite purpose according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. So, could it be that these stay-at-home orders are a violation of our faith or a violation of the Word of God? 🤔🤔🤔 It took me about 2 months to really think about this. It didn't fully dawn on me until now. This creates conflict in a believer like myself because although we want to use wisdom and we want to respect government officials, we also want to demonstrate the power of God by exercising our freedom and faith. We want the world to see that God is bigger than COVID-19 and we are not afraid of any disease or sickness because there is POWER in the name of Jesus.

When we gather, God is in the midst and He shows up!

Quarantine Chronicles: The Good in the Bad!

The Good in the Bad

Almost the whole world is experiencing the effects of COVID-19! 

Children are home, learning from home. Teachers are home, teaching from home. Parents are home, working (double-duty) from home. Families are quarantined. Church buildings are closed. People are dying every day. People are testing positive for this disease every day. Hospitals needed PPE's and thousands of ventilators. Many people lost their jobs and many people are losing their minds. Graduations are canceled or postponed. Online shipping is delayed and "non-essential" businesses are closed until further notice. Essential businesses have shortened their hours. Limited customers are allowed in stores. Shelves are empty or barely stocked. We must wear face-masks or face coverings whenever going out in public. We must stand 6 ft apart from people AKA social distancing. We must wash or sanitize our hands twenty-four-seven. And the list goes on and on. It seems as if the bad outweighs the good. Although that may be true (or that may seem true), we cannot ignore all the good that has come out of this pandemic.

So, I know you might be wondering, "Where is all the good in all this bad?" I know it might be difficult to see the good in all of this, but I challenge you to shift your mind and focus to the GOOD and not the BAD (even if it's just for a few minutes).  

Throughout this pandemic, I must say, there has been SO much good that has come out of it for me and my family; in ways we never imagined. Allow me to share those blessings with you!

Blessings in the COVID-19 Pandemic:

• Stimulus Check-(married with 4 children but got it for 3 children) which is still a HUGE blessing! To some, this money may not have meant much or may not have been much. However, to some, like myself, it meant a lot. This money helped with the essentials of life, especially because my spouse isn't working due to the pandemic.
• Esurance Shelter-in-Place Payback-almost 15% of our auto insurance monthly premium was issued back because many of us are not driving to work at this time; we are working from home. Although the money I received was a few cents short of $52, it was well appreciated! Plus, we received another payback for May as well :) Another blessing in this is saving money on gas; although I only live about 6 minutes from my job. To not have to spend money on gas is a blessing!
• SNAP benefits increased-families that receive food stamps were given EXTRA money on their EBT cards twice in April. In May, the extra benefits were combined with what families normally get each month. That's a HUGE blessing for large families like mine (I have a family of 6). 
• Honey, I'm Home- my husband is pretty much home all the time now, which is a blessing in disguise. He's a driver but he hasn't worked for these last two months since the Stay at Home order from the governor in March! God has blessed us through all of this, and it doesn't feel like we had a loss of income. Usually, he'll play dominoes with some friends and they'll play till the wee hours some time. Now, at home in quarantine, he plays online dominoes and I can actually watch him play; I didn't get to do this before because I would be home with the kids. He's also cooking way more now than he normally does (he's really the chef of the house:)) and he's NOT COMPLAINING about it. Now, THAT's a blessing!
• Working From Home-thankfully, I am still working from home, which means, I still have a paycheck coming in. I am a Teacher Assistant for a Kindergarten class and school is still in session. We do LIVE lessons and meetings. We create pre-recorded videos of ourselves reading and teaching. I take attendance daily, still. We have weekly grade-level meetings as well as staff meetings, virtually! I still message parents and respond to them each day through google classroom and Class DOJO.  
• Double-Dipping @ Church Online-I've been able to participate in multiple church services that my home church has online on Facebook and Youtube! This is a MAJOR blessing because prior to quarantine, I couldn't stay for more than one service as often as I wanted to. Now, I can double-dip and participate in ALL or most of the weekend services, if I choose to do so. My church has four services. Plus, we have Weekly Prayer calls and 20 minutes of Hope Bible Study on Wednesdays (it really has been very encouraging and refreshing!). All in all though, nothing beats gathering together in person :) Can't wait for that day...hopefully, sooner than later! 

Now that I've shared some of my blessings with you all, it's your turn!

What are some blessings you and your family received in this pandemic? Feel free to share! I would love to hear about them :) and I'm sure other visitors to the blog would love to hear them as well. 

Just remember that God works ALL things together for our good, especially for those who love Him wholeheartedly! We might not see it, but we must believe it. Just have faith in God! If you struggle in the area of faith, pray a simple prayer to God asking Him to increase your faith in Him. Don't forget: There's a blessing in the storm!

Listen to the songs below and let them minister to your heart in this difficult time! 

All Things by Nicole & David Binion

Blessing in the Storm by Kirk Franklin

Be Blessed,

S. Harris