Welcome Back to your Father's House

By Rev. Dean Davenport, Senior Pastor

Being responsible in our decisions and practices we are now at a point where we can resume in-person worship services at Christ Our Savior! If you’re like many, it feels like it’s been a really long time since we could gather in fellowship in-person, encouraging one another as we sing praises to the risen Lord. Why is that? Because it has been – almost 3 months!

I pray that there have been some pluses to this pause of regular worship at the church. Schedules were cleared to spend valuable time with your families. Family devotions and supper together became regular instead of occasional. Time to devote to your devotional life and God’s Word. These and others were realized blessings.

Some improvements even happened at church. Additions and improvements have been made to our video capabilities, some members of the congregation that hadn’t been involved in other ways have volunteered to assist in continuing to produce worship services that will bring worship to your homes even after the pandemic is gone. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

In desiring to return to worship we are not put at odds with our Governor’s mandates as churches have been made exempt from it from the get-go; nor are we failing to love one another. We stopped in-person public worship months ago to help keep each other safe from unintentional transmission of this virus. In Christian freedom we understand that there are multiple God-pleasing decisions that can be made at this point.

Working hand-in-hand with the leadership of the congregation and the Return to Worship Task Force we have made the decision resume public worship on June 14th. Read more about these plans on our Re-Opening page.

There has been much prayer, meditation, and discussion as to how to execute our coming back together. We do not take lightly the risks and dangers associated with the coronavirus or its contagious nature. But we also trust that with proper precautions we can worship together in a responsible and God pleasing manner.

This decision is by no means intended to burden the hearts of those that feel it is not yet the proper time for public worship. Nor is it intended to simply appease those who feel we should have opened sooner. We only desire to gather in the house of the Lord and hear his Word and receive his Sacrament in a way that gives glory to God and keeps our family safe at the same time.
There is no reason or room to judge the hearts of our members for their decision to come to church or their decision to continue worshiping at home. Given the circumstances both are acceptable and God pleasing. We are asking all of you to make your own personal decision regarding worship and respect the decision that others will make as well.

Thank you for your support during this unprecedented time. Thanks for your continued prayers for our leaders and congregation. Even in these uncertain times we have the promise of knowing that our loving heavenly Father has got us in His almighty hands. We know that He has been, He is, and He will continue to be fighting for us, His children (Exodus 14:14). He’s shown us that in Jesus!

Whether we see each other at church on the 14th or in your homes on that same date know that in Christ we are one!

God loves you and so do I!

Find out all about our plans for coming back to worship on June 14th on our Re-Opening page.