Hello from the staff and leaders! Our prayers are with you during this very strange time and we are working to make sure that Intown continues in its important work.
As you have probably assumed, we will not be meeting in-person for worship this Sunday, nor any Sunday in the immediate future. We don’t know when we will be able to gather again at The Old Church, but even the most optimistic estimates seem to indicate that we will likely be functioning more-or-less as a virtual community well into the month of April if not longer. We are working on something special for Easter, but it will doubtless be an online service of some sort.
Most businesses that are dependent upon foot-traffic and in-person interaction are struggling right now, and their long-term viability is dependent upon their willingness to “pivot” and provide a version of their services online. Intown is no different.
We are exploring meeting options for our Sunday morning gatherings as well as for our community groups which meet in homes throughout the week. The video app Zoom appears to be the most dependable and user-friendly apparatus for virtual meetings and Intowners are already utilizing this app with great success. So, when you finish reading this email please take a few minutes to download and sign-up for this service as I'm confident we will be using it regularly.
Second, we are working to make sure that we have current contact information for everyone in our community and that as many Intowners as possible are signed up for our various communication platforms: Breeze, email, text, etc. For those not currently signed up for Breeze, look for an invitation in the next few days. You can use this platform in a variety of ways, but particularly over the next few weeks, you will likely enjoy using it as a virtual church directory, giving you the ability to stay in touch with and check in on other friends at church.
Third, we’re thinking creatively about how to serve those who are sick and/or homebound for extended periods of time, providing tangible acts of service such as yard work, grocery shopping and drop-off, creating a toilet paper “pantry” for those running low, and as it is deemed safe––assisting working parents with childcare needs. We are open to other ideas of course and would love for any of you to volunteer to coordinate one of these ideas or another one entirely.
Fourth, expect to be hearing from an Intown leader and/or staff person periodically in the coming weeks just to say “hello” and to check-in on your well-being. Community is such a deep human need, and particularly during this difficult season we want you to know that you are not alone and that your church family cares for you. If you download the Marco Polo app I can send you personalized video messages and you can send your own to others in the community.
Finally, the Covid-19 virus is not only making people sick but our efforts to prevent its spread are severely weakening the worldwide economy. So, many of us are looking at our future with some level of financial uncertainty and perhaps anxiety. We want Intown to be a consistent source of God’s en-courage-ment to you. He, through your church is here for you, and we want you to know that we Intown will do everything we can to assist those who will encounter real, tangible strain during this time. Please let us know when you need help! You can email any of the leaders or deacons@intownchurch.com if you or anyone you know is in need of material support.
As we did last week we will send out at least one email on Sunday that will contain resources for worshipping together with your Intown family in a virtual way. I hope you have a wonderful weekend and stay healthy in the coming days.