Following Governor DeWine’s remarks today, and in consultation with church staff and leadership, we are cancelling all activities at or involving Church of the Redeemer through Tuesday, March 17, including:
- ARM All-Church Breakfast
- Worship
- Leadership Board Meeting
- Paul Chilcote event at Lakewood UMC
- Tuesday Bible study
In light of the rapid developments regarding Coronavirus (COVID-19), Church of the Redeemer is evaluating our best options for connecting and fulfilling our mission within the community while abiding by best practices and keeping one another safe. The following is the most current information and supersedes previous guidance; please read it in its entirety and safe for future reference.
Worship
Sunday, March 15: NO IN-PERSON WORSHIP
Pastor Shannon will go live on the COR Facebook page with a time of prayer and a reflection on this week’s texts. To participate, visit COR’s Facebook page! Follow us and turn notifications on, then visit the page on Sunday morning at 10:30. Comment to let us know you’re there and feel free to share your prayer requests! The video will be available afterward for later engagement.
This week’s bulletin, announcements, and prayer requests can be found here.
Future Worship: In Development
We are working on options to improve our online worship offering, including securing the necessary streaming licenses for worship music and liturgy. Should our closure last beyond this week, we will make additional options available.
Non-Worship Gatherings
All COR-related gatherings through Tuesday, March 17 are CANCELED. This includes:
- Choir rehearsal
- ARM All-Church Breakfast (to be rescheduled)
- Leadership Board Meeting
Committee members, please contact your chairs for information about meeting remotely. Ad-hoc committee chairs, please contact Pastor Shannon. - Tuesday Bible study
Participants can access the Zoom online meeting space online or by phone:
https://zoom.us/j/430813037
Meeting ID: 430 813 037Phone:Â +1 646 558 8656 US (New York)
Meeting ID: 430 813 037
I will send out an update this Sunday regarding later events.
Outside Groups
At this time, we are committed to maintaining the COR facility as a safe, secure location for our outside groups to gather. We will not require outside groups to cancel their scheduled meetings; however, facilitators will be required to sanitize their meeting spaces and may not gather in other places within the church. We will also suspend consideration of new outside groups until further notice.
Ministry and Mission
Part of the State of Ohio’s mitigation guidance is a statewide closure of schools from Tuesday, March 17 through Friday, April 3. Unfortunately, many of our Cleveland Heights families rely on free and reduced breakfasts and lunches for proper nutrition and will be facing significant food insecurity during this extended closure. We are in contact with Canterbury and Fairfax Schools, neighbor churches, and local organizations to determine the need and how we can contribute. We will update you with concrete needs as we learn more.
At this time, we intend to continue our monthly visits to area homeless encampments. The next scheduled outing is Sunday, April 5. However, we encourage all members who are ill, who provide care to others, or who have suppressed immune systems to sit this month out. Other members, we need your help to close the gap and show care for all of our neighbors.
Giving Options
Though we are not meeting in person this week, your pledged offerings continue to make a difference in our ability to fulfill our mission and ministry covenants. We are exploring online giving platforms to expand and simplify giving when you are not at church, an option that will continue to be useful beyond this situation. At the moment, you may choose to send your offering by mail or set up an automatic payment through your bank.
We’re in this together
Beloveds, this pandemic offers us unique opportunities to rethink and expand our definitions of worship, community, and connection. I encourage you to reach out to family, friends, neighbors, and fellow church members via phone, email, and social media. Engage in worship, prayer, and Bible study together. Stay informed, but not glued to the news — practice Sabbath. Be diligent in following CDC and Health Department best practices. Above all, let us know if you need or can provide assistance.
God’s got us, and we’ve got each other.
Grace and peace,
Pastor Shannon