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Be Aware

This morning in the early hours, contemplating the day ahead and decisions needing to be made…Psalm 91 came to me.  Read and be blessed:

“The one who lives under the protection of the Most High dwells in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” He Himself will deliver you from the hunter’s net, from the destructive plague. He will cover you with His feathers; you will take refuge under His wings. His faithfulness will be a protective shield. You will not fear the terror of the night, the arrow that flies by day, the plague that stalks in darkness, or the pestilence that ravages at noon. Though a thousand fall at your side and ten thousand at your right hand, the pestilence will not reach you. You will only see it with your eyes and witness the punishment of the wicked. Because you have made the LORD—my refuge, the Most High—your dwelling place, no harm will come to you; no plague will come near your tent. For He will give His angels orders concerning you, to protect you in all your ways. They will support you with their hands so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. You will tread on the lion and the cobra; you will trample the young lion and the serpent. Because he is lovingly devoted to Me, I will deliver him; I will protect him because he knows My name. When he calls out to Me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble. I will rescue him and give him honor. I will satisfy him with a long life and show him My salvation.”

Psalm 91:1-16 (HCSB)

What a reminder!  What a glorious promise!  To God Be The Glory!

We now have, as of this afternoon (Sunday March 15, 2020), 13 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the state.  The closest one to us in Elmore County.  Overall, throughout the nation infections total 3,320 and continues to rise.  There is now a call center by the Alabama Department of Public Health to provide answers for questions and how to connect with providers (1-888-264-2256).

https://www.waff.com/2020/03/15/confirmed-cases-covid-multiple-alabama-counties/

Public schools in the state will close at end of business day Wednesday (3/18/20) and re-evaluate before reopening in April.  Businesses are changing hours, companies are giving individuals instructions to work from home.

Social distancing is becoming the phrase to remember. 

The situation is changing rapidly and it seems the best defense is to avoid others, stay at home and stay healthy.

With these things in mind, leadership in the church are finding themselves in difficult places, making decisions which will be best for all involved.  It is a stressful time.  It is a difficult time.  We trust God to give wisdom and direction, help and hope; He is our refuge and fortress.

This morning my prayer was:

“Father of Heaven, who give Grace, Guidance, and Guards us: I come before You seeking Your help in our time of need.  Fear, panic, uncertainty has become the issue of the day.  Yet, in a time such as this allow me to trust Your unfailing and unwavering care, concern, compassion.  Give me the strength, wisdom, understanding from Your Holy Word and show the power, protection, provision which comes from You.  May other see Jesus in me and ask of the hope within.  Boldly I will share of Your presence in the storms of life. Amen!”

At Rockford Church…

This morning was our last service here until April 5.  There will be no services at the campus located on US Highway 231 tonight, Wednesday night (March 18, 25, April 1), and Sunday March 22 and 29.

This was a difficult decision.  With church leadership, after much prayer and discussion this was the best decision to make, as we err on caution.  Taking into account the number of older members, those with respiratory issues, and others who have had cancer we felt this was our best course of action.  Again, the best to be done at the time we are facing is to keep the population separated and isolating ourselves from potential contamination: this is the standard recommendation.

While, we may not be in the Lord’s House on Sunday, it does not mean we cannot worship in our homes.  Take time to read the Word of God, your favorite devotional guide, and spend time in prayer for the nation.  We will LIVE Steam a message on Sunday morning March 22 and 29.  Join me as we share together.  I will transfer the recorded services to a DVR or CD (or both) on the afternoon of the live stream and send to those who do not have Facebook or Internet resources.

https://www.facebook.com/rockford.church.39

Additionally, I will share a Bible Study/Sunday School lesson on our Facebook page on Saturday (March 22 and 29).  This will also be LIVE Streamed and will be recorded to a disc for distribution for those who desire a copy. We will post a time for this study together during the week on our Facebook page.

Honestly, one of the issues we have at Rockford-as well as at other churches which are making hard decisions-is we still will be receiving bills and payments will still be made in the midst of this difficult time.  While expenses may be lower in some areas, we still must meet our monthly obligations.  Therefore, I would ask you to be faithful to the church and the continuation of our ministry, even in these difficult times.  We are not set up for online giving, but you can do one of the following three things:

1. Bring your offering by the church office Monday through Wednesday from 10:00 AM-2:00 PM

2. Call me and I will pick up your offering

3. Mail to: Rockford Baptist Church PO Box 187 Rockford, Alabama 35136

We are here to minister to you during these times.  Should you need our assistance, please feel free to contact us. The deacons, church leadership and I will assist you.

Rockford | Coosa Samford MTI Extension…

As of this morning we have received word from the administration at Samford, through our director (Dr. Kevin Blackwell), extension classes for the Spring Semester B Term will be delayed until April 6.

All Samford employees received an email from our Vice-President of Business Affairs this which included this statement:

“Samford is committed to maintaining the university’s operations while keeping our community healthy and safe.  Based on new guidance from the CDC suggesting sustained community spread and widespread global transmission of COVID-19, Samford employees should begin working from home on Tuesday, March 17.  On Monday evening we will lock the gates and will only allow essential personnel on campus. Supervisors will notify essential personnel of their roles.”

Therefore, Dr. Blackwell has shared the following with Pastor Todd and I, by email:

“For our extension sites which will begin the spring B term either this week or next week, we will delay the start of the second spring term until the week of April 6.  …In order for all extension sites to finish the academic year the week before our spring commencement this will mean that every site will need to find one of the 8 weeks and double up class meetings for that week in order for us to complete all 8 class meetings.  If we don’t do that then it will mean we finish the same week as our spring commencement which will complicate updating transcripts and processing final grades.  The new spring B term will look like this:  It will begin the week of April 6 and be completed the week of May 18 only if we choose one of those weeks to meet twice. I would leave that decision up to the individual locations.”

We will continue to communicate plans for Samford MTI, as we receive more information.  Thank you for understanding this decision.

Lastly…

Continue to follow my blog.  I will update information as it becomes available regrading our areas of concern.  I am praying for you and will seek God’s wisdom for such as time as this.

In His Steps, Pastor Fuller