You have heard that it has been said “the church is closed,” but I say unto you “not really!”

The caronavirus has swept through creating chaos and fear. I went to the grocery store to get a gallon of milk and could hardly believe what I was seeing. Thank God I did not need toilet paper. The ladies pushing and shoving for the last few rolls were definitely not practicing “social distancing.”

I want to say thank you to the worship team, the tech team, John Lee for the coffee, Teresa Lofton and my wife (they formed the whole congregation) for helping with our online broadcast this past Sunday. It was a unique experience. Thank you also to those who watched.

The church is not closed–we are just not gathering right now. The church is very much open, alive and well. We continue to pray. We continue to worship. We continue to serve. The people are the church, and wherever they are the church is open. Remember “You” are the church.

North River will continue to do our part to help curb the pandemic. Most of our events and gatherings have been put on hold until this storm passes over. And when it passes over, as it surely will, we will resume. Until that time, let me encourage you to continue being the church for your family, neighbors, friends, etc. Meeting for coffee may be out, but a phone call would be great. Our fellowship cannot be broken by the rumor that “the church is closed.”

If you are part of the North River family let me encourage you to continue to give. You can give on line by clicking HERE. Thank you for your prayers and your support.

We will continue to send out updates at the situation changes. Please know we are doing our best to make wise decisions in a timely manner. We will also be posting updates on our website northriver.org.

This is my story…