Service "Ch-ch-ch-changes"
Latest Updates
With a new month comes news of more changes to our Sunday service structure. By now you should be apprised of the latest measures imposed by the state and national government to limit transmission of the virus. This includes a ban on churches holding public worship services at their facility or in a public venue. The measures call for self-isolation, social distancing, and limits on travel.
Further details from the Association can be found at https://nswactbaptists.org.au/covid19/
Nevertheless, we were pleased this week to learn from the Baptist Association that this does not preclude church staff and/or key volunteers from being on church premises. Nor are we prohibited from live-streaming our services in the format that we have been over the last few weeks. This news came after the Assocation had formal consultation with representatives of the NSW government. Below is an excerpt of the message that went out to Baptist pastors this week.
What Will Sundays Look Like?
While the situation may yet change again, we are currently proceeding with a live-stream service. We have suspended our normal worship team roster and asked team members to self-nominate if they would like to participate in our live-stream. We are aware that many would love to participate but cannot because to do so poses a great risk to their own health or the health of someone at home.
Evening Service Breaks For Now
The Elders of WDBC unanimously agreed this week to put our Sunday evening service on hiatus until the current social distancing restrictions are lifted. We made this decision for a few reasons:
To reduce risk of virus transmission
Morning service available to all members, on-demand
To reduce work load on key leaders
Ability to reproduce evening elements at other times
Rest assured we plan to bring the evening service back. One of the highlights to an otherwise rough 2020 had been the gathering of a strong, core community on Sunday nights. We can’t wait to meet again. Finally, for those eager for more time in God’s Word in the evening, we will be re-airing some past messages as a “Watch-Party” over our Facebook page.
WDBC Kids Church Now Online
Our Kids Church leaders have been working extremely hard to stay connected with the children in our family of faith. To this end, each of our 3 classes has created a Facebook page/group with content created especially for your children. Feel free to make use of it anytime during the week, including Sundays during the live-stream if you are looking for material aimed at their level. Here’s links to the kids church pages:
Little Kids Church (Age 3 - Prep) led by Kathy Johnson
Kids Church (Kindy - Year 2) led by Jo Kean
Kids Church (Year 3 - Year 6) led by Robyn Douglas
Anchored Youth (Year 7 - Year 10) led by Stephen Cole
Celebrating the Lord’s Supper At Home
Tomorrow will be our first time celebrating the Lord’s Supper as a scattered community. So what will that look like? As pastors lead communion over the live-stream, we encourage you to partake simultaneously at home. Here’s a few things to consider so you can be prepared and celebrate with us:
Communion was first held in homes. Jesus held the Last Supper in the upper room of someone’s home. The early church would likewise meet in homes to partake of the Lord’s table together. So while it may seem strange partaking outside of a church building, this is a welcome reminder that the brick and mortar are not what’s sacred.
Partake in remembrance of Christ’s body. This is a time to confess your sin and rest your soul in Christ’s substitutionary atonement. But remembering Jesus’ body also means remembering your brothers and sisters in love, who like you have been incorporated into Christ through faith. Pray, forgive, love, and lay your grudges aside.
Prepare to celebrate. Before the service starts at 9:30a, have simple provisions set aside and ready to partake. Any bread or cracker will suffice for eating, and similarly a small beverage for drinking. If you have children, make sure they understand this ordinance is a profession of their faith before allowing them to partake.
Virtual Morning Tea!
We are going to try hosting a virtual morning tea via Zoom at 11:00am following the service. Anyone is welcome to join. We will start with an “all-in” segment then move to break-out rooms for smaller conversations. We encourage you to take this time for encouragement and prayer, perhaps even over a coffee! The Meeting ID is 368 812 2634 or just click this link to join meeting.
Thanks for your patience and support through these challenging times! We look for to worshipping with you tomorrow.
