It’s hard to describe the feelings I had on Monday as we watched the news reports of the growing Jones Fire rght behind our building. We could see the smoke plume rising, the ashes and embers falling, and hear the sirens as the evacuation notice was broadcasted. It felt surreal. It felt overwhelming considering how the pressure of COVID-19, racial tensions, and economic struggles already had most of us on edge.

It’s hard to think of a time in our lives when so much has happened in such a short amount of time that has caused so much upheaval and disruption to our lives. Now it’s fire season with planned power outages and rolling blackouts, and it’s been so blasted hot! Those of you who know me well know that heat and I just don’t get along. Heat makes me grumpy and out of sorts. Well, when you combine that with the tension of leading a church and a family through all of this uncertainty with no clear direction, it’s a lot.

Let me make this next statement with as much enthusiasm as I can in written form. ALL THAT WE’VE BEEN THROUGH HAS MADE US REALIZE EVEN MORE HOW MUCH I MISS YOU! In fact, that’s what Kimberly and I just talked about as we were able to shoot our weekly video (just as the power came back on). We miss gathering together with our church family.

I miss worshipping God with you, praying with and for you, serving alongside you, laughing and crying with you, celebrating and grieving with you, giving and receiving with you, growing with you. There are so many things that we did together before COVID-19 that I took for granted. Now that it’s moving toward a sixth month of social distancing, isolating, face covering, and hand washing, I’m finding that my desire to be with you grows stronger each day.

I love a quote by Ed Stetzer I shared today in our video. “Let’s grieve when we cannot meet. Let’s know that something is wrong. Something essential is missing. Acknowledging the loss and the yearning for restoration is important. We should acknowledge it to our people, so they can hear how we value that gathering. Gathering must not be casually disregarded. It is part of who and what a church is.”

It helped me to say, "I’m not going to settle for this. No matter how long this logjam lasts, I am going to let my grief over the loss I’m experiencing cause me to fight for what it is that I’m missing.” Folks, just because we aren’t gathering fully as we were before COVID-19 does not mean that gathering is not important or crucial to our faith. I believe this season has shown even more how essential gathering together is. Therefore, we can grieve what we don’t currently have, anticipate the day when we will have it again, and do what we can to gather in limited ways today. Remember there is something that happens when God’s people get together to worship Him that doesn’t happen anywhere else on the planet.

As Donald Whitney wrote in his book on spiritual disciplines, “There’s an element of worship and Christianity that cannot be experienced in private worship or by watching (online) worship. There are some graces and blessings that God gives only in the ‘meeting together’ with other believers." 

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There’s a place for online worship for sure, and I’m so grateful for our Worship Arts and Tech teams who work diligently and tirelessly to bring church right into our homes or to our devices. This is such a good thing to help us in our relationship with God and others, but it’s not the same as gathering together. Let me encourage you that people are beginning to come again on Sundays to our indoor or outdoor venues. One person who was back for the first time since the March shutdown said, “I cried as I realized what I had been missing. Online is a good alternative, but it’s not the same as being here with my church family. Thanks so much for your faithfulness to keep our church going during these difficult times." 

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On Sunday we’ll also continue our RISE UP series by looking at Nehemiah 8. Last week, we read that the wall was finished, but God’s work in His people was just beginning. As we look into Nehemiah, we’ll see once again how important God’s Word is for our spiritual health and growth.

Even though we’re live in person onsite (indoors and outdoors), it may be weeks before we can all be together again at church, so please make sure to stay engaged online. Our services will continue to be streamed live at 9:00 and 11:00am, or you can watch them on demand any time you want right from our website or APP. If you haven’t downloaded the TCC APP, just go to the APP store and search for TCC GRASS VALLEY and download it today.

Our outdoor venue is for people who want to be able to sing and sit outside during the service. We have tents (which were so needed as it actually rained for about 5 minutes during second service) and fans outside. Each week we’ll continue to adapt and flex as we expand that opportunity at both 9:00am and 11:00am.

You’ll find the shaded area on the West end of our building where our children usually hang out (near the bears). Speaking of children, we’re inviting our young families to join both the indoor and outdoor services in this time when we can’t safely have our normal children’s programs, so please enjoy the children and the energy they bring.  We’ll have chairs available, but if you want to bring your own comfy recliner type chairs that’s good, too. Even though it’s outdoors, our Nevada County Health Department still requires social distancing and facial coverings, but we get to sing as loudly and enthusiastically as we want.

During this season we are a church of people who gather together both online and onsite, indoors or outdoors to offer our worship to God.

Joyfully living everyday life on mission in intimacy with Jesus and others,