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Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
(Hebrews 10:19–25 ESV)
People of God,

I hope this letter finds you well resting in the secure love of Christ. We love you and have been praying for you. The occasion for my writing this letter is to inform you regarding the reopening of the church for corporate worship as well as restarting group gatherings.

In recent days, some parts of Missouri have been slowly reopening and St. Louis City is expected to follow in the coming weeks. There has already been and will continue to be debate about whether or not churches should meet due to safety concerns. I assume some churches will begin meeting whenever the city is reopened and others won’t. The truth is no one knows for sure if it is truly safe.   

We have sought the wisdom of medical doctors and healthcare professionals not only in our congregation but in our other New City sites as well. With that input, our plan is to continue through May as we have been over past weeks: live-streaming our worship services and meeting virtually for community groups. We will re-evaluate at the end of May.

As much as we long to be in communion and fellowship with one another (bodily, corporally, locally) and desire to obey the call of Scripture telling us to not neglect meeting together (Hebrews 10:25), it would be grievous to begin gathering together for worship if our gathering contributed to the spread of this virus and led to the sickness and/or death of our congregants, their loved ones, and/or our neighbors. The aim in all of this is to preserve life and as much as it depends on us, we want to prevent creating environments where we put people at risk for being infected by this virus. 

Rest assured, our King has led and sustained His church through war, famine, pestilence, plague, and death before—He will do it again. He can handle COVID-19 (and whatever would come after this). During this season, let us rest in the finished work of our great High Priest, Prophet, and King Jesus. Let us go in the confidence that nothing is impossible for God. His arms are still strong; He is still working. His kingdom is forever. 

Let’s continue to consider how to stir one another to love and good works even in the midst of social distance, encouraging one another all the more as the great day of the Lord’s return draws near.

As always, if you need anything please call or email: 314-762-9915 or simply reply to this email (newcitysouth@ncfstl.org) and we will get you connected with the right person.
                
The Lord’s peace,

Pastor Roy

P.S. If you are not currently a member of a church community group and would like to join one, there are groups that would be happy to welcome you! Most of the groups are meeting online right now and provide a place for support and prayer. Please email Eileen (eogorman@ncfstl.org) and she will be happy to help you get connected with a group. The below mentioned prayer times have also been a source of help and encouragement. Please join in any time.
 
EVENING PRAYER THIS EVENING // 8:00 to 8:30 p.m.

At 8 p.m., use your phone, ipad, or computer to click this link: https://zoom.us/j/539912394 If you don't have Zoom installed yet, you'll be shown how to do that when you click the link. Then you will join the meeting. If you need a meeting ID it is: 539 912 394.

You can also call in with your phone: 301-715-8592 US (Meeting ID: 539 912 394)

Zoom is new for a lot of people, but it's pretty easy!

These times are simple and brief, but something we can repeat. There will be time devoted to reading a portion of the Psalms and other passages from Scripture and open minutes for free and spontaneous prayer.
Copyright © 2020 New City Fellowship South City, All rights reserved.


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