We've purchased RightNow Media access for everyone in our church!
You will receive free access to a huge, streaming, online, view-on-any-device library of over 10,000 video Bible studies, leadership videos and kids shows. >> WATCH THIS PROMO VIDEO
To sum it up — it’s like the Netflix of Bible study videos. You will have FREE access to thousands of video resources to help you with parenting, marriage, discipleship, studying the Bible, worship, apologetics and more.
If your email is in our church database, you should have already received an email invitation on Sunday, March 29th. All you need to do is click the "GET STARTED" link in your email invitation. It's that easy!
If you did not receive the email invitation you can still access our church subscription by following this link:
Good Friday Service - ONLINE Friday, April 10 • 7:00 PM
You and your family are invited to worship during an online Good Friday service on Friday, April 10th at 7:00 PM. We will reflect on 1 Peter 2:19-25and Isaiah 53 during the service.
Easter Sunday Service - ONLINE Sunday, April 12 • 10:45 AM
Our Easter celebration will take place online on Sunday, April 12th at 10:45 AM. Join us as we praise Jesus, our Risen Savior. Invite a friend or neighbor to tune in this joyful service!
Midland Free - Beyond Sundays Facebook Group
Join our new Midland Free – Beyond Sundays group on Facebook. We invite anyone from Midland Free to join the group so we can share pictures and God stories, build community during this time of social distancing, and have some fun! You can join the group here.
This week we would love to see pictures of where you are prayer walking (or prayer riding on a bike/other vehicle) and any sidewalk chalk art your family has created to encourage others and share hope.
CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) Statement UPDATED: Tuesday, March 24
Due to the stay-at-home order issued by the Governor on Monday, March 23, the Midland Free church building is closed, and as a result, all ministry events at our campus are cancelled or postponed until further notice.
God reminds us in Psalm 46 that He is our refuge and strength, and our ever-present help in trouble. Armed and confident in this truth, we hope and pray that we will, as a church body, use this opportunity to be the hands and feet of Jesus to those around us. He gives us tremendous hope during this time of cultural uncertainty and change.
HELP US KEEP IN TOUCH WITH YOU
As we face the reality of connecting virtually in the near term, please take a moment to review and update your contact information in our database, specifically your mobile phone number (for text messages) and your email address. 📱📧 You can do this by logging into the Portal on our website. Once you have logged in, please click on “My User Account” and make the appropriate updates to your contact information.
Thank you for helping us in our efforts to communicate effectively with you in urgent situations. May the Lord be with you.
CARE & COMMUNITY
Pastor Gib's thought for this week:
My friends, I miss seeing you, shaking hands, smiling, high fiving and the occasional hug... at this time we all miss someone: family, folks at church, in the community, or work. We encourage you to pray, seek the Lord first, then reach out to others: call, text, email, Facetime, set up a Zoom or other format for a virtual get-together. We need each other and need to stay in touch. Who are you going to reach out to today?
RESOURCE RECOMMENDATIONS
from Pastor Gib & Caroline
Sew a Face Mask: Here's a special request from a local hospital nurse who attends Midland Free: If you know how to sew, you can help bless others by helping to keep them safe! One way you could do this is by sewing a face mask. You can use fabric and supplies you have at home (be creative), place the mask(s) in a ziploc bag (with a personal note if you choose), and drop them off wherever you shop (no extra exposure for you or others). These store workers are exposed to the greatest number of people and, though a fabric mask cannot alone prevent Covid-19, it might help and will be a blessing to others.
Follow this link for sewing instructions and a printable message (add a personal note if you wish, like "I prayed for you and your family. Stay healthy, stay safe").
UPDATED: COMMUNITY RESOURCES
We as a church want to minister to those who are going through crises and difficult life experiences and encourage them to trust God to provide what they need. We also want to share helpful information about resources in our community. Here is a partial list of additional sources of assistance in the community:
MIDLAND COUNTY COVID-19 RESOURCES: This is a coalition of philanthropy, government, educational, and business partners that have come together to provide a collective response to COVID-19 in Midland County. You can learn updates on COVID-19 news, volunteer opportunities, ways you can help and more.
Michigan Coronavirus Help:Please read and share this excellent article that lists a number of different places to get assistance during this crisis.
211:This is an excellent resource for our community. Click on https://www.211nemichigan.org/. You can call them, text, chat or search for information. Take a few minutes and dive into the system. Click search, put in your zip code and city and look at the variety of resources available. They have many options including bill payment assistance, food, health care, housing/utilities, mental health assistance, personal/household items, transportation, etc.
MOBILE PANTRY - MIDLAND COUNTY EMERGENCY FOOD PANTRY NETWORK:There will be a distribution on Thursday, April 9th at the Midland High School Student Parking Lot, 1301 Eastlawn Drive, Midland. The distribution will be in the parking lot only - please remain in your vehicle. Registration begins at 9:00 AM with the distribution at 11:30 AM. You stay in your vehicle for registration and volunteers will deliver the food to your vehicle. Please bring empty bags/boxes.
If you’re a nonprofit, individual, or small business seeking COVID-19 relief,click here.
For Small Business Owners:
Date: April 6th
Time: 5:30 pm ET Dial In: 844-849-5502
Join Heritage Action for America on Monday, April 6 at 5:30 PM for a special call for small business owners to learn about programs passed by Congress to help businesses navigate the coronavirus epidemic.
STEPHEN MINISTRY
Are you going through a difficult time? Do you need encouragement and support? You are not meant to walk alone as you experience painful times and we are here to support and encourage you. Trained lay ministers from our church are here for you! These compassionate people are supportive, encouraging and are very beneficial for anyone -- inside or outside our church. Please send an email to stephen@mefchurch.org.
CORONAVIRUS PRAYER GUIDE
Here's a free prayer guide from our friends at LifeWay. 🙏God works through prayer. Let's all commit to praying regularly while we work together to stop the spread of the Coronavirus.
Midland Free is a
Midland Public Schools
Food Distribution Site
during COVID-19
Midland Evangelical Free Church is a pick-up location for meals from Midland Public Schools on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 9:00-9:45 AM now through the end of the COVID-19 school closures. Please go to the South Entrance.
ANY child age 0-18 is eligible.
Anyone can pick up the meals for the children (Mom, Dad, Aunt, Uncle, Neighbor, Friend, etc.)
When visiting our church, meals will be available in a ‘grab and go’ fashion as Center for Disease Control guidelines discourage communal gathering.
A breakfast and lunch will be provided during each pick-up for the immediate and following day(s) between scheduled times.
For more details, please click hereto read the full announcement from Midland Public Schools.
At times we need help in a physical form. We help members and regular attendees with needs. This help may involve finances, financial counseling, home and car repair, and many other areas. If you need this type of help, please complete the Benevolence Application by following the link above.
YOUTH
Pastor Chuck's thoughts for this week:
What crazy days we live in! It is so good to know that we serve a God who is in complete control and He is a God in whom we can trust... Let me take this opportunity to encourage you to “up the ante” on the discipleship you do at home with your kids. This is an important time for all of us to be in the Word to hear the reassuring words of our great God. Encourage your kids to be consistent in their personal devotions (they all surely have enough time on their hands). Be sure to gather as a family and worship during the live stream on Sunday mornings. My family was able to do it this past Sunday and had a wonderful worship experience together. Think of other ways you can creatively engage with God as a family – maybe even outdoors as the weather gets better.
If any special needs arise, please alert us at the church. Our hearts desire is to serve you and our community during this time. Pray for us that we can discern the best way to do that in these uncertain times.
OTHER UPDATES
from Pastor Chuck
Here are some training opportunities, devotionals, and other updates for youth and Youth Leaders :
Youth Leader Webinar Training:
You are invited to join Greg Stier at a free youth leader webinar -"From Apathy to Action: How to Mobilize Teenagers to Lead a Movement." You’ll pick up solid ministry principles from Luke 10 that will activate your students and set your group ablaze for Christ’s mission.
Access the webinar video archive for free: click here.
X-TREEME UPDATE
X-TREEME will no longer meet in person on Sundays until the COVID-19 restrictions are lifted. Please watch for further communications from Pastor Chuck and Jody about how we will continue to connect within those ministries, including DG Groups.
JAM Update
JAM will no longer meet in person on Wednesdays until the COVID-19 restrictions are lifted. However, please watch out for further communications from Pastor Chuck and Jody about how we will continue to connect within those ministries, including DG Groups.
YOUTH IMPACT TRIPS Coming this summer!
For more details about trip locations, cost, expectations, and registration please follow the appropriate link below:
The BLAST Children’s Area will continue to be closed on Sunday mornings until the COVID-19 restrictions are lifted. Please watch for more information from Kristi Smith on how you can continue to engage your children with our BLAST Ministry.
Connect with the Children's Ministry on the BLAST Facebook Group for all the latest updates, ideas, and support.
Sunday School Lessons at Home
Videos & Printable Activity Sheets
SUNDAY SCHOOL VIDEOS - New link:Click hereto access the weekly videos. The videos are password protected. Please email Kristi Smith for the password.
ACTIVITY SHEETS:Click here to access the weekly printable activity sheets.
LifeWay Kids App
Download theLifeway Kids App for more video clips and activities for your family to stay engaged with our journey through Scripture!
Financial Updates &
Continued Giving
WAYS TO GIVE
GIVING & TITHES:We are taking prudent cost-saving measures as a staff during these unprecedented times. However, the financial needs of the church and facility continue, as nearly 71% of our annual budget is “fixed” costs (such as our mortgage, utilities, and salary and benefits costs).
Historically, March is our second biggest giving month of the year. Giving in March remained healthy despite the lack of an in-person Sunday morning offering. We are so thankful for the blessing of God's continued provision by YOUR continued generous giving. Thank you!
We hope you will continue to give as you are able so we can continue to meet the needs of our church body and also work toward our shared goal of spreading the Gospel locally and around the world.
Online giving continues to be the most convenient and preferred method to receive your generous contributions to our ministry efforts. You can contribute in one of the following ways:
CHECK: Mail your check to Midland Evangelical Free Church, 7221 N. Jefferson Ave., Midland, MI 48642.
Thank you!
BULLETIN UPDATE
Financial Focus For 8 months ended 02.29.20
At the end of February, expenses remained below giving, but only because we skipped our mortgage payment for one month due to the refinancing. For the first time this fiscal year, giving was substantially below budget. We are encouraged by the March giving trends so far and continue to trust in God's perfect provision through His people.
Ministry Highlights
SECRET CHURCH 2020 Friday, April 24 • 6:30 pm - 1:00 am Live stream details coming soon
Secret Church 2020 will explore how the gospel transforms the way followers of Jesus relate to governing authorities in any nation for the glory of God in all nations. The purpose of this Secret Church is to establish biblical foundations for understanding how the character of God and the content of the gospel totally transform the way Christians relate to government.
This event will be live streamed. More details and a web link will be coming soon.
Midland's Open Door is still open and functional. The homeless are still among us and still need meals. There are some changes coming up until the Coronavirus restrictions are lifted. If you are healthy, have been self-screening (no symptoms of COVID-19), and are between the ages of 13-64, you can volunteer by helping box to-go lunches.
We need 6 volunteers from our church on each of the following days from 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM to help prepare to-go lunches:
In light of the realities of the most recent Executive Order issued by the Governor on Monday, the Elder Board Forum that was scheduled to live stream on Wednesday, March 25th at 6:30 PM was postponed. We will let you know when this event is rescheduled (hopefully in April).
RUMMAGE SALE CANCELLED
We are sorry to announce that the Rummage Sale scheduled for April 24 & 25 is cancelled. At this time there is no reschedule date, but we will keep you updated as the team makes decisions.
GoLocal Wonderfully Enabled Dance
A ROYAL EVENING CANCELLED
We are sorry to announce that the Wonderfully Enabled Dance scheduled for Saturday, April 18th is cancelled. Thank you to everyone who had already signed up to volunteer. Your willingness to serve was deeply appreciated! At this time there is no reschedule date, but we will keep you updated as the team makes decisions.
