Dear NPC Family,
We hope that you are all doing well. Boy, has this been a strange season. I am sorry to say that I fear that things will become much harder as the days linger on. I say this not to dampen the mood. But, I think it is important that we brace for the potential realities that may well be before us.
How then shall we prepare? I think one of the best things we can do when we struggle with depression and anxiety and fear is to read the Psalms. One of the great things about the Psalms is that we see great people of God crying out, “My soul is in deep anguish. How long, Lord, how long? (Ps 6:3). And, “How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?” (Ps 13:1). When we see things like this, we wonder, “are we really allowed to say that to God?” Well, I guess if it’s in the Scriptures it must be okay!
So, I encourage you to meditate deeply on the word. You might choose to begin a “read the Bible in a year program.” You might start in Genesis and then skip to Matthew and revert back and forth through the Old and New Testaments. For those of you with access to a computer, I would encourage you to watch the Bible project videos to help you gain insights into the biblical books before you do your reading each day (https://bibleproject.com/explore/).
Not only is it important to use this time to meditate deeply in the word, but we must become people of prayer. Pray for the kingdom of God to come in peace, healing, wisdom, mercy, and love. Pray for the medical workers. Pray for the sick. Pray for those who are lonely. Pray for the unemployed. Pray for those who are fearful. Pray. Pray. And when you are done Pray some more.
As for the church, session continues to monitor events. We will continue broadcasting our services via Facebook Live on the NPC Facebook page. However, we have been convinced that having you sit on your couches and just consume the service is not best. So we will do our best to get some elements to your via email so that you can be prepared to participate: meaning, be prepared to read the Scripture or creed aloud along with Pastor Rob; or be prepared to spend a moment in prayer and devotion alone or with those in your home. Let’s do our best to make the service as interactive as possible.
Next week is Holy Week. Pastor Rob will offer a Facebook Live devotion every night during Holy Week on https://www.facebook.com/rob.dalrymple.79 (Mon-Thur 6:00pm and Friday at noon; remember that Facebook live means that you can watch live at the given time and even interact; but it is also recorded and can be viewed at a later time as well.)
As for the activities of the Church, well, there are not many. We really believe it is important to stay at home and do our part to not pass this virus along so that we are not a burden on our medical community. Thus, the office and the facility is completely shut down.
The deacons and some key volunteers, however, have been working hard to help meet the needs of our members and those in need during this difficult time. Twenty families were serviced last weekend with food boxes. If you have any needs please contact us and let us know. We are here to help!
Finally, we want to encourage everyone to utilize online giving. Please visit northpres.org and click on the give tab. You will need to have a paypal account. If you don’t have one click on the “Give now” button on the Northpres website and then click on the “signup now” button on the top right of the PayPal page. Then follow the steps to set up your account. Once you set that account up, and are logged in click on the send/request tab. Enter “treasurer@northpres.org” and the amount you want to donate. You can also donate through you bank or financial institution. You can always give by sending a check to the office at 3700 Union Ave, 93305. If you wish to contribute to the deacon’s fund to help offset some of their expenses during this time, just note that on your contribution.
In Christ,
Pastor Rob and Your Session
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If you want more info about what is going on at the church, or how to get involved at NPC, please email the church office at info@northpres.org
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