Dear Church Family, I know many of you have been following the news and wondering about the reopening of our church. I want to share with you our plans at this time and also several other pieces of information contained in this email. The Phase I guidelines issued by our governor this week begin with these words, “Houses of worship should conduct as many of their activities as possible remotely.” While restaurants, movie theaters, and even some churches are opening this weekend, we have made the decision to continue our online-only format for the next few weeks. Following the governor’s announcement concerning Phase II which is scheduled mid-May, we will reevaluate and make further decisions. As pastor, I want you to know how much I miss seeing you each Sunday, and I know you miss seeing each other. However, the way a church operates is different than many other aspects of society, and we want to make sure the steps we take are in the best interest of all our members and our community. Because we are able to worship online and many groups are meeting together via technology, we believe it is best to follow that same pattern at this time. So until further notice, life and ministry through our church will continue as it has for the past seven weeks. Like you, I am prayerful that an end to this crisis is on the horizon. In fact, these weeks demand more prayer for wisdom for our national, state, and local leaders, and your church staff appreciates being part of your daily prayers as well. Thank you for your encouragement, prayers, and financial support. You are enabling our church to engage in tremendous ministry opportunities born out of this crisis. And yes, I still believe the best is yet to come! Dr. Brent Taylor Join us online on Sunday mornings for the pastor's new sermon series based on the life of Elijah. These messages will encourage us to strengthen our faith in God as we continue to navigate these unchartered waters of COVID-19. Be sure to share our broadcasts and invite friends to join us online for worship! 9:30 am Celebration Worship Watch live on our Facebook page or firstfields.tv. Counseling & Emotional Support Errands & Household Chores Connecting with Others Food & Other Assistance How to Give?• Give online at firstfields.org/give Many in our community have experienced the financial effects of COVID-19 and have been left in need of groceries and essential items. It is the mission of the Friendship House to meet those needs. In an effort to continue lending a hand to neighbors and friends, we will be hosting "Run for the House" - a virtual running event and fundraiser benefiting the Friendship House. Join us May 29-31 as we raise support (and maintain social distance) by completing your choice of a 1-mile, 5k, or 10k run or walk. Whether it's on treadmills, sidewalks, or trails, we'll be united in support of the Friendship House as it serves our community. Register by May 13 to get a t-shirt. We are the Woods family, and we were asked to share a little bit about our COVID-19 journey with our church family. For those of you that don’t know us, Dustin works as a financial advisor for USAA, and Amy is a physician-anesthesiologist at Parkland Hospital in Dallas. We have three children: Dylan (age 24), Tyler (age 13), and Payton (age 9). We joined First Baptist Carrollton in 2006 and since then, Dustin has served with the bus ministry, as an usher, and most recently on the Budget & Finance Committee. Amy is a Bible Drill teacher, taking over as the 6th grade leader last year. Prior to the pandemic, our lives were nothing short of BUSY. Between our work, our home life, our volunteer efforts, and our kids’ school and activities, we found ourselves going, going, going. We felt convicted for a long time that God was telling us to SLOW DOWN. But everything we were doing was GOOD, so it was hard to decide exactly how to go about doing that. Then the whole world slowed down. We all of a sudden found ourselves with nothing upcoming on the calendar. At first, all we could focus on were the things we were missing out on . . . the Bible Drill and speech competitions, the hockey games and gymnastics practices, the trip to New Zealand (that one hurt). Then something happened. When we stopped focusing on the things we were missing, we began to see so many blessings! There are no more busy school nights or weekends packed with activities. We actually have time to enjoy each other. We have game nights and pool days. We exercise as a family. We cook as a family. We talk more. We read the Bible and pray together so much more than we ever did before. We participated in the Lord’s Supper IN OUR HOME, just the four of us. As an anesthesiologist, Amy is on the front line of the pandemic and doing high-risk procedures with patients, at times without proper protection due to the nationwide PPE shortage. In the beginning, there were some sleepless nights and anxious mornings before heading into the hospital. BUT GOD! With prayer, He took those anxious thoughts away (Matthew 6:34) and replaced them with songs of encouragement - songs like “God of Angel Armies,” “His Strength is Perfect,” and “In the Garden.” God had friends and family members call or text that they were praying for us (we felt it!), and it was always at a time that we needed a little encouragement. At every turn, we saw God’s hands at work in our lives, and through this, we have learned to trust Him so much more. One day last week at the hospital, as Amy was given her daily mask ration, she was told that there were not enough supplies, and this one mask would have to last her indefinitely. We were concerned what this would mean for Amy and her colleagues. Every night the kids have been praying for protection for those involved in the fight against COVID-19. BUT GOD! An anonymous donor just gave the hospital a substantial supply of masks, and Amy is now able to get a new mask each day. As a family, our faith has been strengthened, and our relationships with one another have been strengthened. Yes, we lost some things when the world shut down, but we have gained so much more than we ever imagined. We ask that our church family join us in praying for the healthcare workers and hospital employees that are fighting COVID-19 – not only that they would have the wisdom needed to best care for their patients, but that they would have the equipment and supplies needed to do it safely. Thank you! We love our First Fields Family! |