In-Person Worship and Elections

Dear Quail,
This will be my last Friday “Brief Update” for the foreseeable future. Instead, starting this Sunday and continuing on, we will be sending out our new Sunday bulletin on Sunday mornings. This will allow those of you who are continuing to worship from home to get the same bulletin that we will once again be publishing in hard copy for those who attend in person.

The restarted bulletin will contain the same program information and ongoing announcements that we always have had, as well as the sermon outline and the prayer page. For those who are on campus and worshipping “in-person,” you will have the option of a hard copy to pick up and take with you.

One new item

When you attend the service in-person, note your pew section.

We pray that no one who attends will get sick with COVID-19. However, just in case someone who has recently attended Quail comes down with the illness, we wish to be able to make those who were near them aware. To make that easier, each of the pew sections is numbered. The numbers can be seen at the end of the middle pew in each section. The balcony is considered one section. Please note the number of your section each time you come, and if you get sick, please notify us so that we can get the word out. Hopefully, we will never have to use this precaution, but it is good to have it in place!

As we approach the 2020 election, I thought that we would all benefit from viewing a portion of the election year statement from the National Association of Evangelicals. I think that they remind us of some important values. (I have edited this for length.)

Evangelical Statement for the 2020 Election:

As evangelical Christians, we are called by Jesus to love God and to love our neighbor. As citizens who follow this call, we must engage with humility, civility, intellectual rigor and honesty in the complex and contentious social issues that face our nation. We invite all followers of Jesus - whether Democrats, Republicans or Independents - to join us in seeking the health of the nation for the good of all people.

REPENT

We first acknowledge that we have not always loved God and loved our neighbor, and we repent. Despite the example of Jesus and the teaching of Scripture, we have not always displayed the beauty of the Gospel of Jesus or the joyful relationship with Him through faith.

RENEW

Faithful evangelical civic engagement and witness must champion a biblically balanced agenda. We renew our commitment to follow the way of Jesus in our personal lives and our spheres of influence, seeking the flourishing of our communities through just and merciful laws and leadership. This includes:

• Protecting religious freedom and liberty of conscience
• Safeguarding the nature and sanctity of human life
• Strengthening marriages, families and children
• Seeking justice and compassion for the poor and vulnerable
• Pursuing racial justice and reconciliation
• Promoting just peace and restraining violence
• Caring for God’s creation

RESOLVE

The needs of the moment are critical. We resolve to:

• Seek racial justice and reconciliation;
• Uphold a comprehensive pro-life ethic that protects both the unborn and the vulnerable of all ages;
• Embody God’s love for all, treating people with dignity even when we must confront them as required by our Christian conscience and convictions; and
• Pray for all who carry the responsibilities and burdens of leadership.

I hope that you are reading the platforms and positions of the various candidates for local, state and national office and that as you vote, you bathe that decision in prayer and pray for God’s will to be done.

I will see you Sunday either in person or online!

His and Yours,
Pastor Marc