This Week at FCC...

A Letter From Our Pastor

• Dear FCC Family,
  I hope everyone is waking up to a new and beautiful day with the Lord.  I know some of you have been asking about whether or not we are meeting together for worship on Sunday.  The elders and I have been working on how we can meet but stay under the 50 person limit that the Mayor was suggesting.  However, yesterday a lot changed. The Governor of Texas issued an executive order for every person in Texas. Order No. 1 says, “In accordance with the Guidelines from the President and the CDC, every person in Texas shall avoid social gatherings in groups of more than 10 people.”  This directly affects us as a church family and to gather on Sunday morning.
  With the above executive order in mind, as well as hearing that Midland does have it’s first confirmed case of the COVID-19 virus. The Elders and I met last night and decided that we will not be gathering together at 5206 N. Midland Dr to worship our Lord and King.  We as a people under the Lordship of Christ want to honor the Lord by submitting to His word out of Romans 13:1 which says, “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.”  
  We truly are living in an unprecedented time but all the more there is a need for us not to be fearful but discerning.  The Lord is still on the throne and we are His people and so we move forward by faith trusting in Him to lead and direct our steps through this season we are in.  
  Even though we will not be gathering together at 5206 North Midland Dr., we are still going to gather in our homes and have a worship service via online.  Robin and I are meeting today to discuss worship and our service. The Online service will start at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday and there will be a live feed for all of you to take part in.
  For us as a fellowship here are the recommendations we are making for us so that we not only comply with the Governor’s Executive order but also watch out for each other and our community.  Although this virus is not killing most who have been infected, it can and has killed those with weakened immune systems so we do need to be vigilant.
  
  1. We want to encourage all those who are elderly or at risk to stay home and join us online for worship.  We have people in our congregation that have respiratory issues and whose immune systems have been lowered and so we want you to stay where you are and worship with us from home.
  2. We also want to encourage all our families with young children to stay at home and join us online for worship.  
  3. If you are feeling a little under the weather then please stay at home and worship with us online.
  4. If you have been out of the Permian Basin and travelled in any of the affected areas then please stay at home and worship with us.  Most if not all of the major cities in Texas have been affected.
  5. If you are healthy and want to gather with others from FCC then please stay under the limit of 10 in keeping with the Governor’s order.  If we are gathering in homes then practice the social distancing that is being recommended.
  6. We will not be having Sunday School or Sunday Evening Prayer.
  Here is what you can expect from us, the Elders, in the next few days.
  
  1. We, the Elders and myself, will still be meeting Sunday morning to pray and talk about how we as a fellowship stay connected to one another even while being apart.  We are asking you all to pray for us.
  2. Even though we are cancelling Sunday Evening Prayer we are working on holding prayer vigils during this time of quarantine.  We will still be a fellowship very engaged in prayer and intercession.
  3. We, as Elders, will also be asking the Lord how He would have us stay on mission of being a Christ-Centered Acts 1:8 Church.  We have an incredible calling of going and making disciples. The mission is not shelved but we are seeking the Lord for creative ways to reach out and share the Gospel in a very stressed and hurting community.  With this in mind, we need to be flexible and open to how the Holy Spirit would lead and direct our steps.
  4. As your Pastor, I have felt the Lord calling me to be more involved and active in equipping you the saints.  I am putting out a video blog for at least three to four days a week to give you updates as well as a short devotional from God’s word.  I am also trying to set-up a Facebook live feed where you and I can interact with each other as we look at God’s word together.
  5. I am still very available to each of you and can be reached anytime so please don’t hesitate to call.  
  6. We also want you to use our website and send in prayer requests as needed.
  What you can expect from this Sunday’s Worship
  
  1. We will start at exactly 10:30 a.m., Lord willing, if all goes well with our internet.
  2. We will have a time of Announcements
  3. We will spend time in worship as Robin leads us.
  4. There will be prayer for tithes and offerings.  This is the tricky one concerning our worship of the Lord.  For this Sunday, we are asking either you go to our website at midlandalliance.church and give online or you write out a check and send it to us by mail.  
  5. We will have a prayer break time.  For this Sunday it may be me giving some instruction and praying as well as allowing you all at home to pray for one another.  We are working at making it possible in this season to have an interactive time in prayer via our online service where you could type in your prayer request and all who are viewing can see it & be praying..
  6. We will have a reading of Scripture, followed with a message from me.
  I know I have given a lot of information but want you all to know that each of you are loved and we are diligently seeking the Lord to lead and direct us.  This we can be very confident in, His Grace is our sufficiency, His love for us is our security, His goodness to us never ceases. Let us draw near to the Lord God and lean upon Him. 
  Love you all and look forward to seeing you online.
  Blessings in Christ Jesus,
  Pastor Lonnie
  

Tithes and Offerings
In order to limit unnecessary transference, we ask that you would consider the giving of your tithes and offerings online via the green button found at the bottom of every page on our website. If you are unable to do so you may send in your check by mail to the church office. 

Teachers Training Postponed
In light of recent events, the mandatory teacher training scheduled for Saturday, March 28th, will be postponed. We will keep you posted on when this training will be rescheduled.

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We need some help getting the Christmas decoration taken down and put away. We will gather Saturday, January 11th, at 4:00 p.m. With enough help, we should be done fairly quickly. A pizza dinner will follow.  

​Beginning Sunday, January 12th, immediately following the morning worship service, a new class exploring membership here at FCC will begin. Anyone interested in becoming a church member should make plans to attend. There will be three classes, on the 12th, 19th and 26th, all following the worship service. Lunch will be provided. Attending classes does not commit you to membership but will better help you in making that important decision. If you have any questions, please speak with Pastor Lonnie as soon as possible.