TSH COVID-19 Announcement
by PM | March 21, 2020
On March-17 Governor Baker issued an emergency order limiting gatherings to 25 individuals and prohibiting on-premises consumption of food or drink at bars and restaurants.
See Official MA Website: https://www.mass.gov/info-The call of the church to provide pastoral care to its members doesn’t change when global pandemics strike. Uncertain times call for church creativity. We must rethink and restructure what church looks like to protect our congregation while continuing our ministry work. Therefore, at TSH we are implementing the following:
1) Small group meetings (less than 10 people) will continue at TSH. If anyone is experiencing cold-flu symptoms or have recently arrived from a foreign country in the last 14-days, we kindly ask that you stay home.
2) Wednesday Night Prayer meetings (less than 10 people) for the healing of this nation will continue with a small group of prayer-intercessors. If anyone is experiencing cold-flu symptoms or have recently arrived from a foreign country in the last 14-days, we kindly ask that you stay home.
3) For now, we are planning to continue Sunday Worship Services at the Dedham-Westwood Campus (current attendance less than 20). If anyone is experiencing cold-flu symptoms or have recently arrived from a foreign country in the last 14-days, we kindly ask that you stay home.
4) For now, our Sunday Worship Services at the Woburn Campus are cancelled for the next two weeks. We will have online content (ZOOM meetings?). TBD and TBA soon. We will re-evaluate the status of the Woburn campus after 2 weeks.
5) I am encouraging Family/Small Group Study of His Word & Prayer Meetings (less than 10 people) – I will be sending out Weekly TSH for daily “family” devotionals.
6) We must support the members of our local communities with the help they need. We will be reaching out to non-profit organizations in Woburn to see what we can do in the coming weeks.
7) Please continue to be faithful in your weekly giving (Matthew 6:1-33). You can give via TSH online link: http://www.tshmin.org/
Martin Luther, the primary leader of the Reformation, lived in Germany during the era of the deadly Bubonic Plague. Regarding that time of crisis, he wrote: "I shall ask God mercifully to protect us. Then I shall fumigate, help purify the air, administer medicine and take it. I shall avoid places and persons where my presence is not needed in order not to become contaminated and thus perchance inflict and pollute others and so cause their death as a result of my negligence. If God should wish to take me, he will surely find me and I have done what he has expected of me and so I am not responsible for either my own death or the death of others. If my neighbor needs me however I shall not avoid place or person but will go freely as stated above. See, this is such a God-fearing faith because it is neither brash nor foolhardy and does not tempt God." (Luther's Works, Volume 43, p.132).
Martin Luther was not a perfect man by any means, but he was obviously gifted with extraordinary wisdom for an unspeakably difficult time.
In-Christ-4-U,
PM
References:
1) https://telioslaw.com/blog/
2) https://www.christianitytoday.
3) https://www.mass.gov/info-