TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2020

RETURN-TO-FELLOWSHIP TARGET DATES: WEDNESDAY, MAY 27th, and SUNDAY, MAY 31st. We’re seemingly on track for Sunday the 31st, but we will not be able to accommodate anyone for this week’s Midweek Bible Study for tomorrow evening (May 27). With the work on the building, we’re still just not quite ready to go.

Sunday the 31st is still in our sites—so please stay posted—we’ll get information out to you one way or the other by Saturday the 30th. 

I need to add this as a bit of a disclaimer: the work on the building has been great, but one particular Proverb comes to mind. Proverbs 14:4—“Where no oxen are, the trough is clean; but much increase comes by the strength of an ox.” In other words, if you want to get work done, you must be willing to accept the reality of a MESS. And, well…we’ve got a bit of a mess that will need some attention. So, if you’d like to contribute some of your time and your personal elbow grease to the process this week, please let us know! Send us an email (office@calvaryozarks.org) and we’ll be in touch. There will be at least a little bit of a crew there on WEDNESDAY at 11:00am to get after some of it.

I’d like to add something here. I came across a “funny/not funny” post on social media the other day and shared it to the church’s Facebook page. It provided a request for prayer as well as a bunch of differing opinions about what pastors are to do about the pandemic that the world is enduring: 

• YOU CAN’T OPEN THE BUILDING YET! IT IS A HUGE HEALTH RISK! YOU ARE WRONG IF YOU DO.
• IT IS ALL A BIG HOAX! A CONSPIRACY! A MEDIA FRENZY! READ THIS ARTICLE! THIS LINK! DON’T BE AFRAID!
• MY WIFE, HUSBAND, DAD, GRANDPARENT… UNCLE… SISTER… BROTHER… NIECE… JUST PASSED AWAY FROM COVID-19.
• HERE ARE THE 25 THINGS YOU NEED TO DO IF YOU WANT TO MEET IN YOUR BUILDING AGAIN.
• MY FAMILY IS GOING TO STAY HOME FOR AWHILE BEFORE COMING BACK. SORRY CAN’T BE THERE.
• DON’T EVER OPEN THE BUILDING AGAIN! HOME IS SO MUCH BETTER!
• And finally, this opinion: WE NEED TO OPEN THE CHURCH BUILDING! I NEED TO BE THERE AND SEE EVERYONE! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!?

The obvious double dilemma: 1) I’m never going to make everyone happy - and I’m never going to attempt to do so (that’s not part of my calling), and 2) I have a degree of understanding about just about all of those opinions. We’re not all going to fully degree on just about ANY of this, and we don’t have to fully agree—but we do need to LOVE one another no matter what. So, CCO saints, let’s insist upon loving each other and praying for each other! Let’s insist upon the cross as our example instead of our opinions as our emphasis.

Be on the lookout for another update this week about the TARGET DATE of Sunday the 31st!

Tons of blessing,

Pastor Jeremy