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Give to or Apply for Financial Assistance - go.oslc.com/benevolence
Get Connected in a Life Group - go.oslc.com/lifegroups

I’m so excited to share with you that our elders and pastors have made the decision that beginning this Sunday, we are going to celebrate communion during all of our online services. What a moment it will be to experience the peace, presence, and power of God together in this meal - especially during this time of fear and isolation.

​Here’s what I’m asking you to do. 

• I want you to be thinking about or even discuss with your family what it means to be holy - set apart for a specific purpose. 
• Think about how you’re being intentional with setting apart some bread and wine or grape juice (if that’s your preference) to be used for this specific moment during our Sunday worship.
• Then, go and gather some bread and wine. You can find some around your house or you can go to the grocery store and purchase something specific. The point is to intentionally set aside some bread and wine for communion, this Sunday.
•  Then, have your bread and wine placed in front of you when you worship, this Sunday.
• During the service, I will lead us all to “set aside” (or consecrate) this bread and wine by saying the Words of Institution, together.
• For children and adults who are not receiving communion, your family members will be led to speak a blessing over you.

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What an incredible experience it will be during a time when we are limited due to time and space to receive the grace of the God who is not bound by time or space through His body and blood. Indeed, Jesus is our hope, yesterday, today, and forever.

In this time of social isolation, the church isn’t growing weaker… it’s growing stronger.

As the State of Washington “stays home + stays healthy”, the story of Jesus’ rule and reign continues to play out in real time through His church.

Our Backpacks 4 Kids program and our Abundance Garden continue to respond to the economically disadvantaged and families in need within our local community. Both programs are both considered exempt from Monday’s Executive Order. As a result, we have created safe ways that comply with CDC recommendations for people to participate using a rotating schedule in order to provide social distancing.  With your help, we will continue to place meals and basic necessities into the hands of hundreds of local community families. If you are willing to work alone and don’t mind disinfecting your work space before you leave, you can contact Tracy Schlatter at mrslatte@oslc.com to view the online schedules.

Additionally, even though our Faith in Action days are suspended until we can gather again, we continue to work closely with the Franklin Pierce School District to help provide for the needs of homeless children in our area.

Winter coats of all sizes are being purchased and collected to be given away at our August Back to School Fair. You can hang onto your purchased coats until we can gather together again or make a financial donation at oslc.com/give.

We also want to celebrate that during this time of social isolation:

• A groundswell of encouragement is being shared through homemade masks, cards, notes, and care packages for those on the medical frontlines and in at-risk populations.
• Our Benevolence Fund continues to assist OSLC families with food and basic living necessities during this challenging time.
• This past Sunday, over 2,000 people experienced the power, presence, and love of Jesus in “real time” through our online worship services.
• And so far this week, we’ve seen generations - kids, students, adults, and those Young at Heart - come together to experience Biblical community in a whole new way, online.

Church, we have the promise that by God’s grace, Jesus’ power works best in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Over these past two weeks, I have heard story after story about you living life on mission. You are having spiritual conversations with your children, parents, family members, neighbors, and friends that are helping them find their way back to Jesus. Life Groups are seeking each other out, sharing stories of your hope in Jesus, and bonding in ways we’ve never seen before. Many of you have come together to generously give your time, skills, relationships, and finances to those in need, many times beyond your means.

In these times of social isolation, Jesus’ church isn’t growing weaker… it’s growing stronger.

So, I want to say, “I’m proud of you” and “keep it up”. God is using you to write His greater story in this very moment.

It’s a story of hope in the middle of uncertainty. A story of deep community found in isolation. A story of trust in anxious times. A story of redeeming time with family, friends, and neighbors. A story of creating new spaces to connect and belong, online. A story of generosity far beyond our means. A story that future generations will tell.

A story of disciples who making disciples who love God, love people, and live like Jesus.

Love you more than you know. -pt

I believe that through challenging times, God teaches us new things about Him and ourselves right where we are. Here are three things I've learned this past week as a result of our current pandemic...

1. ​All we have is today because Jesus already has tomorrow. In a world where we literally do not know what tomorrow will bring, the only time we have is the present moment. Kids are home from school. (Many) Adults are home from work. Jobs are changed or lost. Income changes. Worry sets in. Anxiety swells up. All the "what if's"... I'm reminded of Jesus' words, "Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. So don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today's trouble is enough for today.". God is about the present because the future is secure in Jesus' promise, "today, you'll be with me in paradise". Jesus lives in today with us right where we are because He knows He has tomorrow covered.
2. People are people. Last Saturday, I braved the lines at Costco (it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be!). For the most part, people were kind and polite. People are people. Everyone has a degree of fear in their hearts. I mean, who wouldn't? Everyone has a degree of uncertainty on their minds. Again, who doesn't? People are people. To be human is to feel and experience. That's how God made us. We are made in the image of God - and God is a God who feels and experiences with us. Hebrews 4:15 reminds us,  that Jesus is our "High Priest" who understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. Unless you're Jesus, you will give into your fear and anxiety. People are people... and I am thankful Jesus gives me His grace because I'm just a person like him... a guy in need the same grace right where I am. I need the same grace as the guy who took the last two packages of TP at Costco... right in front of me.
3. In a way, OSLC just planted 750+ churches who love God, love people, and live like Jesus. The church (Jesus' people) has always grown and thrived when it was scattered away from the synagogues, steeples, and cathedrals. We now have neighborhood churches (where two or more are gathered together). From University Place and Enumclaw and from Kent down to Hoquiam... the gospel is planted and the church exists right where you are. Pretty incredible, isn't it? Think about it - 750 homes where God's promises found in His Word can be experienced in real and tangible ways. Online worship right where you are. Community among neighbors and family, right where you are. Simple and natural ways to serve with and among your neighbors, right where you are. Don't get me wrong, I can't wait to gather in-person, again. But, in the meantime, it's pretty awesome to see how there is now a church right where you are - on almost every corner and in every neighborhood and community. My prayer is that everyone around each of these homes and families would experience the radical grace and love of Jesus in a fresh, new way through the presence of those who love God, love people, and live like Jesus right where they are.

As challenging as this pandemic is right now, God is still good. God still has this. God still has you. Keep making disciples - connecting, growing, and serving right where you are. It's what the church (you and me) have always done... it's what we always will do.

Love you more than you know. -pt