Summer Camp is an experience like none other! Students have an opportunity to build friendships and encounter God in a new way. This will be one of the best weeks for your student with strategically planned adventure activities and powerful worship services. $290 per camper includes all events, housing, meals, and a t-shirt. Elementary and Jr. High camps will both be hosted at Grace Adventures Camp from August 15th – 18th.
https://www.summercamp.church/
Register for Summer Camp @ Summer Camp Registration Link
We would like to further address the COVID cases that our church family is experiencing right now.
One of the number one things that draws most of us to our little church is that we operate as family. We put value in creating services where we are active participants in the ministries that worship our Father and bring the Kingdom of Heaven to our world. We live in a time where we are facing a pandemic and virus that are real and present in our community. Our county and state have seen an increase in COVID cases over the past few weeks, and that increase has now hit our community and church. Sadly, there are now at least 9 families within our congregation who are experiencing this nasty virus.
We made the decision, when the restrictions were lifted this past summer, to go back to in person services with hand sanitizing stations and a masked only area where you could come and feel safe to socially distance. We encouraged people to wear masks if they felt more comfortable to do so. We encouraged people to not congregate after service. We also made the conscious decision to not allow the virus to stand in the way of operating as a family. We are family. We are a family with a purpose. Sometimes operating in this way will put us at risk of certain attacks; Spiritual or viral. We are experiencing that attack right now. The very sudden appearance of these cases began after our gathering on March 21st. It’s important to note that this was sudden. The first confirmed case was the Friday before last week’s gathering and soon more followed. Because of these cases, we are making the hard decision to cancel our in person service this week. We will still broadcast a service on our facebook page at 10am this Sunday and celebrate the empty tomb together; but we will have to celebrate it together virtually.
On one hand, the decision to cancel our service is difficult because one of the best parts of family is the face to face support, prayers and fellowship. On the other hand, the decision to cancel our service is easy. When you love people, you sacrifice for them. While operating as a family, we expose ourselves to the risk of this virus, but our family is also what will keep us whole. We have proven that we can function as an online congregation and come out stronger and more whole because of it. We, as a church, have adopted Ezekiel’s prophetic dream of the stream that starts under the temple and grows to become a deep, wide, and powerful river. This river is a statement of how God moves in our world. As we go into our community, the Kingdom of Heaven becomes more powerful. We are a congregation of people who continually go into our community and further the gospel with the love of Christ. Our family consists of health care workers, social workers, people who work in food and service, people who work with the needy, people who have family members they care for, business owners, and volunteers. We need health. We need all our people to get and stay healthy because we stand in belief that as we are able to do our work, we are able to take part in the extension of the Kingdom of God which is deeper and wider and more powerful as we reach farther into our community. We will continue to pray that Holy Spirit delivers healing to the people who have fallen ill to this virus. Until the kingdom of God is fully realized and Jesus comes back, we will take necessary precautions which allow our family to continue to move in their purpose.
We will be going online only this week as we continue to allow everyone to get healthy. We will keep you updated on our plans for the following week. We want to make certain that we are trending back to health, and also give room to adjust our plans, if necessary. We love you all and will continue to pray for health, healing and blessings.
The church board of Prayer & Praise
March 12, 2020
Dear Church Family,
At Prayer & Praise Assembly of God we want to care for our congregation in all respects, including the physical well-being of our community. To that end, we are asking you, our church family, to take precautions to keep yourself and others safe, especially in light of recent developments with the Coronavirus (COVID-19). At this point in time, there are 2 confirmed cases in Michigan. While we do not have any confirmed cases here in Ludington, we want to inform you of our readiness in preventing the spread of viruses.
At this time, health officials are not recommending the cancellation of public events or Sunday services. Prayer & Praise will remain open, and we will continue to have services on Sundays and midweek programming. Your well-being and safety are of primary importance to us. Here’s how we are committed to keeping our campus clean and safe:
- We will not pass offering baskets during our services but will have them available on the way out of the Worship Center and in the Lobby. As always, you can give online by visiting our website at www.pandp.org.
- We sanitize highly touched surfaces before and after services such as doors, handles, tables, café areas, drinking fountains, check-in stations, and bathrooms.
- We have hand-sanitizing stations around the church and encourage their frequent use.
- We will continue to thoroughly sanitize all children’s toys and play areas. This is a regular practice at our church.
- We will continue to serve coffee but will have disinfectant wipes to use to wipe down any surfaces.
We encourage you to take every precaution to keep yourself and others safe. You can help stop the spread of viruses in the following ways:
- Stay home when you or your family members are sick. Prayer & Praise does live stream our Sunday service on Facebook and we encourage you to watch from home if you are sick.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom, before eating, and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.
- When we have the time of greeting during services, we recommend you greet each other with smiles and waves instead of handshakes.
- Cover your face when sneezing or coughing and get in the habit of not touching your face.
- If you are returning from a high-alert area, we urge you to consider refraining from attending church events, classes, and services for the recommended 14-day time frame.
- If you or someone you know tests positive for COVID-19, please let us know right away so we can find a way to help, pray for everyone involved, and take the necessary precautions here at Prayer & Praise.
We must also remember that God has not called us to live in fear but in faith. As Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 1:7 NIV, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.”
Together we have faith to receive everything that God has promised to us by His word. We will continue to experience a wonderful, Spirit-filled atmosphere at our services, and we look forward to ministering to you each week.
This is what we know at this point time and will keep you updated as additional information becomes available from public health officials.
In the meantime, please go to https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html or https://www.michigan.gov/coronavirus for the most current information.
Pastor Henrik Lidman
Prayer & Praise Assembly of God