Hey Fairfax,
Even though we were not able to gather physically this weekend, we saw God work in some amazing ways! First of all, the engagement level was incredible! We had over 2,700 adults attend our three online services. In addition, we had 200 students and leaders who engaged our two Instagram livestreams for middle school and high school students. And lots of parents and kids viewed the resources that were made available on our Fairfax Kids Facebook page. It was the largest non-holiday attendance in the history of our church (even when you combine our normal onsite attendance with our typical online attendance). Amazing!!
In addition to the numbers, relational engagement was also very high! There was lots of interaction on all of our platforms. Perhaps most encouraging were the number of first-time guests who joined us. Many were there because of your invitations! Please continue to reach out to your friends and invite them to join us online. Many individuals who are hesitant to walk into a church building, will watch online. All three of our weekend services this next weekend will once again be online-only. To watch the livestream on our website, just click here. To watch the service on our Facebook page, go to Facebook.com/Fairfaxcc. You can invite your friends by sending them either one of those links!
As most of you are already aware, the entire country is being asked to limit gatherings to 10 or less through March 31 and to remain in our homes as much as possible. This is all in an effort to “flatten the curve” of the Coronavirus spread and to help assure that our medical facilities and medical personnel are not overwhelmed. In light of this, we will extend our current gathering protocol (online-only weekend services, online-only small group gatherings and closure of our building) through March 31. We will continue to monitor the situation and keep you informed of any changes. If you would like to see a more comprehensive explanation of our current protocol, you can find that here. As we have said from the beginning, Jesus calls us to love our neighbors. So, we want to do what is most loving for our community, whether we are mandated to or not.
We are in the process of creating a new online platform where, in one place, you can find all of the resources we have available to help you connect and grow during this season. It’s called “Fairfax At Home”. The concept is simple. We want to bring as much of the church into your home as possible. Just because we can’t be in God’s house, doesn’t mean He can’t be in ours! We are praying that God will use these resources to strengthen your faith and bring you hope. We are praying that God will be your shelter as you shelter in place.
There is little doubt that we are facing unprecedented challenges. But we are also facing unprecedented opportunities. The restrictions we are facing in terms of gathering physically are forcing us to be intentional about connecting in new and creative ways. We are finding new ways to BE the church. We have always said that the church is not a building. But now, we are being forced to live that out in real time. No beta tests. No trial periods. No practice sessions. God is saying, “This is not a drill. This is as real as it gets.” There are some things the church is doing in this unique time that may only last for a season. But something bigger is happening. I sense that God is using this moment to reshape his church. We’ve seen God do this in the past and I think he is doing it again. Hang on!
Stay safe. Be wise. Pray fervently. Love genuinely. Trust God. And don’t forget to smile!!!
I love you!
Rod