The Weekly Epistle 3/18/20

“Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”
 Matthew 6:33 (KJV)
 
Dear EBC Family, 
 
We often seek peace and joy and fail to find them. We often fail to find them because we are often searching in the wrong place. We cry out to Jesus, saying, “Lord, why won’t you give me peace? Why won’t you give me joy?” And his silent response asks with clairvoyant conviction, “Why won’t you seek me?”
 
COVID-19 is disrupting our lives. If I have learned anything in my 33-year journey of faith, it is this, Jesus uses disruptions to draw us towards what matters most, Himself. By disruption, Jesus removes the distractions and says, “Follow Me.” Please don’t waist this pandemic. Please don’t suppress fear and anxiety simply by binge-watching Netflix. Please don’t hunker down just to endure this trial. Jesus has already proclaimed, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand” (Mark 1:15)
 
Turn to Jesus at this time. With him, you will find the peace and joy you seek.
 
Here are a few updates concerning the body life of EBC during this time…

ALL ON AND OFF CAMPUS ACTIVITIES ARE ON HIATUS
There will be no onsite services or activities hosted at or by EBC for at least the next two weeks, including all services, activities, and community groups.
 
REMOTE WORSHIP
Sunday morning services will be posted online every Sunday by 10:45 AM and will include both the ministry of music and the Word. 
 
WEDNESDAYS IN THE WORD
A Bible teaching from Pastor Brian will be posted online each Wednesday evening. 
 
DAILY REFLECTIONS
Starting next week, we will distribute a weekly prayer guide with daily meditations to support you in your journey of faith.
 
VIRTUAL COMMUNITY GROUPS
Plans are underway to continue Community Groups via Zoom, an online video conferencing system. Zoom is similar to FaceTime or Google Hangouts. Stay tuned for more information.
 
ONLINE AND MAIIL-IN GIVING
You can continue to give online at laconiachurch.com, or you can mail checks to 50 Washington Street, Laconia, NH 03246. If you have any questions about remote giving, please contact the office at office@ebclaconia.com. 
 
 
OFFICE HOURS
The office will remain active at this time, but all employees will be working primarily from home. Please contact Corianne via email (corianne@ebclaconia.com) or mobile (603-731-8083) if you need assistance from the office.
 
MARRIAGE CONFERENCE
The marriage conference has been postponed. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t work on your marriage during this time. We will be rescheduling for a later date to be determined. Paul Trip has several excellent online resources available. Check him out on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/pdtripp) and his webpage, paultripp.com.
 
PRAYER
Please continue to share prayer requests online with the private EBC Facebook Group (shorturl.at/aglMR) or via email at office@ebclaconia.com.
 
That’s all we have for you now. Please be patient as we adjust to this new way of doing church. We will continue to be in contact.

Please continue to pray for Pastor Brian and Donna as they are traveling for a funeral. 

Grace & Peace, 
 
Pastor Dan