March 13th Update

We are entering into a time of unprecedented fear and anxiety in our communities, schools, workplaces, churches, and homes. We want to encourage you that we are doing everything possible to keep track of any new developments regarding COVID-19. The staff and eldership of Surprise Christian Church have been in ongoing discussion on how to address corona virus going forward. All possibilities are on the table and we are working hard to ensure the physical, mental, and spiritual health of all members of Surprise Christian Church. We have created a link that we will post on our website, social media, and here in this email so that you can follow all our updates as a church as we continue to address this virus. https://my.surprise.church/covid-19. As we monitor the virus, we will continue to update you via email and this page of any changes that we will be making as a church. However, at this time, we have decided to continue having services as planned this weekend.

We have seen the recent developments in several organizations as they have made the decision to postpone their gatherings until further notice. We have seen the response of the sports industry (NBA, NFL, NHL, MLB, NCAA, etc...), theme parks (Disney), cruise lines (Carnival, Disney, etc...), Universities (ASU, GCU, etc...) schools, and large church organizations (The LDS church, CCV, etc...). We are in 100 percent support of these large organizations taking extra precautions of not wanting to have massive groups of people gathered in one place during this time.

However, we as a leadership team have decided that we are not at as high of a risk of these much bigger gatherings of further contributing to the spread of the disease. Because of the size of our church, we believe that it still safe to continue to have gatherings if we take the necessary precautions. This may change and we want to make sure that we have a solid plan to address the situation if we do deem it necessary to cancel our gatherings. We want to make sure we are in full compliance with Imagine Prep, the city of Surprise, and the rest of the nation in addressing COVID-19. We as a staff team have been working on all digital services for Children's, Youth, and Adult services. If we are unable to meet, we will utilize these online resources to continue to gather as a body. 

Again, we will update you on those changes, times for services, where to watch, and other necessary information via email, social media, and this link https://my.surprise.church/covid-19.

I want to take a minute to remind you of these extremely important precautions.

1. We will sanitize frequently touched surfaces after service such as doors, handles, tables, water fountains, check-in stations, and sinks. (We would appreciate additional volunteers to help us in our effort to sanitize the facility. Please stick around after services and help us keep our facility clean.)
2. Our staff and volunteer teams will wash their hands frequently and will be asked to stay home if they are sick.
3. Offering buckets will be relocated to the back of the auditorium, so you don't need to pass them down the row. Remember, you can also give online.
4. Communion will be moved onto tables on each side of the gym. This will remove the need to pass the communion down the aisles. Additionally, communion wafers and juice will be put in individual cups.
5. The "Orange Bibles" have been moved to the back of the worship room.
6. Imagine Prep has participated in the necessary sanitation measures required by the CDC. Their cleaning crew is doing a deep clean with sanitization every Friday so the facility will be well sanitized before we arrive.
7. In addition to keeping our campus clean, we will be taking extra care of our kids' spaces. Kids' toys and rooms will be sanitized before and after every service.

During this time, we are asking you to help stop the spread of the virus in the following ways:

1. Stay at home when you or a family member are sick. (Services are posted online each week so that you don't miss the service).
2. 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.
3. Cover your sneeze or cough with a tissue or your arm.
4. Get in the habit of NOT touching your face so often.
5. Substitute shaking hands at church with a wave or a friendly smile.
6. If you or someone you know tests positive for COVID-19, please let us know so we can find a way to help, pray for everyone involved, and take any necessary precautions here at Surprise Christian Church.

I want to stress that we as a team are taking the spread of COVID-19 very seriously and encourage you to do the same. We are called to love God and love our neighbors. One way to show love to your neighbor is by being cautious and prepared! The plan of making a strong effort to participate in social distancing is an effective plan. Do not make any unnecessary trips or take any unnecessary risks that might expose yourself, your families, or your neighbors to COVID-19. 

As a church, we must do everything within our power to be a light of hope within this time of trial for our communities, country, and our world. Christians have the greatest and only true hope and that hope is Christ. We will be transitioning our current series to discussing for the next few weeks how Christ is our Hope. This weekend, we will have guests Jordan and Ember Stangler who are missionaries in Uganda, Africa. They are doing some amazing work bringing the hope of Christ to Uganda and they will be updating our church body this weekend on their progress. There will also be an opportunity to support them in their ministry.

In this time of uncertainty, we must remember that our refuge is found in Christ. I want to remind you of 2 Samuel 22:31 which says: "God-his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is pure. He is a shield to all who take refuge in him.". There are three parts to this passage. First, God's ways are perfect. Even when we don't see it or understand it, we know that God is in control and His ways are better than our ways. Put your hope and trust in that truth. Second, the word of the Lord is pure. Part of our motivation in gathering this Sunday is that we must not cease encouraging one another with the word of the Lord; we should be encouraging each other even more in times of trial! I ask that you encourage your family and friends, life them up by reminding them of the pure word of our Lord. Finally, He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him. TAKE REFUGE IN HIM. He will guide you and protect you. Meditate on His word, worship Him, and join me in prayer to Him for our world and our communities. I pray that God pour out abundant blessings on you and your family. I hope to see you Sunday.

Sincerely, 

Drew Carroll 

Lead Pastor