Graham friends,
A lot has changed in the past week. God hasn’t. Graham’s mission doesn’t change – but our strategy does. We can and must “be the church” during this crisis. We really believe that our church is not a place or a building, it’s who we are. We are now finding out how much we’re willing to operate on that principle. This is an unprecedented opportunity for you and I as the Graham Church family to trust God and love our neighbors.
If we understand the CDC’s advice, it might be eight weeks before we are able to come together again. The future is uncertain so we must make prudent plans. Below I’ve tried to answer some questions about how we can continue being the church and how you can glorify and enjoy God even in uncharted circumstances.
How can we worship together?
We are livestreaming the Graham Church service each Sunday at 10:00 AM.
You can watch the service on the Graham Church FaceBook page, or at grahamchurch.org, or through the Graham app on your smart phone or tablet.
We are working hard to correct glitches and improve the stream. We say thank you to our tech team and the music team. If you need help with streaming, please call or message the office and someone will assist you. If you don’t have the ability to stream, contact us and we’ll try to set you up with someone you can join to watch on Sunday.
If you can’t join us online at 10 AM Sunday, the service will be posted on YouTube and you’ll be able to access it later from the church website under “Watch Live”.
During the week we regularly post updates and words of encouragement on the Graham Church FaceBook page and Instagram.
How can you give?
We are so thankful for sacrificial, generous givers like you who make Graham’s ministry possible. We are scaling back expenses where we can in order to be wise and careful with God’s money. However, there are ongoing expenses. You can give in two ways:
Give online at Pushpay https://pushpay.com/pay/
Mail donations in to Graham Church, 7320 Beard Rd, Perry, MI 48872
What about Graham’s groups? Community groups, Bible studies, small groups.
We plan to help our small groups and classes to resume as soon as possible through online meetings. The church has subscribed to Zoom, a video-conferencing service which allows groups of up to 100 to meet online. Some groups may choose to meet through other platforms such as FaceBook live, Skype, or Google Hangouts.
If you are a group leader, we should be contacting you shortly with recommendations and assistance.
Who can help me?
Some of our people are “self-isolating” (a term I never heard before a few days ago).
If you are choosing to isolate at home to stay safe, eventually you’re going to need groceries, prescriptions, and other practical supplies. We have a long list of volunteers who would like to help you shop or run errands. They can drop off food or supplies at your door. We want to help. Please let us know!
If you are willing to have someone run to the store for you or assist you in another way, please contact a pastor, call the church office, or text us.
If you get sick, please call us. We can pray, counsel and assist in practical ways. By doing that, you are blessing us by allowing God’s people to show neighbor love.
What if you need pastoral care or if you have questions?
We are available. Please call the church office at 517.675.5401 or call a pastor. Messages left on the church phone are received by all the staff. You are welcome to contact us personally by phone, email, or text.
Mike Hixson – 517.896.5212, mike@grahamchurch.org
John Schlaack – 517.881.8309, jschlaack@grahamcc.org
Our other elder-pastors are John Murphy, Brandon Philip, and Phil Harlan. This is new to all of us, so if you have suggestions how we can do this better, please let us know.
What about the future?
No one knows. But God does. We stand in the blood of Jesus Christ and the power of his Holy Spirit. We know that God can do all things, and that no purpose of his can be thwarted. (Job 42:2)
Standing in his grace,