Our staff met today to come up with some incredible ideas to keep us moving forward and supporting each other during these trying times.  Some of the things we came up with are:
 
+ Brand new LIVE stream worship at 9 a.m. - The worship team and A/V team are working together to develop a 30 minute live service featuring scripture, a contextual sermon, live music, and up-to-the-minute prayers.  After the service you can visit the “virtual narthex” to chat with our pastors (just eat your own donut holes at home).
 
+ Prayer on the 9s - Michael had a great idea to call the congregation to prayer at 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. daily.  Pr. Craig will schedule two simple daily prayer prompts using the prayer petitions from our the prayers of intercession or current events (i.e. for strength for hospital workers, etc.)
 
+ Light for Day Daily Videos - Pr. Steve had the great idea for the pastors to post short messages of inspiration daily to Facebook and YouTube accessible on the front page of our website.  They are already drawing a thousand viewers and new subscribers daily.
 
+ Live Healing Prayer - Joel gave us a great idea to hold a real time online prayer session for healing of all kinds.  Twice a week at 12:15 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. every Wednesday you can join us on Facebook to type the name of a person, situation, or place in our world in need of prayer. Our pastors will speak them aloud saying “Be not afraid,” and we will all collectively respond by typing, “God is with you.”
 
+ Children’s Chats Online - Marissa has the awesome idea to read aloud a book with our kids and their families at 1 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays on Facebook.  Kids and their parents can comment in this fun interactive break in the day!
 
+ Radio Worship - We expect a great deal many new listeners to our beautiful full worship broadcast at 8:30 am every Sunday on KMRY Radio at 93.1 FM and 1450 AM.
 
+ Phone Tree - Pr. Craig is looking for volunteers to help keep our congregation members connected to each other and to the pastors during this time of crisis.  We’re asking for volunteers to each call the same 10 families (especially our elderly) once a week while we are apart.  The callers will relay any health concerns or general needs back to the pastors.
 
+ We are hear for you!  We will always make sure we have a pastor in the church office every day during the week and our sanctuary will remain open for prayer. If there’s anything we can do for you, do not hesitate to ask.
 
Look for more information coming as things develop!

​Peace be with you,
First Lutheran Staff

Members and Friends of First Lutheran Church
 
For the safety and well-being of the community, all worship and church activities are canceled until we receive word from health and government officials that it is safe to resume.  ​ The sanctuary will remain open for personal prayer. The situation is fluid with recommendations for gathering changing daily, therefore the council and staff will continue to monitor the situation and the guidance of government and health officials. The council and staff will provide updates and keep you informed about when worship and activities will resume.
 
We make this decision as a community of faith that seeks the well-being of all, and this means paying attention to the spiritual and physical health of people. We believe that taking action now as a responsible member of the community can serve to slow the spread of the virus.
 
During this time, we will continue to offer worship by posting on the home page a weekly service of song, scripture, message and prayer. We will continue the radio ministry with worship broadcast at 8:30 am on Sundays on KMRY  93.1FM and 1450 AM.
 
We thank you for your support for the work of Christ through prayer and your regular financial giving.  Your generosity is so important for continuing the congregation’s ministries and sustaining First Lutheran operations. Options for making offerings and giving commitments include:

• Personal checks to First Lutheran Church, 1000 3rd Ave SE, Cedar Rapids, IA 52403
• Visit www.firstlutherancr.org and find Simply Giving at the bottom of the page for online giving.

We are taking steps to develop new ways of reaching out and supporting one another during this time. Watch your mailbox, inbox, and First Lutheran social media sites for additional resources and information in the coming weeks. Thank you for keeping in touch with one another and with the church staff to bring your faith and compassion to our community.
 
The Lenten sermon series is “Stories of Restoration,” based on the Gospel of John. We believe that the gospel message of restoration is one we need to hear at this time. We believe God will provide and restore health to our world. As the church and the whole community we will get through this. It will take some time, and so we act patiently with wisdom, faith, and hope each day.
 
God’s Peace and Hope be with you,
Rev. Dr. Steven Knudson
Senior Pastor

Information about ministry offerings effective through March 31st.. This information will be updated regularly and made available on the First Lutheran website as well as social media sites.
 
Worship:

• Special weekly worship service will be posted on the home web page each week.
• You listen on the radio on Sundays at 8:30 a.m. at KMRY 93.1 and 1450 AM.

 
Scripture and Prayer

• We will develop daily devotions and scripture readings to support our Lenten journey. We are developing new ways of posting brief video devotions and staying in touch.
• The church offers the world the gift of prayer. We invite you to pray for one another, for government leaders, for health workers and emergency people in the community, for the well-being of all.

 
Pastoral and Community Care

• During isolating times, it is important for us to keep in touch with one another in appropriate ways, especially through the phone and social media. As the body of Christ, we nurture and encourage one another through prayer and compassion..
• Please contact the pastors if you have any spiritual need. The pastors and the spiritual care ministries of First Lutheran are here to serve.  For care, please call 319-365-1494 and ask for a pastor. We will continue to provide pastoral care and prayer during this time in ways that are appropriate and helpful.

 
Office Hours

• The office will be open regular scheduled times, Monday through Thursday, 8-5 p.m. and Friday, 8-4 p.m.

 
Committees and Outside Groups

• All groups, committees, and gatherings will be canceled through March 31st. Please stay in touch with your group or committee leader for information.
• The building will be closed to all outside groups.
• SEMP will continue to serve meals by providing box meals-to-go on Saturdays for all who come. Ruth Ehrhardt will communicate with serving groups about volunteer needs. 

Our Senior Pr. Steve Knudson made the decision in consultation with pastors, staff, and our church council to cancel all of our worship services at 7:30 Sunday, March 15 based on the direction of our governor, urging leaders of large communities of gathered adults over 60 years old, in which she specifically included churches.  You can her statement pertaining to churches below.  Pr. Steve met with our church council and staff at 5 p.m. Friday and we decided to hold worship unless the governor asked churches in Iowa to close.  So we held worship 5 p.m. Saturday. Governor Reynolds released her statement following our 5 p.m. worship.  We believe her call to action met our church council’s threshold not to meet.  This is difficult decision that Pr. Steve notes ideally we would have had more time to discuss and implement.

We are committed to continue to "care for the flock" during this time and are working on ways to livestream worship in the coming weeks in addition to our weekly sermon video we upload on Sunday afternoon and our live radio broadcast at 8:30 a.m. on KMRY on 93.1 FM and 1450 AM.  
 
This is a challenging time to spiritually lead during a pandemic and we appreciate all your support and helping us get the word out to others.  I have drawn much comfort this week from the Apostle Paul who assures us in Philippians 4:6-7, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”  I pray for God’s peace for you and your family.
 
In Christ,
-Pr. Craig
 
Statement from the Governor:
 
Here is the latest from the Iowa Department of Public Health about COVID19.  Posted 3.14.20
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
DES MOINES - The Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) has been notified of one additional positive case of an Iowan with COVID-19, for a total of 18 positive cases. The individual is an older adult age 61-80, and a resident of Dallas County.  Additionally, IDPH has determined, based on the new COVID-19 case and the announcement this evening of community spread in Omaha, Neb., there is now community spread in our state.
 
Community spread occurs when individuals have been infected with the virus in an area and cannot specifically identify the source of the infection, or do not know how or where they became infected.  Due to the detection of community spread, there are new recommendations for individuals with underlying conditions, and all Iowans should be prepared for cancellations and disruptions in routine activities. Mitigation measures should be implemented immediately to have the most significant impact on slowing the spread of the virus.

Leaders of institutions and organizers of events should begin to act on their contingency plans related to large gatherings, including church services. Iowans should not hold or attend large gatherings of more than 250 people, and consider making adjustments for smaller gatherings with high risk groups.

There is much concern in our society surrounding the Coronavirus and COVID19 sickness it can cause. We want you to know that as a staff your well-being is our top priority and therefore we are monitoring conditions daily and discussing appropriate responses. First and foremost, we encourage everyone to remain calm and consider carefully how we wish to address this together as Christ’s community in this place. We pray for God’s protection for those directly affected, and to guide us all in taking necessary precautions. Our precautions as a Church at this point will be as follows:

Saturday Prayer Shawl Gathering
The Prayer Shawl creation gathering originally scheduled for Saturday Morning is being postponed indefinitely.

Additional Cleaning Taking Place
We will be taking steps to clean and sanitize communal surfaces such as doors, bathrooms, and handrails more often throughout the week.

Coffee & Hospitality
Our volunteers and Staff have been conversing and we have decided that we will suspend our Coffee & Doughnut hospitality for the weekend so as to practice better "social distancing."

Greetings
As announced last week, we will not have our Greeters or Pastors shaking hands, nor will congregants shake hands during the Sharing of the Peace in worship. Even without shaking hands, we may be in contact with common surfaces and have made sanitizer available throughout the building.

Communion
We will still celebrate Holy Communion. Our individual serving Communion cups are washed and sanitized after each use at our traditional services. Communion servers will wash their hands before serving. If you are uncomfortable receiving communion, or using the intinction cup, it is acceptable to receive only one of the elements, trusting that Christ is fully present. It is also acceptable to not participate in communion.

Worship Alternatives
If you are not feeling well, or have a more fragile immune system, we advise you to just stay home. God understands, and so do we. We broadcast a radio message each Sunday morning at 8:30 a.m. on KMRY, 1450 AM or 93.1 FM. You can also watch a video of our sermon each Sunday afternoon on our homepage or youtube.com/firstlutherancr

Going Forward
Any additional updates will be communicated via email, our website and social media channels as needed. We will otherwise continue our ministry and event planning as normal, and there is a lot coming up, so please read on!