Updates and Announcements (4.7.20)

Updates
Written By Valerie Catrow

Reminder About City Church Events

As restrictions on gatherings continue, all in-person City Church events are canceled until further notice. 

Good Morning, City Church

As we are in Holy Week, Good Morning, City Church will take a break from the Daily Office Lectionary and focus on the final days of Jesus's life as told in the book of Luke.

New episodes are published on our website each weekday morning by 6am. You can also find us on iTunes, Spotify, and other podcast catchers.

Good Friday

Join us via Zoom at noon on Friday and take part in a liturgy for Good Friday, the day commemorating Jesus's death on the cross. (Meeting ID: 549 123 7601)

City Church Read-Alouds

We're in the process of posting videos of members of the City Church community reading aloud from the Jesus Storybook Bible, and we've already got several up and ready to go. Head to our website to access these videos or find us on YouTube! 

Share Your Videos!

We need your help. We need you to send us a landscape video of you (and your family or roommates) saying—hey, even SHOUTING!—“Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!” Please send your video to Val at val@citychurchrva.com by Wednesday, April 8th. We’re working on something special for you.

Zoom Gatherings

Here's what we've got lined up. We hope you'll join us as you're able.

WEDNESDAY PRAYER
Even though we can't be together in person, we are continuing our tradition of praying together on the 2nd, 4th, and 5th Wednesdays of the month. Join us this Wednesday at 6:30am via Zoom (Meeting ID: 446 682 529).

WOMEN'S MINISTRY
We have two standing meetings available for women. First, the women from our Wednesday morning Bible study plan to meet on Monday evenings at 8pm, and ALL ladies are welcome to join. Access that meeting via this link (Meeting ID: 326 961 861 / Password: 097534) — that meeting is recurring, so you can use that link each week. Second, we're going to continue last week's lunchtime Zoom get-together and meet on Thursdays at 12pm. Access that meeting via this link (Meeting ID: 600 285 389 / Password: 043618) — that meeting is also recurring.

CHILDREN'S MINISTRY
On Wednesdays at 6:30pm, we have our weekly Zoom meet-up with our upper elementary City Kids via this link (Meeting ID: 549 123 7601). This will give the kids a chance to see one another, read the Bible together, and talk about how things are going. 

On Thursdays at 10:30am, Jennifer will host a Zoom lesson with our Children's Worship kids. Access that meeting via this link (Meeting ID: 987 306 615 / Password: 527153).

Jennifer will be meeting with our nursery-age children (and their parents!) at 9am on Fridays to share a Bible lesson, touch base with the kids and their families, and just give them a chance to connect with each other. You can access that meeting via this link (Meeting ID: 257 810 405 / Password: 585661) each week.

Our Youth Group (middle school and up) will continue to meet virtually every Sunday at 7pm via this link (Meeting ID: 549 123 7601). 

FAITH & WORK ROUNDTABLE: WHEN WORK DOESN'T GO OUR WAY
Join us on Thursday, April 16th for our next Faith & Work Roundtable and take part in a conversation on how being a follower of Jesus affects how we approach failures, unmet expectations, and unexpected changes in our work. JB Burtch, City Church’s Director of Mentoring, will share from his years of experience in the workforce and help guide us in our discussion. We'll meet from 7:30pm to 9pm on Zoom (meeting ID 700 025 286). ⁠

Serving Others

WELCOMING BABY BUTLER!
Juliette, Dave, and Emma Lou Butler welcomed a baby boy named Jack on Monday, March 31st. Jack weighed in at 7 pounds, 12 ounces and measured 20.5 inches long. We’ve set up a meal calendar for them that you can access on our Member Care page. We strongly encourage takeout and delivery options, keeping contact as low as possible. We hope you’ll consider sending a meal to the Butlers as they adjust to life as a family of four!

GOOD FRIDAY BLOOD DRIVE
Grace Covenant will still host its annual Good Friday Blood Drive, this Friday, April 10th, 9am to 3pm. Appointments are required. To make an appointment visit redcrossblood.org, search the ZIP code 23220, and scroll down to Grace Covenant's listing. Check out the Red Cross's website for information on safety precautions taken during blood drives currently.

We are working to identify other ways City Church can be of service to one another and the city we call home during this time. We will share updates on those opportunities as they become available. 

Staying Connected, Getting in Touch

During this time when we can't be in the same physical space, it's important that we make an intentional effort to stay connected in other ways.

In addition to encouraging you to check in one another via phone calls, text messages, and emails, we want to offer a chance for us to connect more broadly. We would love for you to write a blog post or record a brief video or audio update sharing what this strange time is like for you and how you are seeking (and seeing!) Jesus in the midst of it. We hope to share these posts via this email newsletter, our website, and our social media channels.

We've been fortunate to hear from a few folks already. If you haven't yet, we hope you'll take a moment to visit our blog to read what they've shared.

If you have something you'd like to share, email it to Val (val@citychurchrva.com) or contact her with ideas, suggestions, or questions.

We also want to encourage you to get in touch with the church staff if you are in need of anything, or are aware of someone else who is. Our email addresses are listed below. We've also included an email address you can use to reach the City Church deacons. Our deacons are here to help with tangible needs you might have, and they are ready and willing. Please reach out if there's something you need.

Remember: we're all in this together, and caring for each other is what we do.

Valerie Catrow
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