To the beloved parishioners of St. John, I greet you in the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. As your pastor, I truly miss worshipping and fellowshipping with you, for I have not seen most of you since March 15, 2020. Nonetheless, like you, I am blessed to still be alive. In other words, “In The Midst Of It All, God Is Keeping Us Alive.”
I trust that each of you are doing well, and I want to encourage you to continue to do all that you can to be healthy. Since we do not have a cure yet for this Coronavirus, we must be safe by sheltering in place, washing our hands with soap and warm water frequently for at least 20 seconds, avoid touching our face, maintaining at least 6 feet distance from people if in the public, refrain from being in crowds consisting of more than 10 people and wear a mask when in public. Since the next two weeks are projected to be terrible in the United States, I strongly encourage everyone to try to refrain from leaving your house which is the safest and best approach you can take. If you experience runny nose, sneezing, coughing, sore throat, fever and shortness of breath, seek medical care immediately.
Moreover, pray mightily (at least 3 times daily—1st prayer between 12-6 am) for God’s mercy because this Coronavirus might be a display of God’s wrath since churches are failing to do what God desires and since the world has become so corrupt. Also, pray for God to protect us and caregivers from this virus, heal those infected by this virus, provide a cure for this virus and bring this virus under control.
Though we are blessed to have no reported deaths among us due to the Coronavirus, we have two parishioners who were called from earth to glory since the last time we convened: Min. Frederick Dabbs and Sis. Katherine Humphrey. Please pray and reach out to their families with love.
Concerning giving, I want to thank many of you who are still financially supporting our church, for two weeks ago, we received about 60% of what we typically receive on the 4th week of the month. Last week, we received 80% of what we typically receive on the 5th week of the month. I recognize that some are struggling financially perhaps because of loss of income due to this Coronavirus; however, many of us are still financially blessed. If God is blessing you to still receive income, please don’t forget to support St. John financially on a regular basis while we are deprived from assembling together. You have three options concerning your giving: 1) Mail your Tithes and Offerings to the South Campus (662 South 52nd Street—Richmond, CA 94804), 2) Give online by going through our website (www.sjmbc.org) or 3) Set aside weekly your Tithes and Offerings and give the total amount (individual checks, one check or cash) the Sunday we resume corporate worship.
Furthermore, I hope you are blessed by my Sunday messages on podcast. We had over 5000 listeners the first week, so since so many are listening and encouraging others to listen, we plan to proclaim another short message which should be available early Sunday morning through our website (www.sjmbc.org). If you have not done so, please “Join Our Mailing List” on our website which is under “Contact Us.”
Lastly, while experiencing this pandemic, remember my message which I shared two weeks ago: “See The Salvation Of The Lord” (Ex. 14:13-14). Yes, life has become a tremendous challenge in the last few weeks, but God is going to get us through all of this! Hence, in the meantime, God wants us to also do what He did on the 7th day of Creation and what He wants us to do weekly on the Christian Sabbath Day: REST!!!
May God Bless And Sustain Each Of Us.
Your Servant In Christ,
Dr. Kevin B. Hall, Pastor