News – Emmanuel Baptist Church

*Updated November 26, 2020.

Dear EBC family and community,

As I’m sure you’ve heard by now, a new set of restrictions has been issued by the provincial government this week, and among them is a cap on the amount of people who can gather together. Churches, like every other establishment, are not allowed to have gatherings of more than 30 people.

Our leadership team had a good meeting this afternoon where we discussed these matters. As citizens of the kingdom of God, we know that our ultimate authority is not the government but the Lord Jesus Christ. And yet our Lord has instructed us in His word to have a disposition of respect, honour, submission and obedience to the human authorities over us (Titus 3:1-2, Romans 13:1-7, 1 Peter 2:13-17). Certainly there are times where the church has to say, “we must obey God rather than man” (Acts 5:29). We do not believe, given the present circumstances, that such a stance is necessary nor appropriate at this time.

As a team of leaders, we are united in our conviction that obeying and honouring the Lord Jesus means complying with these present measures. At the same time, this does not mean that our life together as a church will grind to a halt. We can’t be all together as a church, but in the meantime we are still permitted to gather in smaller settings which will allow us a healthy measure of fellowship and edification.

And so that’s our plan for this Sunday and the next few weeks. We will have four gatherings of no more than 30 people each, each led and hosted by one of the board members. These gatherings will happen at 10:30 am in the auditorium at our EBC building, the the Fellowship Hall, and then in the chapel and student lounge at Nipawin Bible College. A fifth group, if needed, will meet in the gym at NBC.

These gatherings will be a bit of a hybrid between a Sunday worship service and a small group gathering. We’ll sing two or three songs, read Scripture, hope to have a good time of prayer and sharing together, and watch a sermon which I’ll pre-record. We are encouraging small groups to stay together in these gatherings, to help build on those established relationships.

You’ll need to register for a group so that we can keep our numbers in a good place. You can do so at https://ebcnipawin.ca/events/sunday-gatherings/. Please register sooner than later, so that we’ll know if we need to run a fifth gathering.

Also, it probably goes without saying, but there will be no Sunday School this week.

If you have any questions about these Sunday gatherings, please let me know. We are trusting that these gatherings in the next few weeks will be edifying and encouraging, even as we long to be all together as a church family again. Let’s pray that the Lord brings that day soon!

Grateful to serve Jesus with you,

Pastor Chris

Provincial Guidelines

Please make yourself familiar with the official guidelines at this link.
Those who are “medically vulnerable are strongly encouraged to delay their return to services and continue to participate in services online, where possible.” Furthermore, we ask that you stay home if you are sick or have any symptoms associated with COVID-19.
“All physical contact, such as handshaking or passing objects between individuals, is not permitted.” We also ask that physical distancing be maintained between household units.
Masks must be worn at all times. Please bring your own mask if possible. We will have some available for those unable to supply their own.

Seating Guidelines

Chairs will be arranged in rows which have been spaced 6’ apart. Within each row, the chairs themselves have been spaced a few inches apart from each other, so that if we leave three empty chairs in between family units we will be maintaining proper social distancing.
Please do not move chairs around, as the proper spacing is important.
We also ask that, if possible general, you remain seated once you have taken your seat until the service starts.