5.10.20 Update from Lifehouse
Recently, the state of Indiana introduced a 5 stage process for re-opening the state. This process allows the gradual return of the various businesses, connections, and gatherings over the next two months. We know that the very idea of returning to some form of “normal” is exciting to some and scary to others. We understand your feelings and your desires to both gather in worship again and to do all things moving forward in the safest way possible.
We are prayerfully discerning how we will open Lifehouse gatherings back up in the coming weeks. We take this decision very seriously and approach it with the same care and concern for the health and safety of our community as we did in our decision to suspend gatherings.
As you know, with situations like this, our decisions must be fluid and flexible as things can change rather quickly. For that reason, we do not feel that we must rush to make a decision on when we will worship together at our physical locations. We are blessed to operate from a position of strength and can provide quality worship at our online campus as we prayerfully discern the best steps forward.
At this time, we have developed a tentative plan for moving forward that is tied to the 5 stages of re-opening from the state of Indiana. Should the dates on the various stages change, the plan is that our timeline changes along with those stages. Additionally, as we continue to pray, we may decide to alter our timeline on our own. Thus the fluid nature of the plan.
Our current plan can be seen in the chart below. Allow me to stress again that this is a fluid and flexible plan. All elements of this plan are subject to change in response to how we feel the Holy Spirit is leading us, the various changes in the circumstances in our communities, and the any changes in the guidelines set out by the state of Indiana.
I know that you are all wondering when we will gather together in worship at one of our three physical campuses. At this time, we have not eliminated June 14th as a potential date (we have not selected that date either). However, we do know that we will NOT gather at our physical campuses before June 14th. Our online campus has proven to be a valuable means of worship and connection and we believe we all can continue to grow in our faith online for a while longer as we continue to ensure the safety and health of our communities.
Please continue to pray for the leadership of Lifehouse as we continue to pray and discern. We long to see your faces again and worship alongside you, but we need to be patient as we seek to do the right thing. God has blessed this body of believers and will continue to do so no matter where we worship. So, for the time being, see you online!!
3.31.20 A Note from Pastor Tony
Hello friends,
I know I don’t have to tell you, but the past few weeks have been interesting and strange in comparison to what we consider “normal”. However, during this time of fear and anxiety, I am so very proud of the people of Lifehouse. Because of our Kingdom first mindset, we were able to pivot quickly to a new way of doing ministry in a social-distancing world knowing that Lifehouse would not fall back in fear, but rather step out courageously into new frontiers for the Kingdom of God.
Through partnerships with other agencies, organizations, and churches, we are embracing the opportunity to feed more families than ever before through our feeding ministries. Our ministry teams have rallied together to provide high quality and effective discipleship resources online for every age group. Our worship services are streaming online and are interactive and designed to offer every aspect of our corporate worship, with the exception of physical proximity, on your device. We have partnered with the Fort Wayne community to be a pick-up and drop off location for medical masks to serve the community, hospitals, and nursing homes. I could continue listing all the great things Lifehouse is doing, but I think you get the point. The Church is still alive and active in breathing hope into fear and anxiety in our communities.
One of the unfortunate side-effects of us not meeting together in person is that giving inevitably declines. This is not because people don’t desire to give. Rather it is the result of not having the regular opportunity, every Sunday, to place his/her giving in an offering as a part of worship.
Your generosity is important to the mission of Lifehouse to share the full life of Jesus with as many people as possible. For that reason, as well as the fact that your giving is an important part of your spiritual growth, I want to encourage you to continue giving to your church.
Before I go any further, we understand that you may find yourself in circumstances that cause you to not be able to give during this time due to financial hardships. If you find yourself experiencing this and need help, please contact the church and let us help you with your need. Allow us to be a breath of hope for you.
For those still able to give, but finding yourself wondering how you can continue to be generous during this time, below are the three ways you can continue to worship God through generosity and support the mission of Lifehouse.
ONLING GIVING - The easiest and most secure giving platform at our disposal. Simply visit www.lifehousefw.com/give and follow the simply on-screen prompts to begin giving digitally to the mission of Jesus. You can even set it up for recurring giving so you will be sure not to miss an opportunity to be generous.
TEXT TO GIVE – Using the same safe and secure system as our online giving, you can also text your generosity. To get started simply text the word “GIVE” to 260-203-1213. After you set up your giving through text, future gifts can happen by simply texting the amount you want to give to that number.
MAIL – The tried and true postal service is still alive and well. You can mail your checks of generosity to: Lifehouse Church, PO BOX 426, Huntertown, IN 46748.
Because of your generosity, Lifehouse is financially strong. Because of your continued generosity, we will remain strong.
Thank you for your partnership at Lifehouse. You are such an important part of the mission of the church and changing lives in our communities by sharing the full life of Jesus with as many people as possible.
May God bless you and keep you. May His face shine upon you. May His favor rest on you.
In Partnership With You,
Pastor Tony Johnson
3.23.20 Update from Lifehouse
Greetings Lifehouse friends!
Today, March 23, 2020, Governor Holcomb issued a “stay-at-home” order for the state of Indiana. This means that non-essential travel should cease and only essential activities should resume. For some of you, this creates little change in the routine you have settled into over the past couple of weeks. For others, this will cause another significant change to your routine.
I want you to know that the impact that these sacrifices have on your emotional, psychological, and mental well-being are not lost on us. We are praying for you in that regard and we celebrate your willingness to do your part for the greater good during this time. Your sacrifices and willingness to change is a statement to your care and love for the community in which you live and call home.
This new order does not affect our plan moving forward as a church. We have already started rolling out various new ways to connect with one another and serve our community. This order simply amplifies the need for new and creative ways for the Body of Christ to gather together in Christian community and, even more importantly, serve those who need the hope that only the Church can offer.
We encourage you to lean into the various ways in which Lifehouse is connecting online to help you grow in your faith and give you opportunities to contribute to our local communities through life-giving service.
Social distancing is not social isolation. We encourage you to continue to connect with Lifehouse in every way possible.
We are in prayer for you and you are on our hearts. While we may not be able to gather together physically, which we long to do again, we love the opportunities we have to connect through technology. So, lean in. Stay connected. Grow closer to Jesus. And let’s show the world what the Church can do when we commit to being all that God has called us to be.
3.13.20 Update from Lifehouse
At Lifehouse, we take our responsibility for the spiritual care and leadership of our community very seriously. Like you, we have been tracking the spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus) and have been in intentional discussions about our response with the single objective of doing the right thing for our members and our community. In light of recent developments, I would like to share with you the precautions we are taking as a church to do our part in protecting you and those in our community.
We have been working with our Health Outreach Team, Safety Team, and various medical professionals as well as paying close attention to recommendations from the CDC and government agencies. On March 12th, Governor Holcomb initiated an order that all non-essential gatherings be limited to less than 250 people within the state of Indiana. This affects one of our three campuses directly.
For this reason, Lifehouse will be suspending our corporate worship gatherings at all of our campuses and worshipping solely at our online campus (www.lifehousefw.com). While the Governor’s orders do not include all of our campuses because of size, we feel strongly that we have a moral and social responsibility to our community to lead the way in doing all we can to slow the spread of COVID-19.
We encourage you to join us at your regularly scheduled worship time for our online stream to engage in worship virtually. We know that is not the same as worshipping in person, but this is only for a season and we still believe it is important to stay connected to your faith community, especially during a time like this. We think you will enjoy the new and improved features that will allow worship to be more interactive and engaging for you on our stream (lifehousefw.com).
In addition to the changes to our worship, we are implementing the following alterations to our normal schedule as follows.
-When/if NACS closes, Lifehouse Central Offices will also close. The majority of our staff can work remotely and we will continue to do the work of the church. Lifehouse will still be alive and well, the physical office itself will simply be closed to the public. You can still contact the church by emailing info@lifehousefw.com or calling 260-637-3798 and leaving a message.
-Additionally, when/if NACS closes, Lifehouse Preschool and Daycare will also be closed and will resume service when NACS is back in session.
-The following programs and ministries are suspended until further notice effective Sunday, March 15th: Kids Live & Small Groups, Confirmation, Clothing Ministries, MomLife, Trivia Night, Men’s Breakfast, Handbell practices, Pickleball, Basketball, Euchre, FP Community Breakfast, and all other events of Lifehouse and outside events.
-Our Feeding Ministries and the Warming Center will continue with to operate with alterations and additional procedures in place to ensure safety for all parties.
-Our Visitation and Care Ministries will continue to provide care and pastoral assistance to those in need. We will continue to monitor the situation and ensure that we provide care in a way that ensure the safety of all people and our community. If changes to our procedures change, we will communicate that accordingly.
Lifehouse Church is committed to doing our part to ensure the safety of our entire community and you can help by practicing tried and true routine infection control measures including:
-Wash your hands frequently
-Cover your cough or sneeze
-Don’t go to work or school with a fever
-Avoid unnecessary travel
-Get every vaccine recommended for you
It is also recommended that you limit all unnecessary person to person contact for more than 5 minutes and utilize take-out, drive through, and package delivery when possible.
Let me reiterate that we have a social responsibility to care for our community. When situations like this arise, it is easy to be frustrated by the inconveniences that it causes. However, these steps are important steps to take in collaboration with so many other entities to ensure the safety and well-being of people we call neighbors and friends.
Any time you feel inconvenienced by all that is happening, remember, these precautions may not be for you, but they may save the life of someone more vulnerable than you.
Thank you for your partnership as we do our part as an important part of society.
CDC Information
Visit CDC WebsiteAllen County Information
Visit Allen County WebsiteCOVID-19 Hotline
260-449-4499