In-Person Service Update
June 1, 2020
Weeks ago we realized that flexibility was going to be an essential trait for us as a church family in the months ahead, and that has proven to be true. Again we will need flexibility as we make more adjustments to our times of gathering on Sundays. Beginning this Sunday (and continuing for the foreseeable future) we will have two options for attending a Sunday morning service. The service times will be 9:00 am and 10:45 am. Offering two services and utilizing an overflow area will allow us to follow the recommendations from the Washington County health department of keeping gatherings at 25% of occupancy. For these services, you will NOT need to sign-up ahead of time. The first 75 individuals will be directed to find a seat in the auditorium. After we have reached 75 in the auditorium, seating in the foyer will be provided as an overflow seating area. As always, the cry rooms will be reserved for families with young children.
We hope this service schedule and plan will help us provide an environment that provides safe distancing while also allowing us to gather as a church family and worship God together. As we have said before, we understand that each within our church family are evaluating their social engagements right now, and we are all reaching different conclusions based on our individual needs and concerns. In light of this we encourage those who are unable to attend in person on Sunday to stream the 9:00 service on our website: firstbaptistwb.org/watch-live.
In-Person Services on Sunday
May 14, 2020
Church Family,
In light of the Wisconsin Supreme Court's ruling yesterday, we are planning on having our Worship service at our church building this Sunday. There will be no other ministries happening at the church building this Sunday, but the Worship service. For the Worship service, we will be limiting the size of the gathering and structuring the service in a way that provides a setting that allows for many within our church family to be comfortable attending. Because of limiting the size of each service we will be holding three identical services (9 am, 10:30 am, and noon) and leaving time between services for the building to be cleaned. To help us spread the congregation between the three services we are using an online sign-up platform. You can sign up by following the instructions at this link: Sunday Services for FBC West Bend. Like usual the 9 am service will still be streamed for those who are unable to attend the service.
- Sign up for a service time to attend by clicking on the "Sunday Services for FBC West Bend" link and then clicking the "Select Time" icon and choosing what service you will be attending.
- Arrive for the service no more than 10 minutes before your service time.
- Hand sanitizer will be provided at the entrance to the auditorium.
- Sit as a family or individually. Leave empty seats between groups. Every other row will be removed to ensure that there is space between different groups.
- Parents, please keep your children with you at all times.
- Although we will be happy to see each other, please love each other well by respecting that each person in our congregation is responding to this differently. We will be refraining from handshaking and other close contact.
- In order to limit what is touched by multiple people, doors will be propped open, offering plates will not be passed, and bulletins will not be offered.
- Each cry room will be reserved for families with small children and babies due to the fact that we will not be having any child care for these services.
These plans are made out of a desire to consider others as more significant than ourselves (Philippians 2:3-4) and in light of a Scripture that repeatedly sets the command of loving our neighbor. We as pastors understand that some will think we could do less and some will desire us to do more in areas. Our thought on how we structure the service and implement some protections is motivated by the love that Romans 14-15 calls each of us to when the church has differences on wisdom issues, and we challenge each of us in the church to walk in the Spirit so that love can be part of the fruit in our life. I wish I could make each of you read this article on navigating potentially conflict in reopening church services. I can't make you read it, but I do encourage you to, as there is real potential for danger ahead for every church.
Looking forward to seeing you Sunday.
Pastor Luke Love
Instructions for Streaming Sunday's Service
As another Sunday nears we will still be unable to gather as a church. We still have the ability to study the Word and worship God. Online is not ideal, but it is a tool that we can utilize and be thankful for. Even though we are unable to gather as a church family, you are still encouraged to gather with others in your house and view the service together.
Moving the church from gathering at the building to being online has meant that the number of those streaming has risen substantially. We are thankful for all those streaming, but it has meant that we need to adjust some of the technology we use for streaming. Here are a few ways to watch the service now - church website, Facebook Live, YouTube, and a Deaf Livestream. Please choose the one that is most convenient for you.
Church Website
Facebook Live
YouTube Channel
Deaf Livestream
Problems during the service?
We also encourage you to comment on the Facebook livestream if you notice any issues.
COVID-19 Announcement
March 17, 2020 COVID-19 UPDATE:
Online Service: Due to the new instructions being passed down by our governor of gatherings over 50 people now restricted, we will for the time being move our Sunday services to being entirely online. Unlike last Sunday when some chose and were able to attend the service in the building, this Sunday the only option will be to view the service online. This is not ideal, as this is not the church body coming together to worship and encourage each other, but we are thankful for the ability we have to still gather through an online service. If you know of someone in our church family who is unable to stream the service, please let Pastor David Hinz know.
Stream live on our website: Watch Live.
March 14, 2020 COVID-19 Letter from our Pastor:
It is difficult to know where to begin as I know this letter will be one of many letters that have been posted concerning the COVID-19 virus. There has been an onslaught of information and announcements over the past week, and in many ways the situation has changed on an hourly basis which has made it difficult to know how to plan as church leadership. As leadership of the church we have been attempting to gain information from different sources (government and medical), so that we can make an informed decision.
This morning (March 14), the pastors and deacons gathered to prayerfully consider how we respond to our purpose to glorify God, our command to honor our government, our desire to love one another, and our concern for our testimony in the community. We know our God is in control and we know we are to respond in trust of God’s sovereign plan and love for others in need, but a call that says we need to trust God, is not a call to ignore the potential danger or put others in unnecessary danger.
In light of all that, the following decisions have been made regarding our church ministries until further notice:
- Morning Services: Our only service at the church building will be our normal 9:00 a.m. morning service. This service will be adjusted in many ways to minimize contact and with the focus being on online streaming as we know many in our church family will be choosing to be a part of our service through streaming the service.
- No Children’s Ministries or ABFs (adult Bible Fellowships): There will be no children’s ministries, nursery, ABFs, or evening ministries. We welcome families to stay together throughout the entire worship service, utilize one of the cry rooms, or take part of the service through on-line streaming.
- Attendance: We know each individual has to consider numerous factors as they think through all their activities right now, and as a church we respect that different decisions will be made. We are encouraging those who are in a higher risk age group or have pre-existing issues to utilize our online streaming (if unable to stream the service we will make sure you receive a recording of the service). For those who are feeling ill or have recently traveled from high risk areas, we are asking that you show love for your brothers and sisters in Christ and take part in the service through online streaming.
- Encouraging Community and Care: Even though many within our church body will be unable to gather with us, we want to be intentional in encouraging care for each other and community. We are working on online discussion forums to be able to participate during the service and share prayer requests with the church family.
- Online Giving: An aspect of our worship is also our offerings to God. To allow those who are unable to gather physically with us to still worship God through giving, we will be enabling an online giving platform in the next few days. Once that has been establish, we will pass on more information.
Church family, please pray. Pray for your church family, pray for the community that God placed us in right now to minister to and proclaim a gospel of hope to many who are in fear, and pray for our gospel partners of which many of them have been dealing with the impact of this virus for months.
Communication will be vital for the life of our church in the coming weeks, so please do not hesitate to reach out to the church office (info@firstbaptistwb.org), a pastor, or deacon if you need specific prayer, physical help, or if you know of another in our church family who could use assistance. In the coming weeks we will each have to be more creative and intentional to be faithful to love one another, encourage one another, and care for one another.
I’m encouraged that these events are not the first events that have caused Christ’s church to adjust. Far greater challenges for the church have arisen over the centuries, yet in all of that Christ’s church has continued to exalt God, edify believers, and evangelize the world.
In Prayer,
Pastor Luke Love
The Riot and the Dance: Water
POSTPONED TBD
2 exclusive screenings of the NEWLY RELEASED documentary on God's Glory in Creation
Come see The Riot and the Dance: Water on Saturday, March 28th at First Baptist Church in West Bend, WI. We'll have 2 screenings - 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. This God-glorifying nature documentary was produced in partnership with Classical Conversations.
Directed by author and filmmaker N. D. Wilson (The River Thief, Notes from the Tilt-a-Whirl), The Riot and the Dance is narrated by Gordon Wilson and inspired by his biology textbook of the same name. It’s a rare and much-needed film that combines beautiful, Planet Earth-style high-definition footage with insightful theological commentary and acknowledgment that this beautiful planet is not just an accident. It’s a masterpiece.
Concessions will be available. You'll also have a chance to win some door prizes! This is a kid-friendly event.
Tickets are free, but donations will be accepted throughout the evening in support of a Missions Trip Fundraiser to Peru. Please sign-up as space is limited!
Biblical Counseling Training
Be trained to be a certified Biblical counselor, through the ministry of Biblical Counseling Center. We live in a world filled with individuals who are struggling and hurting. The heart of this counseling training is to equip our church to minister to those individuals within our church and our community. The training classes begin on January 15, meeting Wednesday evenings at 6:30 p.m. This is a 23-week commitment, and the cost is $100. Deadline to sign-up is this Sunday, January 5. Questions can be directed to Pastor Caleb.
Wednesday Bible Study
Join Pastor Dave as he leads a time of coming together in the middle of the week to be refreshed through an in-depth study of God's Word. The Wednesday Bible Study will begin on January 15 at 6:30 and runs through May 27.
The class is called "Walking In the Footsteps of the Bible." This class is designed for both the newer as well as seasoned student of the Bible of any age (seriously, any aged learner is welcome to attend). Learn how the land, locations and customs mentioned in the Bible can have a significant impact on our understanding of Scripture.
Even if you are unable to commit to regular attendance, you are welcome to attend. Each week's content will be very different from the previous and will benefit even for those who can only make it to a few classes. Printed and/or digital handouts will be provided, so those individuals don't have to miss out. (Also, for those who want to dig in deep to this study, Pastor Dave will have a wealth of recommended resources to browse and optional assignments available which will help you to benefit even greater.)
Pastor Dave says, "This is one of my very favorite classes to teach because I have heard from many how it had transformed the way they read the Bible and affected their understanding of God's sovereign plan to highlight His grace to the world using Israel to showcasing Himself and His Gospel. Designing and teaching this class has deepened my love for God, His Word, His land and people, and I hope it will do the same for you!"
If you are considering coming to the first class, please email Pastor Dave so he can have a general idea how many to set up for and have handouts ready for. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact him.
Adult Bible Fellowship
Our new Adult Bible Fellowships begin January 6. This time has been designed to encourage the church to know, minister, and encourage each other as we study God's Word together. Please make plans to be a part of your class as we begin this new ministry together.
Age-appropriate classes are also available for children and teens, as well as a staffed nursery.
Prayer Week 2020
Sunday, January 6, begins a week of prayer as we begin another year of ministry as a church. As you look at the early church in the book of Acts, there is a repeated theme of their devotion to prayer. This is a devotion that Paul calls us to have as well (Romans 12:12). And so as we start a new year we have set aside the first week to be devoted to prayer. There will be new prayer journals in the foyer Sunday, our services Sunday will be focused on prayer, and on Saturday, January 11, everyone is encouraged to stop by the church building for a time of prayer.
Doctrine Class - Spring 2020
The final segment in our study of doctrine begins Sunday evening, January 12 at 6 p.m. This year we will be studying the doctrine of the church and end times. If you would like to be a part of this class, please contact Pastor Luke.