BY PASTOR JËAN ROSS
It’s hard to believe that we are nearing the halfway point of 2020 and without a doubt the last 5 months have been some of the strangest in recent memory! Who would have believed in January that the global economy would grind to a halt, millions would need to “shelter in place,” churches and businesses would close, major sports events postponed, graduations cancelled and the wearing of masks would become the new normal. What a strange turn of events! Yet despite these challenges we are thankful for our church family and the ability to stay connected through social media.
I thought it would be good to give you an update on how our church is weathering the storm.
The economic slowdown has certainly impacted us, we were $10,000 short of our church budget in March, however due to your sacrificial giving in April we not only met our goal but exceeded it by $2,500. Praise the Lord!
As you can imagine, our online attendance has skyrocketed. From March 13 to May 20 our church service has had an amazing 7.6M Facebook views, 110,000 comments, and 185,000 shares! We have had more people request Bible Study from Amazing Facts than ever before, so despite the CoronaVirus challenges the Spirit is working in a mighty way. Pastor Doug says, “I’m amazed at how many people around the world consider themselves part of the Granite Bay Hilltop church family and faithfully tune in every week to worship with us.”
I’ve asked our leadership team to give a short update on what’s been happening in their respective areas of ministry during the shutdown.
Pastor Shawn Brummund writes, “After the completion of the Great Controversy study series I helped co-host with Carlos Muñoz, I began another online live Facebook ministry entitled: These Last Days - Ready or Not, Here He Comes! An in-depth study into the prophecies and truths of 1 & 2 Thessalonians. We meet three times a week for an hour (Mondays & Wednesdays @ 7 PM & Sabbaths @ 4 PM). I have had the blessed opportunity to study, visit and clear two more precious souls for baptism and have a third person that also wants to be baptized as soon as the virus threat is over. This is all as a follow-up to the last evangelistic series we conducted in Folsom. I have also been continuing phone visitation, marriage counseling, and visiting some who have reached out and are comfortable with personal visits in their homes.”
Pastor Luccas Rodor reports, “The period of quarantine has seen much more activity than I had expected! While we were not able to physically visit practically anyone, virtual meetings, visits and bible studies were in full throttle. Throughout the course of these past few months, there have been zoom worship meetings for the church children (primary, junior, early teen and pathfinder ages) happening three times per week (average of about 15-25 kids). The Adventurers Club, led by Joy Proctor, has held Sabbath School for the younger children on Sabbaths. Another thing that happened throughout this time was a weekly live stream Friday vespers targeting the young adults (available on the Facebook page Adventist Living), where several biblical topics were covered. In addition to that, daily Sabbath School videos were provided to enhance their SS lesson study. Also, we’ve been able to study the bible consistently with 5 people, four of which are prepared and ready for baptism. It has also been a great time to bring phone visitation up-to-date! In a joint effort with the rest of the pastoral staff, most (if not all) of the church family received a phone call (averaging about 160 calls per pastor). All in all, despite the moment of uncertainty and doubt our world is going through, the Lord has blessed us with the means to provide ministry and care for the church family through technology.”
Pastor John Quedzuweit shares, “I’ve been visiting via phone calls and doing online Bible Studies with as many as possible. I have also been asked by Pastor Ross to prepare and coordinate our new church membership directory software called Servant Keepers that will enable church members to log in online and update their directory information and pictures etc. while also being able to choose what information is viewable to other Granite Bay church members. The pastoral staff is now receiving training on this new system and we are planning to share it with our church members when we are able to resume regular church services.”
Evangelist Carlos Muñoz writes, “We started our 40 days of fasting through the Great Controversy on March 26 and ended on May 7th. We had a daily reading plan in the Great Controversy book and a progressive fasting plan. We had an average of 3,000 people joining us every day. Hundreds spoke to us about how they have changed their diet and seen impressive improvement in their physical, mental and spiritual health. Many families came together even with some who weren’t SDA. Dozens spoke to how they had always been intimidated by the Great Controversy book and in reading it for the first time were blown away. Others had read it before but reading it again during this unique time, they received a clearer understanding and perspective of end time events. All wanted more, Amen!”
Youth leader Tony Scarpino reports, “After church was canceled due to Covid-19 we thought the best way to stay connected was to start a GB Youth Sabbath School “LIVE” on YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram. Youth Sabbath School has been “Live” now for 10 weeks and the youth that are a part of the media team, keeps getting better… We started out with our Pastor’s kids and soon grew into a totally awesome team of youth providing online fellowship, Bible study, prayer ministry, and so much more. The GB Youth online programs are having a global impact. We have had youth join us from Spain, Ireland, UK, Belize, Guatemala, Australia, Uganda, Belgium, Vancouver Island, BC, Calgary, AB, Saskatchewan, Toronto, Long Island NY, Atlantic City NJ, Georgia, Texas, WA State, and even right here in Southern California. What has been so amazing to me is seeing our young people take active leadership in ministry. They pray, teach, encourage, and share their faith with other youth around the world. Praise the Lord!”
Please continue to encourage and pray for each other during this difficult time, especially those of our members who are front line workers, or who have lost a family member and income during this challenging time. We want you to know that you are in our thoughts and prayers, and please don’t hesitate to contact any of the Pastors if we can be of assistance.
Looking forward to seeing you all in our new facility.