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March 25, 2020

Hello Covington Church,

We just wanted to take a moment to update you on our plans for services this coming weekend and to thank everyone that tuned in over this past weekend to view our service online.

We had over 300 views for our service this past Sunday and had over 180 people tune in to the 9:30am broadcast. Almost 80 of those viewers participated and interacted with each other in the chat room.

That was the most important reason we did church the way we did. It wasn’t about putting content on the internet for people to consume like Netflix or YouTube. Our online church experience was created to build community and to help us stay in the routine of going to church together each week. Sometimes we take for granted the opportunities we have at the beginning and ending of each service to talk to each other. So we wanted to recreate some of that experience the best way we could.

So try to think of each broadcast as if you were coming to our physical campus on a Sunday morning. Some have asked, why could’t I rewind the service to the beginning? Think of each broadcast as if you came in late for a regular service. There’s no rewind button. You just have to pick up on things where you walked in. That’s because we have intentionally set aside 9:30am and 11 am for our congregation to meet together and worship God together.

Hebrews 10:25 says “And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another…”

So we want to encourage you to do what you can to meet with us at our online campus at 9:30am, where Pastor Phil will be speaking, and Matt and the band will be leading in worship or you can tune in at 11am where Pastor Clayton will be speaking from the sanctuary with Lyle leading in hymns. You can also come to both if you like.

If you tried to view the 11am service last week we apologize that most were unable to connect to our online campus. All of the streaming services such as Facebook Live or YouTube were disrupted during this time due to larger than anticipated internet traffic as folks like you were finding new ways to worship.
We have been assured that measures have been taken this week to keep this from happening again.

There are also some that are asking, “How do I get my tithe to you?” The easiest way is to go to covington.church/giving. You’ll find three ways that you can give online safely. If that’s still not your thing, just send your check to:

Covington Church
PO Box 623
Reidsville, NC 27323

If you have an emergency, please contact the church office at 336-496-8099. You can also use that number if you know someone who is in that “at risk” group that may need some assistance with food. We have a team that is ready to respond.

We can’t wait to see you again this Sunday morning at 9:30am and 11am to worship TOGETHER at covington.online.church!


March 18, 2020

Hello Covington Church,

This is a crazy time filled with a lot of unknowns and inconveniences, but in the middle of it all we need to remember who we belong to. He’s a good, good father and He’ll be with us throughout this entire crisis. And we’ll do our best as a church to be there for you too. So we wanted to take a few moments to tell you what’s going on.

As we stated in an earlier message, we are doing what we can to follow CDC, National, State and Local Government recommendations to do our part to try to stay ahead of the spread. We want to make sure our decisions going forward are based on fact not fear and that we are effectively communicating this to you whenever we can. Just be mindful that this is a fluid situation and will be for some weeks to come.

SERVICES & SOCIAL GATHERINGS
We’ve seen the recommended number for social gatherings go down from 100 to 50 to 10. So we want to let you know that we are officially cancelling any meetings, services and activities until further notice.

We’ll revisit this after March 31st. There are events we still hope to be able to have like the Easter Eggstravaganza, Our Easter Service and Sunrise breakfast so we will keep you updated as things hopefully get better and change.

So please watch your phones for reminders through Flocknote. We’ll do our best to keep current information on our webpage covington.church and our facebook page facebook.com/covington.church

If you don’t receive text messages or email, we have already transferred your number to a new calling service. Just note you will get a call from a Washington DC number (likely 202-517-9432) and not the church’s local number. So make a note of this number to make sure you continue to get important messages. Please be mindful, that even though we hope that this number will not change, it is possible that it could if the system becomes overloaded.

We will also have limited in-office hours and the staff will be teleworking off site per government recommendations. So If you have an emergency and need to speak with a staff member, please call 336-496-8099 and the staff member on call will get back to you as soon as they can.

THIS SUNDAY
Now… what does that mean for this Sunday? We plan to stream this weekend’s service online Sunday at our regular service times of 9:30am and 11am and then each Sunday morning going forward as long as we are unable to gather in-person. You can either go to our website covington.church and follow the “stream” link or you can go directly to covington.online.church. We want to encourage you to stream this at the service time so that we can actually worship together. The Bible says when two or three are gathered together that God is there. Even though we won’t be in the same room we can still worship together. So make every effort to be there and continue our normal habit of worship.

And even though we are postponing in-person gatherings, we are encouraging each ministry to create intentional online content or social media interactions to help our church family continue to grow together and stay connected during this time. Covington KIDS will be utilizing their Facebook page facebook.com/CovingtonKIDS/ for parents and students to stay engaged. Next Generation Youth Ministry has already started virtual groups via social media to continue and discuss the series Kristyn started a couple of weeks ago. Of course we don’t know how long this will last but try to stay connected wherever we can.

And finally, we know how stressful times are going to be financially in the days to come, so we want to encourage you to continue to give as God instructs while you are able. Tithing is about our Fatih. It stretches us to Trust God. Many are already asking how do I give at this time? The easiest and safest way is to give online. I know this is scary for some but I would at least encourage you to look at the options. Go to covington.church/giving to find a few easy ways that you can give. If you just can’t do that at this time, we ask that you don’t bring anything to the office since the staff will be working remotely and IN office hours will be limited. Just mail your contributions to

Covington Church,
PO Box 623,
Reidsville, NC 27323

to ensure the safety of your gift if we are unable to get out safely in the future.

Thank you for your support. We are praying for you and hope to see you this Sunday morning as we worship together online at covington.online.church!


March 14, 2020

In response to the Governors Press Conference at 4:30pm (March 14, 2020), where an executive order prohibiting gatherings of 100 people or more has been placed in effect immediately, Covington Church will not have physical services until the prohibition is lifted and the Local Board of Administration feels it is safe to meet again. The hope is to get ahead of this situation and slow down the spread of the coronavirus. As an alternative, there will be several past messages available to stream by Sunday morning. Just go to covington.church/media. Thank you for your patience as this has been a fluid situation.


March 12, 2020

To the Congregation of Covington Church:

As we continue to hear news about the coronavirus (COVID-19), we wanted to communicate how we are responding as a church. Since the endless amount of information can be overwhelming to monitor and difficult to distinguish between fact and rumor, we will respond to the current situation according to recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) [click here] and local and state governments in an effort to remain safe and help prevent the spread of the virus.

At this time, we plan to worship together this Sunday morning (March 15, 2020) at 9:30am and 11am. In addition to the CDC’s recommendations, we have been in contact with other local church leaders and our district church leaders to confirm that we are being consistent with the actions of those around us. If you choose to worship with us, please follow the CDC’s recommendations [click here] for those who are at risk during this time. We are committed to providing a safe environment for you while you are here! This has been at the center of our conversations every step of the way. With that in mind, here are some of the actions we are taking as a church: ⠀

 • Our facilities will continue to be cleaned regularly.
• Children’s toys will be cleaned after each service.
• Antibacterial hand soap will still be available in the bathrooms.
• Hand sanitizing stations will still be at each entrance around the campus.
• Handshakes & hugs should be replaced with greetings of love that do not require physical contact.

That’s our part… now we ask that you do your part by washing your hands frequently and staying at home if you feel sick or are returning from an area of our state, nation or world identified as posing a coronavirus-related risk.

Here are some other things the CDC recommends you do to help limit the spread of germs:

• Avoid close contact with people… sick or well.
• If you are not feeling well… STAY HOME!
• Please do not bring your child to Covington KIDS or the nursery if they have had or continue to have a fever, runny nose, cough, etc. within the 24 hours prior to the service
• Cover your mouth and nose with your forearm when you cough or sneeze.
• When possible, wash your hands frequently with soap and hot water for at least 20 seconds.
• If no soap and water are available, please use a store bought alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 70% alcohol.

We will continue to closely monitor the situation and re-evaluate from week to week… even minute to minute at times. This will include regular services and special events that have already been planned. Please pray for us as we continue to do all we can to protect you and our staff. We will let you know via Flocknote or www.covington.church with any major changes.

Most importantly, please continue to keep us informed with your concerns and needs. If you are having surgery or just need prayer, please contact the church office so that we are aware of your situation and can pray for you. We always want to be there for you, even though it may not be possible to be there in person at this moment.

Remember the following things during this time :

Trust God: Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life. - Philippians 4:6-7 (The Message)

Viral diseases have been in existence since the fall of man in the garden. It is important that we keep this in perspective. No matter what the future holds, our Lord remains our refuge and strength. He is “an ever-present help in trouble” - Psalm 46:1.

Pray: Pray for our safety, government leaders, researchers, caregivers, public health officials and for those living in fear. There is power in prayer and we will trust and ask the Lord for guidance and safety.

With prayers, common sense & love!
Covington Church