From the Office of the Senior, Executive & Associate Pastors

Goshen Seventh-day Adventist Church
8221 South State Street, Chicago IL 60619

November 13, 2020, 

Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

I pray you have had a blessed and prosperous week thus far. As you are aware, there is much concern surrounding the Coronavirus (COVID-19). These are serious times which require prayer and vigilance. Within the last few days, the Mayor of the City of Chicago has issued a City-Wide Lockdown to prevent the continued spread of COVID-19. In light of this we wish to share some information about how our church is responding to this crisis. 

We will NOT have service on Sabbaths at our Church Building for the foreseeable future starting November 21, 2020. We are encouraging all our members and visiting friends to remain at home and livestream with us for Church Without Walls Virtual Worship Experience @ 11:00am (Facebook Watch Party or YouTube Live) and Bible Studies will continue to be held at 5pm via Microsoft Teams each Sabbath afternoon.

Sabbath school for Adults & Children will continue to be held on Friday evenings at 7pm via Microsoft Teams/Conference Call, please visit our website for additional information.

COVID-19 Health Tips include:

• Avoid close contact with people who are sick, coughing, or sneezing
• When possible, maintain at least 6 feet of distance from other people
• Continuously clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces
• Cover your mouth and nose with your inner elbow if you cough or sneeze and wash your hands afterwards
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and/or mouth with unwashed hands
• Wear a face mask

In closing, this is not to create panic, but to exercise precaution. Let us hold fast to our faith and embrace the word of God. We are prayerful in taking these measures to help ensure the safety and security of our members and guests. As a faith tradition, we fully embrace and affirm the worth and practice of personal and family prayer and devotion. We strongly encourage all families to use this time to pay attention to such spiritual disciplines and have candid conversations with your families about this critical time. Spend time talking to your children and helping them to further trust in God.

We look forward to worshiping with you this Sabbath via our Virtual Church and we pray that God’s peace rests upon you as we sojourn through this difficult time.

Sincerely,
Gordon C.A. Fraser, Senior Pastor
Dr. Casey E.L. Adams, Executive Pastor
Dr. Barbara Bellar, Associate Pastor