August 18, 2021
Dear Church Family,
How are you? If you're like me, you're weary of all the challenges we are facing right now: a new wave of COVID, major issues in our nation and around the world playing out before our eyes, and ___________________ (you fill in the blank).
In times like these, we must constantly be on our guard spiritually; otherwise, it is easy to begin sinking in our faith. I want to encourage you to redouble your efforts in drawing near to the Lord.
I would suggest that you start in the Psalms. For instance, allow Psalm 46 to minister to your heart today:
God is our refuge and strength, A very ready help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth shakes And the mountains slip into the heart of the sea; Though its waters roar and foam, Though the mountains quake at its swelling pride. There is a river whose streams make the city of God happy, The holy dwelling places of the Most High. God is in the midst of her, she will not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns. The nations made an uproar, the kingdoms tottered; He raised His voice, the earth quaked. The Lord of armies is with us; The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Come, behold the works of the Lord, Who has inflicted horrific events on the earth. He makes wars to cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariots with fire. “Stop striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted on the earth.” The Lord of armies is with us; The God of Jacob is our stronghold.
Due to the increased number of persons contracting COVID, we have decided to make the following adjustments to our weekly schedule through the end of the month:
(1) We will NOT have Sunday School on August 22 and 29.
(2) We will NOT have our wonderful choir leading in worship on August 22 and 29.
(3) We WILL have the Sanctuary open for worship and will continue with our normal Wednesday night schedule. Adults who chose to attend can "social distance" themselves in our Fellowship Hall and Sanctuary. Since children & youth continue to attend school, we feel that we are not contributing to the spread by continuing with Wednesday PM activities for them.
(4) We WILL continue live-streaming the Worship Service on YouTube and Facebook each week.
All of these decisions are FLUID and can change in the days ahead. Please continue praying for your church leaders as we try to determine God's best for His flock at FBC Bushnell.
If you have ANY questions, concerns, or needs, please let us know.
REMEMBER: God has a plan (even now), He is in control (even now), and He can be trusted (even now)!
I love each and every one of you!
Pastor Doug _________________________________________________________________
August 12, 2021
Dear Church Family,
Many of you have asked and many more are wondering about the status of our members and activities at First Baptist Bushnell.
1. We have been notified that several in our church have tested positive in recent weeks. Fortunately, only two have been hospitalized at this point (that we are aware of). Please continue sending your prayer requests to prayer@fbcbushnell.org if you would like the church to pray for your loved one.
2. Due to the uptick in COVID cases in our area, we are going to ask that participants in worship follow a few guidelines:
* limit your seating to every other row of pews (the pews will be marked as in the past),
* and we're asking family units to sit 6 feet apart.
The church buildings continue to be sanitized using various disinfectant measures, including the use of a disinfectant fogger.
3. As of today, we are still planning to have Sunday School and in-person worship on Sunday. If we see a further rise in COVID cases or Tropical Storm Fred decides to come our way, we will make further changes in our schedule. We will continue to present our worship service on Facebook and YouTube at 10:30 on Sunday.
As I have said (and tell myself regularly)... God has a plan, He is at work, and He calls us to trust Him!
Please let me know if I can minister to you in ANY way!
Pastor Doug
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February 18, 2021
Dear Church Family,
I pray that you’re having another great week! I’m pleased to inform you that our church body continues making great strides in fighting COVID-19. Nearly everyone affected by the virus is either back to feeling normal or is on the road to a full recovery. God is good... all the time!
Here are the latest plans for FBC Bushnell activities, on and off-campus:
1. Once again this Sunday, the sanctuary will be open for morning on-campus worship at 10:30 am. The nursery will be provided. Seating will be limited to every other row and family units are encouraged to remain six feet apart. Facemasks are optional but strongly encouraged. We will continue streaming the worship service on Facebook and YouTube.
2. The entire campus will be thoroughly cleaned prior to Sunday. This includes the use of a disinfectant fogger that is 100% safe and approved for use against COVID-19.
3. We WILL be having Sunday School on February 21. Remember, Sunday School begins at 9:00 am.
4. Wednesday night activities have returned to their normal schedule at 6:00 pm. This includes childcare for preschoolers, RAs and GAs for children in the Children's Wing, Youth fellowship and worship in the Student Center, and week 3 of the Overcomer Bible Study for adults in the Fellowship Hall.
5. All Overcomer Bible Study groups plan to meet this week. Check with your bible study leader if you have any questions.
6. The Hope Ministry Center is back open and ministering to our community. Please consider volunteering and filling the gap in this life-changing ministry.
As I have said in the past, please continue strong in your walk with the Lord. Remember… He is at work, He has a plan, and He is worthy of your trust! Thank you for the ways you continue ministering to one another, both church & family members, and your friends & neighbors in the community. You are awesome!
I look forward to worshiping with you this Sunday… either in person or via the internet! Please let me know if I can minister to you in any way!
Pastor Doug
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February 10, 2021
Dear Church Family,
I pray that you’re having a great week! I’m pleased to inform you that we appear to be making great strides in fighting the spread of the COVID-19. Nearly everyone affected by the virus is either back to feeling normal or is on the road to a full recovery. God is good!
Here are our plans for reopening our campus and other church activities:
1. We plan to have the sanctuary open on Sunday, February 14 for morning on-campus worship at 10:30. Nursery will be provided. Seating will be limited to every other row and family units are encouraged to remain six feet apart. Facemasks are optional, but strongly encouraged. We will continue streaming the worship service on Facebook and YouTube.
2. The sanctuary will be thoroughly cleaned prior to Sunday. This includes the use of a disinfectant fogger that is 100% safe and approved for use against COVID-19.
3. We will NOT be having Sunday School on February 14. We plan to restart Sunday School on February 21.
4. Wednesday night activities will return to their normal schedule on Wednesday, February 17 at 6:00pm. This includes childcare for preschoolers, RAs and GAs for children, Youth fellowship and worship, and week 2 of the Overcomer Bible Study for adults with Pastor Doug in the fellowship hall.
5. All other Overcomer Bible Study groups plan to restart this week, except for two groups: the Sunday evening Young Adult group and the Hope Ministry Center group on Monday, which will restart the following week.
6. The Quarterly Church Business Meeting has been moved from Wednesday, February 17 to Wednesday, March 17 at 7:15pm.
7. The Hope Ministry Center will reopen on Monday, February 15. Food Distribution will be held on Wednesday, February 17 from 9:00 – noon.
As I have said in the past, please continue strong in your walk with the Lord. Remember… He is at work, He has a plan, and He is worthy of our trust! Thank you for the ways you have continued ministering to one another, both church & family members and your friends & neighbors in the community. You are awesome!
I look forward to seeing you this Sunday… either in person or via the internet! Please let me know if I can minister to you in any way!
Pastor Doug
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February 3, 2021
Dear church family,
I wanted to give you an update on the situation we are currently facing with Covid-19 within our congregation. I'm pleased to inform you that the virus has slowed its spread to additional church staff and church members. The number of new positive cases this week is less than 5, and none of the individuals who have tested positive are in serious condition. One remains hospitalized with the virus and pneumonia, but is making positive progress.
Due to the continued spread of the virus among our church family, we are extending the suspension of all on-campus gatherings through Saturday, February 13. Our desire, at the present, is to have on-campus worship on Sunday, February 14. In addition, our Hope Ministry Center will remain closed and will not reopen until February 15. The next food distribution is scheduled on Wednesday, February 17.
This Sunday we will be worshiping, but only on Facebook and YouTube. Once again, I want to strongly encourage you to redouble your precautionary efforts out in the community, including keeping your distance, regularly cleaning your hands, and wearing face masks, when appropriate.
Please continue doing two things: (1) Draw near to the Lord. Remember... He has a plan, He’s at work, and He is worthy of your trust! He has blessed us in so many ways, especially since everyone is recovering without any major complications. (2) Pray and minister to one another. I have heard many stories of this happening already! Everyone needs to be touched, whether by the phone or the internet, or by dropping off groceries and medicines. In other words, continue doing what you're doing... being the hands and feet of Jesus!
I look forward to seeing you on Sunday... either on Facebook or YouTube!
Please let me know if I can minister to you in any way.
Pastor Doug
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01-27-2021
Dear church family,
I wanted to give you an update on the situation we are currently facing with Covid-19 within our congregation. Unfortunately, the virus has spread to additional church staff and church members. Praise the Lord that, as of this morning, none of the individuals who have tested positive are in serious condition.
Due to the recent spread of the virus among our church family, we are suspending all on-campus gatherings until Sunday, February 7. In addition, our Hope Ministry Center is closed and will not reopen until February 8, at the earliest (Food distribution on February 3 is cancelled). You will receive additional updates from me so you'll know how to pray for your church.
This Sunday we will be worshiping, but only on Facebook and YouTube. Once again, I want to strongly encourage you to redouble your precautionary efforts out in the community, including keeping your distance, regularly cleaning your hands, and wearing face masks, when appropriate.
Please continue doing two things: (1) Draw near to the Lord. Remember... He has a plan, He’s at work, and He is worthy of your trust! (2) Pray and minister to one another. Everyone needs to be touched, whether by the phone or the internet, or by dropping off groceries and medicines to those in need. In other words, continue being the hands and feet of Jesus!
I look forward to seeing you on Sunday... either on Facebook or YouTube!
Please let me know if I can minister to you in any way.
Pastor Doug
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01-22-2021
Dear church family,
I wanted to inform you that one of your church staff members tested positive for Covid-19 yesterday. Those individuals who were in close proximity to this person have been contacted and encouraged to quarantine.
We are still planning to have Sunday School at 9:00 and 10:30 worship on Sunday. Once again, I want to strongly encourage you to redouble your precautionary efforts, including keeping your distance, regularly cleaning your hands, and wearing face masks, when appropriate.
Please continue doing two things: (1) Draw near to the Lord. Remember, He has a plan, He’s at work, and He is worthy of our trust! (2) Pray and minister to one another. Everyone needs to be touched, whether in person or via the phone or internet, during these difficult days.
I look forward to seeing you on Sunday, either in person or online!
Pastor Doug
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12-26-2020
Dear church family,
I wanted to inform you that several persons that helped us present the Living Nativity and attended a Bible study have either tested positive for Covid-19 or have the symptoms and are waiting for test results. Those persons who were in close proximity to them have been contacted.
Tomorrow we are still planning to have Sunday School at 9:00 and 10:30 worship. I want to strongly encourage you to redouble your precautionary efforts, including keeping your distance, regularly cleaning your hands, and wearing face masks, when appropriate.
Please continue doing two things: (1) Draw near to the Lord. Remember, He has a plan, He’s at work, and He is worthy of our trust! (2) Minister to one another. Everyone needs to be touched, whether in person or via the phone or internet, during these difficult days.
I look forward to seeing you tomorrow, either in person or online!
Pastor Doug
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10/8/2020
Don't Miss 2 BIG Days this Weekend!
Saturday, October 10
Bringing Sumter Together Prayer Walk
Downtown Bushnell Gazebo
9:00 - 11:00AM
Sunday, October 11
Morning Worship with special guest, Evangelist David Burton
10:30AM
Sumter Baptist Association Fall Session at FBC Bushnell
Special Music provided by the FBC Wildwood Worship Team
Special guest speaker Evangelist David Burton
6:00PM
PLEASE NOTE:
In keeping with our state moving to Phase 3 in response to Covid-19, beginning this Sunday we will have open seating in the pews on the FRONT half of the sanctuary. The pews on the BACK half of the sanctuary will remain for those who would like to observe social distancing (every other pew/different family units 6 feet apart).
I look forward to seeing YOU this weekend!
Pastor Doug
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06/19/2020
Dear Church Family,
I was just informed a short time ago that one of our church members has tested positive for the COVID-19 virus. He is resting at home.
At this point we will proceed with Sunday school and worship this Sunday morning. Please stay on your guard and wash your hands regularly and consider wearing a face mask to protect yourself and others.
God bless you and I look forward to seeing you in person or via video on Sunday!
Pastor Doug
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05/18/2020
Dear Church Family,
I am happy to announce that we will regather for worship this Sunday, May 24 at 10:30. For the safety of our congregation and our community, worship will be a little different for a while:
- For now, we will only have our 10:30 Sunday Worship Service.
- No Sunday School or Sunday thru Wednesday evening activities.
- Please wear a mask for the safety of others.
- We will have hand sanitizer readily available.
- Please observe safe distancing, refraining from handshakes or hugs.
- All entry doors will be propped open.
- Sanctuary seating will be every other row.
- Different family units will be spaced 6 feet apart.
- For now, we will not have a preschool nursery or children’s church.
- Vacation Bible School has been postponed.
- For now, we will not have an Adult Choir.
- We will intensely clean high traffic/high touch areas between Sundays.
- All current giving options will continue.
- In addition, new offering containers will be placed at the doors.
- We will continue Live Streaming for the vulnerable & for outreach.
These safety measures will be quite a change for all of us.
But, I believe that many are ready to make these necessary adjustments in order to experience corporate worship in the Lord’s house once again.
I cannot wait to see you on May 24. If, for any reason, you are not ready to worship in our sanctuary, we will stay connected to you via our Live Stream on Facebook and YouTube. Please let me know if we can minister to you in any way or how we can pray for you.
Pastor Doug
