COVID-19 Information

This page is provided by the pastors of Covenant of Grace Church, to help, encourage, and equip you through the current coronavirus crisis. It is primarily intended for the members of our church.

Church Gatherings & Meetings

With a desire to love our neighbors as ourselves, and in an abundance of caution for the members of our church and community in the midst of this pandemic, we have moved our Sunday worship gatherings online until further notice. Please plan to join at 10 am on Sunday at www.cogc.org, and invite others to join us, as well. Each week we will sing, pray, hear, and respond to God Word together.

Additionally, all in-person church meetings are canceled until further notice. And our buildings will remain closed with the exception of staff and/or volunteers whose work necessitates being at the buildings.

However, this does not mean that we are closing all the activities of our church. Quite the opposite is true. This is a time for us to be the church like never before! So continue reading below for more information about how we are working together to glorify God as His church during these days.

Resource: Sermon Notes For Kids

Community Groups

We are encouraging our Community Groups to consider alternate means for staying as biblically and closely connected to one another as possible. We need to continue loving, caring for and encouraging one another through these challenging times.

For this reason, we are actively encouraging CG leaders to gather their group together online. See the bottom of this page for detailed recommendations and resources for groups.

In addition, we recommend that you go out of your way to cultivate personal contact with each other. Make phone calls to members of your group, text frequently (either individually or in group texts), email encouragement, or use other social media channels like WhatsApp or Facebook (both of which have functionality for groups) to stay connected.

By God’s common grace, our contemporary world is filled with ways to connect with one another remotely. To be sure, nothing can ultimately replace the value of being together in person, but during this unique time, we want to steward wisely these alternate means that God has made available to us.

Bearing Each Other’s Burdens

We are a church family committed to walking through this trial together. We’re going to be there for each other, every step of the way, to help bear each other’s burdens.

In response to the myriad concerns related to the spread of COVID-19, we have asked Jacob Wilson to step into the role of Community Care Director. He will be serving as the main point of contact for church members regarding all issues, concerns, and questions related to the virus. Rather than being an expert on the virus itself, the purpose of the role is to be able to point people in the right direction for answers to their questions. Additionally, Jacob is available for counsel, encouragement, and help getting connected to the body of Christ in the case of someone contracting the coronavirus COVID-19. You can contact Jacob at jacob.h.wilson@att.net.

To that end, he enlisted the help of Mike Hudson to compile a list of public resources and websites for folks with financial (such as applying for unemployment benefits or benevolence) and medical needs, as well as informational resources regarding the virus.

Finally, Sean Hudson has offered his services as a financial coach for free during these unprecedented times. If you are concerned about the financial impact of the spread of the virus and would like sound, biblical advice, please contact Sean at 234-200-6283 or sowandreapfc@gmail.com.

Praying Through This Crisis

In addition to sending prayer requests to our prayer teams (prayer@cogc.org) we would also like to invite you to join us on Facebook at noon on Wednesdays for a midweek, live prayer meeting. Simply go to our Facebook page, on the left-hand side, click the “Video” link and join in.

Here is a list of items you can pray for:

  • Ask God to stop the spread of the COVID-19 virus throughout our world.
  • Ask God to protect those who are “high-risk” from contracting the COVID-19 virus.
  • Ask God to heal those who are sick, especially those who test positive for COVID-19.
  • Ask God to provide for the members of our church, especially those who may be negatively impacted financially.
  • Ask God to give our pastors wisdom as they make daily and weekly decisions related to church schedule, pastoral care, etc.
  • Ask God to give wisdom and strength to our President, Congress, State, and Local Government leaders as they make decisions.
  • Ask God to give us opportunities to share the hope we have in the gospel with unbelievers who are hopeless and fearful.
  • Ask the Prince of Peace to give us peace as we walk through this pandemic together trusting in His sovereign rule and reign.

Video and Email Updates

The pastors hope to send out regular video and/or email updates, to keep our community informed. To get these make sure you’re subscribed to our email list by sending your email to office@cogc.org.

Giving Online

We know our members are eager to continue financially supporting this church. An easy way to do so through this crisis is by giving online. There is a link to do this at the top of our website. Another way you can give is to mail checks to the church office (3400 Copley Rd, Copley, OH 44321).

And still another way is simply text your gift! This is so easy. Simply text any amount to 84321 to give.

When you initiate your first Text-to-Give donation, the system will use your geographical location and phone number to suggest churches nearby (within 20 miles). After choosing a Covenant of Grace Church:You’ll be asked to set up a payment method for Text-to-Give. If you are an existing donor, you can log in to your profile to select a previously used payment method. All that takes about 3 minutes. After setup, all you have to do is send an amount to 84321 to give.

Thank you for your faithfulness and generosity!

Spreading God’s Love Across Our Community

In the midst of a global pandemic, we want to be a clear picture of God’s love in our city. One of the ways we can show God’s love is by participating in government-led strategies of containment, including social distancing. This is why we’re not gathering together in person – it is an expression of love, right now, not to do so. At the same time, we don’t want to isolate people who are in need all around us. As a church together and as individual Christians, we want to hear how God calls us to care for others in our community.

We are actively looking into ways we can serve our community, but one immediate suggestion we can make is for each church member to reach out individually to your neighbors with a message like:

Dear Neighbor,

I know a lot of people are concerned about coronavirus right now. I just wanted to let you know that I am your neighbor. My house is ____________________________ and I wanted to let you know that if you are feeling lonely or at any point need help, please contact me at _________________.

If you are in self-imposed quarantine, I am willing to help with a friendly phone call, picking up groceries, or to pray.

Just call or text me, and I’ll do my best to help you (for free, of course!).

Most sincerely,
___________________________

You could also post something similar to social media or on websites like www.nextdoor.com.

We hope to have more suggestions for how we might spread the love of Christ in this crisis, soon.

What Tools Can Groups Use for Meeting Online?

Many tools exist for gathering people together online, and we encourage groups to choose whichever application works best for them. The following is a list of free video conferencing products you can try.

Facebook Messenger 
You can video chat with just one person, or with a group of people. Keep in mind, placing calls through the Messenger app for iPhone, iPad or Android may use your existing data plan.

Android, iPhone and iPad (video chat with one person):

  1. From Chats, open a conversation for the person with whom you want to video chat.
  2. Tap the video camera button.

Android, iPhone and iPad (video chat with a group):

  1. From Chats, open a group conversation for the people with whom you want to video chat.
  2. Tap the video camera button.

Windows

  1. Open the conversation for the person or group with whom you want to video chat.
  2. Click the video camera button.
  3. To end a video call, tap the hang-up button.
  4. If you are having issues using this platform, please visit the Facebook Messenger support page at: https://bit.ly/33j1UBY

Zoom

  1. For instructions to use Zoom, please visit: https://bit.ly/2U6wpHd
  2. Zoom does require a free account to use.
  3. Note that Zoom only offers free video conferencing for up to 40 minutes at any given meeting.
  4. Zoom also requires you to download and install the Zoom client which can be found here: https://zoom.us/support/download
  5. For comprehensive Help Articles and Videos please visit: https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/categories/200101697

Skype

  1. For detailed instructions, visit: https://www.skype.com/en/free-conference-call/
  2. Does not require any download or client.
  3. Works through a web browser.

Google Hangouts

  1. Requires a Google account.
  2. Will work on a web browser or through Android/iOS clients.
  3. For detailed instructions please visit: https://bit.ly/3d1dndS