This Sunday we will be having ‘Church Anywhere’ online.

Dear Granite Church Family,
My prayer is that you and your families are going well during these uncertain times. Over the past days as I've been praying and seeking God, I have certainly felt the assurance that He is in control. I hope that is your experience too as we trust Him in all of this.

Since the rules and recommendations regarding meeting together are continually changing, it has become very clear that the government does not want people to congregate together anywhere. The purpose of these measures is to slow the spread of COVID-19. We need to be on board with this and follow the advice given by authorities.

Therefore, ALL Granite Community Church physical gatherings need to either stop altogether or move to online options where possible whilst these restrictions are in place.

Obviously, this is sad as we all really value getting together on Sundays and throughout the week in various ways. So, while we can’t meet physically, let’s NOT stop meeting altogether! Let’s embrace a new way of meeting and “…consider how we may [continue] to spur one another on to love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together…’ (Hebrews 10:24) The call from the writer to the Hebrews is to persevere in the faith. We have a great opportunity to do just that through the technologies we have available to us.

On Tuesday night the Elders meet via ZOOM. ZOOM is an internet-based conferencing system that allows multiple devices to connect at one time. We all felt that this could be a good way for us to get together as a community. With ZOOM we can have ‘Church Anywhere’. In reality, wherever we are, that is where the Church is anyway, because the Church is not a place, it’s a people. So…

We are proposing that we try to meet together this Sunday using the ZOOM platform. This means that everyone can join. We’ll be able to see each other and have input from different people live. We’ll pray together and hear from the word of God. We can even potentially sing together (if we’re game) It will be a bit experimental, but it will be fun too. You can sit in your fav chair or on your bed. Get whoever is in the house together and grab a coffee or tea and something to nibble. Don’t forget your bible, a pen and pad to take some notes and lets all do Church this Sunday.

The details for the ZOOM connection will be listed at the end of this note. You’ll need the link to the meeting and the meeting ID. However, if you would like to try ZOOM out between now and Sunday please give me a buzz and we can get you connected before then.

Please don’t forget that we can still directly deposit tithes and offerings into the Church bank account during this time. Donations for the building maintenance works can also be deposited into this account with the reference to ‘Building’ so that it goes towards that fund. The details are below…
Granite Community Church        BSB: 633 000        Acc: 16 086 8402

As always remain strong in your faith. Trust God. Be there for each other and others in the community. Pick up the phone and chat to someone. Pray for each other and those who are making the big decisions. Be a positive voice and presence in the world and follow Jesus in everything.

Here are the ZOOM details:

Ash Buchanan is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: Granite Church Anywhere Sunday 29th March
Time: Mar 29, 2020 10:30 AM Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us04web.zoom.us/j/986707423
Meeting ID: 986 707 423

If you do not have internet access you can also phone in using the following phone number:
PH: 7018 2005
You will then be prompted to enter the Meeting ID: 986 707 423
​
Looking forward to seeing you on Sunday, wherever you are

On behalf of the Elders,

Blessings,

Ash Buchanan
Senior Pastor
Granite Community Church
www.granite.church
0408 942 145

​COVID-19 Update

Dear Granite Church Family,

This Sunday we will be having ‘Church in the Carpark’ at Granite.

I’m sure that most people are acutely aware of the situation we are faced with in the world at this time. The guidelines and regulations around meeting together are changing as the situation unfolds. At the time of writing this the government has banned indoor gatherings of over 100 people and outdoor gatherings of over 500 people. Whilst we are well under the 100-person cut off, our facility is small and does not allow us the space to maintain adequate physical distancing as required by health authorities; we also have many surfaces that people come into contact with that would need constant sanitizing. Therefore, the Elders have decided that for this Sunday we will hold our service outside, in the Carpark.

We are asking people to BYO Chairs please as we don’t want to be bringing them out of the building.

We are aiming for the service to be no more than 45mins.

There will be NO morning tea.
There will be NO communion.

Church is a public gathering, so we need to be mindful of how we conduct ourselves.
NO hugs please.
NO handshakes please.
Please be considerate of others.
Please maintain a safe distance when talking with others.
Please park on the right side of the carpark only or out on the road.
Please remember that outside services are FUN!

God is Good!

This Sunday will be a great opportunity to get together in Worship and Prayer. Come expecting to hear from God. Come with an attitude of encouragement and support for each other as we face this season together. Come knowing that God is in control.

We also understand that some people will not be able to attend or feel uncomfortable attending, in that case, we encourage you not to come. Those who are vulnerable, those with current sickness or health problems are expected not to be out an about.

If this is you, we would encourage you to join an online service from one of the following churches.
https://bendigobaptist.org.au/ 10:30am Sunday
https://www.crossway.org.au/campuses/online-campus/ 10:15am Sunday
https://follow.online.church/ 10:20am Sunday

We will also upload at least the sermon segment of the service to our website as usual
https://www.granitecommunitychurch.com/sermon-podcast.html

While this is going on, we will not be able to hand offering bags around. We will have a single box available on Sunday and we want to encourage people to directly deposit tithes and offerings into the Church bank account if you can. The details are below…
Granite Community Church        BSB: 633 000        Acc: 16 086 8402

Above all we want to encourage you to remain strong in your faith. Trust God. Be there for each other and others in the community. Pick up the phone and chat with someone. Pray for each other and those who are making the big decisions. Be a positive voice and presence in the world and follow Jesus in everything.

I am also here for you. If you would like to chat about anything please give me a call.

We will keep you updated as the situation progresses.

On behalf of the Elders,

Blessings,

Ash Buchanan
Senior Pastor
Granite Community Church
granitecommunitychurch.com
0408 942 145