COVID-19 UPDATES

Lakewoodgrace Children's Ministry Update | Jan. 19, 2022

Friends,

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We have learned that a staff member who works closely with our Children's Ministry has been diagnosed with COVID-19. In light of this, we have made the difficult decision to pause our Children's Ministry activities during our 11:00 am Lakewodgrace service. We plan to be back in action on Sunday, February 6th. Our 11:00 am worship service will continue as scheduled, and we welcome any kiddo, squirming or otherwise, who wants to sit with (or near) their family during the service. We'll get through this together!

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And kids, don't worry! Our Children's Ministry team will have videos ready for you to enjoy. You can access them via YouTube or our Little Church/Lakewoodgrace Kids Facebook page.  

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We want to take this opportunity to remind you, if you are feeling unwell, please worship with us at home. Our 9:00 am service is live-streamed via YouTube, and our 11:00 am service is available by 10:00 am the next day. 

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Subscribe to our YouTube channel now:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCr5OVpZTmXeuGYvlOZBQHIQ

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Hang in there, friends! 
Pastor Brad

A MESSAGE FROM OUR PASTORS | JUNE 22, 2021

To the Friends and Members of Little Church and Lakewoodgrace,

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Your Session met Tuesday, June 22, 2021, to discuss our path forward as it relates to COVID-19 and the various precautions we have taken.

We have decided the following, which will take effect on Sunday June 27, 2021:

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1. Masks will not be required when you are on campus.

2. We will no longer place a limit on occupancy at church services.

3. If it is your preference to wear a mask, please do so.

4. If you see someone who is masked up, please give this person the space and grace they need to feel the most comfortable.

We want to thank you all for your patience, diligence, and grace over the last 16 months. This has been a long season, and we are so proud of all of you.

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If you have any questions or concerns, we do ask you talk with the Pastors directly.

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Respectfully,

Pastor James, Senior Pastor & Head of Staff

Pastor Brad, Pastor Lakewoodgrace

Pastor Bill, Pastor to Boomers and Seniors

Alan Macpherson, Clerk of Session

 

A MESSAGE FROM OUR PASTORS | MAY 20, 2021

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To the friends and members of Little Church and Lakewoodgrace,

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Your session met Tuesday, May 18, 2021 to discuss our path forward after recent updates by the governor and CDC regarding COVID 19 for our immediate future.

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As we discussed our approach going forward, we were guided by our continued priority to love and care for the most vulnerable. We also want to protect younger staff members and attendees who have not yet had the opportunity to be fully vaccinated. With that, our session decided we will continue to mask up while on campus. We will reevaluate our next steps at our scheduled session meeting on June 25th.

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We also decided that those working with our youth and children (those under 18) will continue to mask up, and we ask that our children continue to wear masks. All volunteers working with children will be fully vaccinated.

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Attendance at both our 9:00 am and 11:00 am service will remain at the same limitations (50 worshiping at 9:00 am and 40 at our 11:00 am).

Live streaming will continue indefinitely, so church from home is still an option for those who need this flexibility.

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We have come so far in the last year and are grateful for all your continued diligence, kindness, and respect for each other.

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Should you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to one of the pastors directly.

 

A MESSAGE FROM OUR PASTORS | APRIL 14, 2021

​RE: BACK TO PHASE 2

​To the friends and members of Little Church and Lakewoodgrace,

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As most of you know, Pierce County will move back to Phase 2 on Friday, April 16, 2021.  It’s disappointing, but we are committed to protecting the most vulnerable.

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To comply with updated regulations we will now welcome 40 people at our 9:00 am service and 35 people at our 11:00 am service.  Small groups meeting on campus are still welcome but must comply with distancing requirements.

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Please continue to call the office to save your seat. For those attending our 11:00 am service, you have the option to register online (click here) or by calling ahead.

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We miss you all and look forward to better days ahead.

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Blessings,

Pastor James Kim, Senior Pastor and Head of Staff
Pastor Brad Epperson, Pastor Lakewoodgrace
Pastor Bill Ward, Pastor to Boomers and Seniors

 

A MESSAGE FROM OUR PASTORS | MARCH 25, 2021

​To the friends and members of Little Church and Lakewoodgrace,

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The pastors and session have decided to offer our Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday services exclusively on-line this year. It wasn’t an easy decision but as a church of grace, kindness, and compassion we are choosing to continue to protect the most vulnerable. We know you are eager to return to church but to remain safe and not have to turn anyone away during this busy season, we are confident this is the right decision.

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As we move forward, we are excited to announce that we will increase in-person capacity starting Sunday, April 11.  We will welcome 80 people at our 9:00 am service and 50 people at our 11:00 am service.  Please mask up and practice social distancing while worshiping with us.

​We do ask that you continue to register ahead of time. Registration for the 9:00 am service will remain the same. Please call the office to reserve your spot.  For those who attend the 11:00 am Lakewoodgrace service, we now have an on-line registration system.  Starting Monday, April 5th we will open up on-line registration. The time line for registration will remain the same as before. Registration will open the Monday prior and will close at 12:00 pm the Thursday before.  To register please visit Lakewoodgrace.com/events.

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​You are still welcome to call the office and register if that’s easier for you.

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As always, we are grateful for each and every one of you. This has been a difficult season, but our efforts are paying off.  We are working on, and praying hard for, a full launch back to campus starting in September.

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Blessings,

Pastor James

Pastor Brad

Pastor Bill

 

A MESSAGE FROM OUR PASTORS | SEPTEMBER 17, 2020

RE: Limited Seating Available Sundays!

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Dear Church Family,

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As we continue to navigate COVID-19 realities we know many of you are ready to return to church. We want to honor and respect these wishes in the safest way possible.

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Starting October 4th, we will open 20 seats per service. That means we will welcome 20 people to attend the 9:00 am service, and 20 people to attend the 11:00 am service.

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So, how will this work?

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Priority will be given to neighborhood groups that have been designated to attend. Each group will have an opportunity attend, and the leader of each group will be notified of the week they are assigned.

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If we do not fill up all 20 slots with those from neighborhood groups, we will allow those who have not yet attended and opportunity to sign up. Third priority will be for all others interested in attending.

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As with most things these days, here are the guidelines.

1. You must register by calling the office (253-588-6631). The office is open from 9-12, Monday through Thursday. If you have to leave a message, someone will call and confirm your registration.

2. Registration opens the Monday prior to your designated service at 9:00 am.

3. You must register by 11:00 am the Thursday prior to your Sunday.

4. Please only attend if you have verbal confirmation from the office.

5. Please arrive at least 10 minutes early to allow enough time for temperature checks and to sign in.

6. Although we welcome children of all ages, we will not have a nursery available. If you have school aged children, we will have a children’s ministry available. Please be sure to note this when you register so our team can be ready for you.

7. Please always wear a mask.

8. We will not be singing corporately.

9. If you have any symptoms or have been in contact with someone who has had symptoms in the two weeks prior to attending, please don’t attend. It’s better to be safe than sorry!

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If you have questions, please discuss them with the leader of your neighborhood group or call the office.

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We look forward to seeing many of you soon!

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Pastor James Kim, Senior Pastor, Head of Staff

Pastor Brad Epperson, Pastor Lakewoodgrace

Alan Macpherson, Clerk of Session

 

A MESSAGE FROM OUR PASTORS | JUNE 4, 2020

Dear Little Church and Lakewoodgrace,

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As many of you are aware, Governor Inslee has released Phase 1 and 2 instructions for churches to start meeting in person. Many of you are wondering what our plans are for the near future.

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Here are some things we affirm:

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• Nothing happening today is catching God by surprise

• Even in the midst of this pandemic, God expects the church to grow in influence and impact for the Kingdom of Jesus Christ

• Even in the midst of this pandemic, God expects his disciples to Make new disciples, Grow up as faithful disciples, and Share the love of Jesus with all people. God wants us to grow, mature, and thrive

 

So how shall we move forward? Because we are a people of the book, we always turn to God’s word to give us guidance. There are three scriptures that give us guidance:

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• Romans 13:1-2 “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities; for there is no authority except from God, and those authorities that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists authority resists what God has appointed. And those who resist will incur judgment.”

  • Under normal circumstances, the church is to abide by the laws and rules of those who govern.

• Acts 5:27-29 “When they (the authorities) had brought them (the disciples), they had them stand before the council. The high priest questioned them saying, ‘We gave you strict orders not to teach in Jesus’ name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and you are determined to bring this man’s blood on us.’ But Peter and the apostles answered, ‘We must obey God rather than any human authority.’”

  • When the laws of the land contradict God’s laws, the church obeys God

• 1 Corinthians 6:12 “’All things are lawful for me,’ but not all things are beneficial. ‘All things are lawful for me,’ but I will not be dominated by anything.

  • Paul teaches the church not to use our freedom to cause injury to our neighbors

 

If the government had told us that we could not meet because Christianity is against the law, or that proclaiming the exclusivity of Jesus is hate speech, and therefore against the law, I would be the first to violate such governmental laws.

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But this is not that. This has always been about protecting and being compassionate toward the most vulnerable and those for whom this virus would be quite dangerous. This has been about the church leading the way in loving and having compassion on the most vulnerable neighbors in our midst.

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This has always been about loving our neighbors as ourselves.

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For that reason, we will continue to worship on line until it is safe for all of us to worship together.

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We will keep a close eye on the congregations who are meeting in person to see what impact that has on the spread of the COVID-19 virus, and we will re-examine our gathering for worship in person as we learn more about how the virus is spreading.

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In the mean time, we know that an extended period of social isolation is not emotionally, spiritually, and physically healthy. We are making plans for groups of ten or fewer to gather in person on campus for small groups, committee meetings, Baby Boomers, etc. We will be opening up for larger gatherings when it is safe to do so. You can hear more about this in the video above.

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We look forward to the day when we will be able to gather in person for worship. That day will come. Until then, know that the session and your staff continue to work hard at providing you with best worship experience on line as possible and ways for us to stay connected as a church.

God bless you! Know that you are all in our prayers.