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Updates on COVID-19

Government Resources

Other Resources

Centers for Disease Control
El Paso County Health Department

Local Resources

COSILOVEYOU

Kids Resources

Here are some fun and engaging YouTube channels for kids as you teach your kids the Bible at home!
  • Crossroad Kids Club
  • Saddleback Kids
  • Kids on the Move
Articles
  • 8 Things the Coronavirus Should Teach Us​
  • Dear Christian, When the Pandemic Hits, This is our Time
  • Don't Quarantine the Great Commission
  • This is Our Moment: A Call to Clarity and Mission
  • Coranavirus and the Church
  • Neighboring Toolkit 
  • Church, Don't Let the Coronavirus Divide You

Videos
  • ​​David Jeremiah

Freedom Church Resources

-Live Video of our Sunday Worship Gathering on our Facebook Page or Web Page.
-Previous Sermon videos and worship guides on our web page.
-RightNow Media. If you want to sign up for an account, please visit this link.
-Download our mobile app from the App Store or Google Play.
-Online giving available here. We mention this because like the rest of you, the church still has bills due and our missionaries are depending on our support to continue. If you are able to continue giving, please do so. Thank you!

Freedom Church Communications

Time to #GatherFC

Email sent on 5/26/2020

Greetings, Church!

I am very much looking forward to celebrating in-person with as many of you as possible this Sunday (5/31) at 10 am.I think it will be a time of rejoicing, grateful that God is bringing us through this trial, and a time of hope, of what God is going to do in the future. 
Gathering together in this new world does present some challenges that I want to discuss with you. There is first the spiritual component and secondly the practical part. 

First, it is not without much prayer and discussion that the LEAD team has concluded it is time to gather for worship in person this Sunday. I know we all have opinions about what is going on, both for good and for ill. I am attempting to see both sides of the issues myself, and I hope that you are trying to do the same. 

There are genuinely some risks in meeting together, many of which existed before Covid-19 did, these risks should not be taken lightly. There are many positives about meeting together; again, they were around before, but with the additional blessing of coming out of this time of isolation, the joy will be increased.

There are no explicit scripture passages to point to when starting in-person gatherings amid a pandemic. But there are general principles we should cling to as Bereans, as people of God’s Word. 

The first is found throughout God’s Word, and it is the command not to fear (Joshua 1:9, Psalm 27:1, Isaiah 41:10, 2 Timothy 1:7, 1 John 4:18). Ultimately, fear is a trust issue; we don’t believe God has enough power to do what is best for our lives. As Jesus followers, we want to trust God, always. 

Secondly, we need to submit to governing leaders (Romans 13:1-7, 1 Peter 2:13-14). The state wants us to maintain proper social/physical distancing. Another principle to keep mind is the negative command not to neglect meeting together (Hebrews 10:25). We can have influential gatherings online for a time, but being the body of Christ means life “together,” an organic “encouraging” community, knowing, helping, and loving each other, especially in person. 

Chapter 14 of Romans adds two more points that should guide our thoughts, words, and actions: 1- do not judge your brother and sister and, 2- live out your faith. Now there are black and whites in scripture, but there are a lot of times in life where each Jesus follower needs to follow the Holy Spirit’s prompting in his or her life. Ultimately, we are responsible before God for the choices each of us makes. If someone chooses to not come back in-person for awhile, that is okay. If someone chooses to wear or not wear masks, that is okay too.

If you are in the high-risk category for Covid-19, you should follow what the Holy Spirit is guiding you to do, but know you have the option of staying home and participating via Facebook LIVE or the online stream. Please know we miss you dearly and look forward to the day when you can reengage in person.

We have taken extra care over the past few months to clean the facility well and make it welcoming while maintaining physical distancing guidelines.

For how #GatherFC will look practically, please visit https://www.coloradofreedomchurch.com/what-to-expect-covid-19.html and let me know if you have any questions. If you are unable to join us in person, #OnlineFC is still available via Facebook and the Web Page.

I know this is a lot to take in, but I believe this best for our congregation, community, and you individually. 

Keep praying for your church leadership, your brothers and sisters in Christ, and for the gatherings on Sunday. May God receive the glory for what He is doing: good things in us and through us.

In Christ,
The FC LEAD Team (Scott & Lyndsey, Trent & Caryn, Ted & Judy, Ray & Rosi, Rebecca)
Seeking a Way Forward

Email sent on 5/11/2020

Greetings, Freedom Church.
Are you getting anxious to gather again? Are you fearful about meeting again? The future of the church is bright because the head of the church is Christ!
What an exciting couple of months in the life of our church. If you remember, we last gathered for in-person worship on March 15. I miss every one of you. I am not sure when we will be able to open up our facility, but I am hopeful it will be soon. I have been talking with pastors in other states that are opening up, and the spirit among the people when they can be in the same room again has been sweet and encouraging. May this be so for us! The LEAD team is meeting this week to talk about “re-entry” plans. Please pray for us.
As we look to the next couple of months, we would appreciate your flexibility as we navigate these waters. It will be essential for us to communicate well. If you have ideas, suggestions, and thoughts, please send them our way. I want to encourage each of us to remember that we may not agree on everything, so we need to be gracious with one another.  Some may choose to come back to in-person gatherings right away, and others may wait, that’s okay!
When we do start gathering in person again, our worship gatherings will look different. Services will be shorter, handshakes and hugs will probably not happen, kids and youth ministry will change, communion and offering plates won’t be passed, and coffee may or may not be served. 
In all of this, I have been encouraged by #OnlineFC. I want to personally thank Trent, Kelly, Ray, and Rebecca for the work they have done behind the scenes to record, edit, and publish our gatherings. We have seen several new people join us from all around the globe. Easter Sunday, we had folks from three countries and 7 or 8 states in the US join us, and that was just while we were “live” for one hour. Many more states were added to the #onDemandFC watch parties throughout the week.
Once again, having only #OnlineFC was meant to be a temporary situation. The church needs to gather in-person. However, we will continue to offer our services online (like we have since the church started in 2018) in case you are out of town, sick, or can’t make it to the building on Sunday.
I would like to encourage you to give or continue to give online. The renovations on the building continue as does our support of global outreach. We also need to continue paying the utilities and payroll. We have several big-ticket projects that are still underfunded. Your generosity during this pandemic has been a great source of encouragement to the LEAD team, keep it up! 
I hope and pray our study in the Gospel of Mark has been a blessing and fruitful. I have enjoyed studying and preaching this book. After we finish in June, Pastor Trent will preach in July. In August, we will start the book of Philippians, the book of Joy! 
I know this has been a long email, so thank you for reading it.
Have a blessed week. I love you, and I love being your pastor.
Scott
Helpful Links:
Church webpage (including previous sermons) - https://www.coloradofreedomchurch.com/
Online giving - https://www.coloradofreedomchurch.com/give.html
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ColoradoFreedomChurch/
Twitter - https://twitter.com/freedom_church
 
 


#OnlineFC Through the End of April

Sent: 4/4/2020

Greetings, Church!
 
It looks like we are going to continue meeting online for the month of April. I know this isn’t what we wanted, but it is where we are. As the month goes on, we will evaluate when the best time to start gathering in person will be. I really miss seeing everyone.
 
As a reminder, we have been streaming our worship gatherings every Sunday morning at 10 am on Facebook and the web page. I hope you’ve been able to connect with us then. I know it is awkward to sing in your house and shout amen if we say something you like, but please do it anyway. I also hope you’ve been able to have some spiritual conversations with family, friends, coworkers, or neighbors during this time of physical distancing. It is okay to still be social!
 
As of now, we do plan on having a special edition of #OnlineFC on Good Friday. We will be talking about the death of Jesus and also celebrating the Lord’s Supper together. You will want to gather something to use for the bread and juice. One time, I used Goldfish crackers and Gatorade!
 
Below is a list of resources that are available to you:
1. RightNow Media. If you want to sign up for an account, please visit this link.
2. Sermon Archive. You can watch previous sermons from Freedom Church at our webpage or YouTube.
3. I have been updating my personal blog with content to help you journal through the book of James.
4. We have an online Bible study on Sunday nights. We meet via Zoom (I send out an email with the link on Saturday’s or Sunday). You can also do the study on your own by clicking here.
5. If you need prayer, please give myself or Pastor Trent a call or text. You can also submit them online.
6. I am hoping to release a short series of devotionals during Holy Week. Stay tuned for more information.
7. If you can give financially to the work of Freedom Church, please do so. We want to continue to bless our missionaries in the field (Mexico, Nashville, Uganda, and India/Nepal) and we also want to continue paying our bills! You can give online through the webpage or the app (search for Colorado Freedom Church in the App Store or Google Play and look for our yellow and black logo).
 
Have a great week and we will “see” you soon.

Cool Resources

Sent on 3/26:

Greetings, Church!
 
As we continue to navigate through this strange and different time, please know that your church leaders are praying for you. We miss gathering weekly and I miss seeing you all. I hope to be able to return to our weekly gathering soon and starting our mid-week youth and kids’ gatherings soon too. In the meantime, we wanted to make sure you have access to tools and resources that will help you spiritually grow and mature during this time of social distancing.
 
Below are some resources we have made available to you. Please take full advantage of them.
 
Available Resources:
1.     Worship Gathering on Sunday mornings at 10 am. We have gone online for the foreseeable future. You can join via Facebook or on our web page.  Please consider inviting others to join you with a Watch Party. https://www.coloradofreedomchurch.com/live-stream.html
2.     RightNow Media. You should have received an invitation via email. If you did not, please reply and let me know. I can send you another one. It’s like the "Netflix of Video Bible Studies" and has a HUGE library of faith-based videos that you can access whenever and wherever you want. There are even recommended studies under “Libraries” and then “Freedom Church.” We have recommended studies for adults, men, kids, and youth. May I suggest you replace some of your Netflix/Hulu/Disney+/ESPN+ time with this resource? If you didn't get an email, please visit: https://www.rightnowmedia.org/Account/Invite/coloradofreedomchurch
3.     Individual Bible Study on Romans. These are notes that Pastor Scott has put together. They are designed to guide you through the book of Romans, verse by verse. You can leave comments on the web page or gather some family and friends to review. https://www.coloradofreedomchurch.com/romans
4.     Zoom Bible Study on Romans. We will be getting together through Zoom. This is a web conferencing application that allows us to “gather” from the comfort of our own home. You will need a web cam and microphone. You can also join from your smartphone, but I haven’t tried that recently. This will be a “live” study at 5 pm on Sunday evenings. I will be sending out an invitation on Sunday afternoon with the link.
5.     Lessons and Activities for Kids. The organization that does our children’s bulletins has provided some good lessons and activities. We will be sending out more every couple of weeks. We know that you may run out of “things” to do with your kids, so please use these to help train them to be spiritual champions! https://www.childrensbulletins.com/Covid19-childrens-activites-for-churches
 
There are some things we are looking at for the future. One of them is to have “drive-in” worship at the church where we all park at the church building and roll down our windows to sing together and study together. Another idea is a book club of sorts where we gather (on the web or via zoom) to talk about a book together. For example, I’ve been reading through “Let God be God” by Ray Stedman and would like to discuss it with you! Finally, we are praying through other creative ways to connect and minister to each other. If you have any ideas, please let us know!
 
I would like to end this email by asking you to continue to give to the ministry of Freedom Church. We are still sending 10% of our general offerings to missionaries and have other bills we need to be paying. If you can give during this time, we would appreciate it. Please visit https://www.coloradofreedomchurch.com/give-online.html to set up your recurring gifts.
 
I know I sound like a broken record, but please keep praying for each other, our country, her leaders, and the world. This is an unprecedented time we live in. We need Jesus now more than ever. Let us not lose sight of the opportunity we have before us to be obedient to the Great Commandments and Great Commission.
 
In Christ,

Scott

Emotional Health

Sent on 3/25:

Church, I came across this information and thought I would share it with you. Making sure we are emotionally healthy during this time of "social distancing" is incredibly important.

Let me know if there is anything the church can do for you and how we can pray for you.
healthychoicescovid19.pdf
File Size: 41 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

So Much Has Changed... God Hasn't

Sent on 3/19:

Greetings, Church. 
So much in life has changed in the past several days. Future plans, income streams, places of residence, schedules, savings plans, health, activity level - so much has changed.
You know what remains the same? God's perfect character
"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." (Hebrews 13:8).
What is an aspect of God's character that brings you comfort right now? I love reminding myself of his faithfulness to deliver on his promise to bring his Kingdom in its fullness!
I wanted to send you an encouraging message I listened to today from David Jeremiah. If you have 30 minutes, please take some time to watch this with your family and kids. 
I also wanted to pass along the church’s web page with more information about COVID-19.
The LEAD team is meeting tonight to chart a course forward. Please be praying for us! I will provide an update tomorrow.
Godspeed,
Scott

How Can We Help?

Sent on 3/16:

Greetings, Church!
I enjoyed our small gathering yesterday. Of course, I wish we could have all been here without the Coronavirus threatening large crowds. Please continue to pray (I’m including the prayer guide we handed out yesterday). If you missed our time together, you can watch the live stream on Facebook and the sermon will be posted in the next couple of days on our web page.
Our LEAD team is praying and discussing the best way forward. Will you pray for us to have wisdom and discernment?
During this time (and anytime, really), please let us know how we can help. What would be the biggest blessing to you? Your family? Your community?
We look forward to working together with you to show the love of Christ to everyone and bring glory to God!
In Christ,
Scott

Update on Freedom Church and Coronavirus

Sent on 3/14

Greetings, Church!
After discussion with our LEAD team, we will still be gathering for worship tomorrow at Freedom Church. We will be cancelling our Adult Bible Study for a few weeks. The current recommendation from the government is to avoid gatherings of 250 or more. Until conditions change, we encourage the following protocol:
1. If you are someone in the high-risk category (over 60 and with an existing health condition), or if you feel the need for "social distance" due to the virus please feel free to stay home. If you are under the weather, we encourage you to stay home and take care of yourself. We'll miss you, but we understand!
--Please tune in to our live stream on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ColoradoFreedomChurch/.
--If you do not have Facebook, we would encourage you to visit our sermon archive and find one you missed. https://www.coloradofreedomchurch.com/sermons
2. We'll collect offering by placing an offering box at the back of the gathering room. If you plan on giving, you can drop it in as you show up or leave the building.
--We also highly encourage you to set up recurring giving so the ministry of FC can go on, even if you have to miss a week. This can be done on the app or at: https://www.coloradofreedomchurch.com/give-online.html
3. We love how the FC family greets one another, but don't feel bad about limiting physical contact such as handshakes and hugs.
--We will not be having nursery or kidzkorner the next several weeks. We are working on some materials to send home with parents to encourage continuing to talk about God’s Word.
--We will also forego the snacks after our gathering. Coffee, Tea, and Hot Chocolate will still be available.
4. Be on the lookout for someone to share the gospel with! Perhaps God will use this situation to draw people to Himself. They might be searching for the same hope that you have in Jesus!
5. Continue to pray. Pray for God’s sovereignty and mighty hand to be obvious to all. Pray for our governmental leaders. Pray for health, vitality, and healing. Pray for generosity and temperance. Pray for those who are vulnerable and hurting. Pray for God to be glorified in this situation.
See you in the morning at 10 am!
God bless,
Pastor Scott and the LEAD team

Freedom Church and the Coronavirus

Sent on 3/12

Greetings, Church!
The Coronavirus is creating quite a stir in the nation right now. I wanted to let you know what we at Freedom Church are doing in addition to monitoring what the government authorities are telling us.
First, we are praying for the health and vitality of our church family and for everyone who is exposed to this virus. We recognize that God is in control over all things and that He has not given us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of love, power, and a sound mind (2 Tim. 1:7). As the world is paralyzed and crippled by anxiety and worry, we have an opportunity to demonstrate that faith in God impacts the way we live and think. We encourage you to trust God. Also, pray for those who have become sick with Covid-19, pray that God would allow this pandemic to drive people towards Him and remind them that we are mortal and that death is a very real reality that we all will face one day, pray that the church could be a light in a dark world. We know the Healer and we believe in the power of prayer!
Second, we are continuing to disinfect the nursery and kids rooms and are paying close attention to the cleanliness of our facility to include disinfecting all door handles and knobs on Saturdays.
Third, we have hand sanitizer for when you get to the church building. We encourage folks to forego handshaking and hugging and instead give each other enthusiastic thumbs up or elbow bumps. 
Fourth, if you cannot make it to our worship gathering, or want to stay home, we live stream the entire service on our Facebook page. Visit https://www.facebook.com/ColoradoFreedomChurch/ and give us a like! We are working on the ability to live stream on YouTube as well. If you are unable to attend on Sunday morning and would still like to worship through giving, visit https://www.coloradofreedomchurch.com/give-online.html
When ancient Rome had outbreaks of disease, they would lock the sick out of the city and leave them to die. It was the Christians who had compassion and showed love. As we are wise in the way we act, may we not allow fear to overwhelm love.
See you all on Sunday!
Godspeed,
Scott

Freedom Church
6862 Galley Rd - Colorado Springs, CO 80915
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719-387-1618
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  • Home
  • About Us
    • Who is Jesus
    • Our Story
    • Our Pastor
    • What to Expect (COVID 19)
    • Our Beliefs
    • Freedom in Christ
  • Get Connected
    • Kids & Youth
    • Global Outreach >
      • The Olsen's
      • The Harris'
      • The House's
      • The Kaufmann's
    • Let's Connect
    • Need Prayer?
  • Media/Events
    • Sermon List
    • Bible Reading Plans
    • Calendar
    • Bible Studies >
      • Romans
      • Grace Immersion
  • Give Online