Dear Tallgrass family,

Our Servant Leadership Team (Elders, LIFE Group Leaders, and Staff) at Tallgrass Church are taking the issues surrounding COVID-19 seriously. We have no desire to cause unnecessary alarm or anxiety with any of our communication or decisions. We do want to proceed with wisdom and caution for the safety of our community. So in an effort to love our neighbors well through social distancing so we can do our part to “flatten the curve” we have decided to cancel our in person Central Gathering and LIFE Groups for at least the next two weeks (3/15 and 3/22). 

We will either go Facebook Live and/or plan a Zoom meeting this Sunday at 4:00pm CST. My hope is that we will have engagement from you all online! To prepare to engage please listen to last week's teaching if you missed it. Also, be ready to share about your 2020 Word-of-the-Year! Pay close attention to your email, GroupMe, the Tallgrass Church Facebook Page and Facebook Group (let me know if you need an invite to our Facebook Group), and website for more details on how we will seek to live out Hebrews 10:24-25 during this time.

Let’s not forget that we are loved by the God who is sovereign and good. I encourage you to bring your anxieties and concerns to him in prayer. He hears you and he is near. Let’s remember the words of Philippians 4:4-7: “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

You will not disappoint God by coming to Him with your fear, anxiety, or worry. He longs to give you the gift of peace, even in the midst of something as difficult and scary as pandemic. He is here for you, here for your neighbor, and here for us all. Our anxiety or fear is often hard to stop, but the command "do not be anxious" is really more of an invitation to accept God's promise of peace. Not as something we work to create, not a force of our will, but a blessing that comes from relentlessly holding fast to that blessed peace that surpasses our mere understanding. May the peace of Christ be the constant companion and comforter of us all during the difficult times ahead.

If you have questions and/or specific needs, please do not hesitate to let me know at bendeaver@tallgrass.church or (785) 341-9863. I love all y'all and am praying for you and your family! As you go about your days, interact with your neighbors, and take care of responsibilities at work or in public, strive to remain committed to showing love and understanding with all who are around. The world is in need of Christians who are ready to share the compassion of Christ in the face of crisis like this. Because God first loved us, we exist to love God and love our neighbors!

For the Kingdom,

Ben Deaver

Lead Pastor

(785) 341-9863

Because God first loved us, we exist to love God and love our neighbors.