Lakeshore Church COVID-19 Updates

Lakeshore Church is holding our 9am and 5:30pm Sunday services in accordance with government health guidelines during the ongoing COVID-19 public health situation. Each week we will be meeting in person according to current restrictions using our COVID-Safe plan, or live-streaming from our Facebook page during lockdowns.

If you’re looking for our Facebook page for livestreams during a lockdown, you can find it here. You do not need a Facebook account to view the services, either live or past recordings.

December 2021 – Current Restrictions 

G’day everyone,

It’s been great to witness the unity and support of our church community over the last couple of years as we have navigated the Covid pandemic together. As we get ready for this next “living with Covid” phase, Qld health have released the latest batch of relevant public health guidelines.

Essentially, we will be continuing with the same restrictions we have become used to, which is good news. According to the public health guidelines:

• We need to continue to follow the current Covid Safe Checklist.
• We can continue to work under a “1 person per 2 square metres” rule, which is quite comfortable in our church building.
• Everyone is able to attend church regardless of vaccination status.

With the reality that Covid will be circulating in our community, we need to do everything we can to care for and consider one another, to make sure our church services are safe, and to make our church a place that community members will feel safe visiting. This means we will need to take the various health measures quite seriously:

• Checking in using the Check In Qld app & QR codes.
• Staying at home if you are unwell with any cold/flu symptoms. (Please let us know how you are if you do need to stay home!)
• Using the hand sanitiser.
• Keep social distancing in mind.
• At this stage masks are not required, but feel free to wear one if you would like to. (If the government reintroduces mask wearing we will follow those guidelines also.)
• Open windows and fans on to improve ventilation
• Weekly professional cleaning.

If you have any questions or concerns about any of this, please chat to myself, Dave, Jim or Tristan. We’d love to answer any questions you might have, and help in any way we can.
“Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” (1 Corinthians 15:58)
In Christ,

Bill & the elders.

Thursday, July 9 2020 – SUNDAY GATHERINGS RECOMMENCING

G’day everyone,

Physical church meetings are back on this Sunday! I’m looking forward to being together in person again. We are able to meet again due to the relaxation of government public health restrictions. For the first time since March 15, we will be meeting at 9am and 5:30pm this Sunday, July 12.

However, we still need to follow quite a few public health guidelines in order to minimise the danger from COVID-19. So we can work together to do the right thing, I thought it’d be helpful to tell you the various measures we need to follow:

• Due to the size of our building, we currently have a limit of 100 people at each service:
• If you usually come at 9am, please think about instead coming at 5:30pm on weeks when you are not serving. If you can do this, this would be a blessing to those who aren’t able to come at night, as well as helping make room for visitors.
• Visitors are welcome — we will simply need to record contact details.

• If you are unwell or have any cold/flu symptoms, please stay home and send a message to let us know how you are.
• If you decide to continue to stay home a little longer to be extra cautious about the COVID-19 situation, please let us know so we can remember you!

• We need to avoid hugging, handshakes etc. A wave might be the best greeting for now!
• We need to continue to follow the 1.5 metre physical distance rule, although this doesn’t apply to households. This means the seats will be spread apart by 1.5 metres.
• Please use the hand sanitiser at the door as you enter and exit.
• To avoid a crowd at the door, we will be using both front doors, with one for entry and one for exit.
• The church is being professionally cleaned each week to make sure we are meeting COVID-safe standards.

• We will have communion together, with the helpers wearing gloves and handing out the bread individually.
• We will be taking a physical collection, with the helpers wearing gloves.
• We are able to have morning tea, using pre-packaged biscuits and with those serving using gloves.
• We are also able to sing without any restrictions!

As you can see, things are not quite “back to normal”, and I’m sure it will take us a few weeks to iron out the details, but it is going to be fantastic to be able to meet together at church again. I’m looking forward to seeing you on Sunday! If you have any questions or concerns, I’d love to hear from you, so please get in touch.

“The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you” (Romans 16:20)

In Christ,

Bill

Friday, June 5 – RESTRICTIONS EASING

G’day everyone,

“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which God has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.” (Ephesians 1:18-19)

Last weekend the Queensland government unexpectedly moved the second stage of restriction easing forward by two weeks. This means we can now gather in groups of 20, either in homes or at church! (You can find the updated government timeline here if you want to read the fine print). Here is what it means for church:

• Growth Groups: Chat to your growth group leader about your group’s plan for the rest of this term.
• Youth Group: Lakeshore Youth is able to start up at the church again each Friday night!
• Sunday Church: We will continue our Sunday morning livestream, and we are able to have 20 people present at the church during the livestream.

All our meetings will still need to follow physical distancing, hygiene and cleaning requirements. We also need to consider how we will manage our Sunday services once we are allowed to have 100 people meeting together, which is currently planned for July 12.

Being able to have 20 people present at church on Sunday morning is great — would you like to come along? If you have been struggling with the livestream, please come and join us at church in person? Or perhaps you’d like to come along and see how the livestream works? Please get in touch with me to let me know you’d like to come, so we can observe the 20 person limit.

Thanks everyone. Give me a call, text or email anytime. See you online (or in person) this Sunday!

“Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. Do everything in love.” (1 Corinthians 16:13-14)

In Christ,

Bill

Thursday, May 14 – RESTRICTIONS UPDATE

G’day everyone,

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 1:7)! I’m praying that you are seeing God’s hand at work in and through you as we navigate this time together.

Last week the government released some encouraging news outlining a possible timeline for easing the current public health restrictions. (You can find the whole government document here if you want to read the fine print). Here is what it means for church:

• Stage 1 (starting tomorrow): Some growth groups will be able to meet in person again, and 10 people can gather at church.
• Stage 2: Growth groups and youth group will be able to meet freely, and 20 people will be able to gather at church.
• Stage 3: We will be able to start physically meeting together again on Sundays!

I am very thankful that there is some light at the end of the tunnel! Of course, the timetable depends on whether the virus stays under control, and all meetings will still need to follow physical distancing, hygiene and cleaning requirements, which will take some planning.

This also means that a small number of people can come along to church on Sunday mornings to be present for our livestream. If you are interested in being at church during our livestream on a Sunday morning, please get in touch with me, since we can only have 10 people present at once.

Thanks everyone. Give me a call, text or email anytime. See you online this Sunday!

“Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. Do everything in love.” (1 Corinthians 16:13-14)
In Christ,

Bill

Thursday, March 27 – FINANCES UPDATE

Hi All,

Quite a few people have been asking how they can continue to give to the ministry of Lakeshore while we are in this online time. As Bill mentioned yesterday Anthony, Bill & I have been considering some different options that might work best for those that normally give in cash. Here are a couple of different ways:

1. Direct bank transfer. Giving online by direct bank transfer is the preferred way to give. If you are new to church or considering changing from giving in cash to online giving, now is the perfect time to setup a regular direct transfer to Lakeshore’s bank account.

If anyone needs a hand with their banking software to enable this to be setup, please don’t hesitate to let me know & I’d be happy to show you how to do it.

The bank account details for Lakeshore are as follows:

BSB 124 001

Acc 2015 1596

Name Lakeshore Community Church of Christ

When you make a transfer please include in the description which service you attend.

2. Cheques. Another option for giving to church is sending a cheque to the church in the mail which we would then bank. Lakeshore’s postal address is 1 Lakeshore Ave, North Buderim, 4556.

3. Finally for those who can’t give online or in cheque, if you could please hold onto your cash giving until church resumes & we can look to collect it then & bank it.

We are thankful to God that he continues to provide all that we need & so much more in sickness & in health & everywhere in between!

If you have any questions on any of this please let me know.

Thanks,

Tristan

2 Corinthians 9:7

“Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

Wednesday, March 25 – CHURCH UPDATE

G’day everyone, Here are a few updates on church life:

— SUNDAY 9AM LIVESTREAM: This worked really well Sunday! Please make an effort to join in live on Sunday morning at 9am each week. “Gathering” together as a church will still be one of the most important things we do each week during this crisis.

— GROWTH GROUPS: Based on the latest government health restrictions, we will need to stop meeting physically in our growth groups. Each group will continue to connect – check in with your growth group leader. One great option is going to be meeting via online video (e.g. Zoom) — if you are confident in making this work, let your growth group leader know.
— If you are not in a growth group, now is a great time to join one. With some groups meeting online via video, maybe you can join a group when you couldn’t before? Please get in touch with me if you would like to.

— FINANCIAL GIVING: Anthony and Tristan have been working on some options for those who usually give via the physical offering on Sunday, which will be communicated this week.

— FACEBOOK: The church facebook group is one great way to connect during this time. Feel free to post prayer points or updates, comment on posts to let people know how you’re going, and so on. If it would be helpful for you, you can change the notifications settings at the top of the group to be notified whenever anything is posted in the group.

“The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.” (Romans 6:20)

Bill

Friday, March 20 – CHURCH UPDATE

Hi everyone,

The elders met last night to discuss our response to the ongoing coronavirus situation. It was great to pray and plan together. This extraordinary situation is reminding us that God is our shepherd (Isaiah 40:11) who promises that nothing will separate us from the love of Christ (Romans 8:37). Our mission as a church is still “Living for Jesus, by making, maturing and mobilising disciples of Jesus for his glory”, and we are eager to see how he will be at work in and through our church over these next weeks and months.

We have decided, in response to the government’s public health guidelines, to close our Sunday services immediately.

Beginning this Sunday morning at 9am, we will have a live online broadcast from the church with updates, prayer and the next sermon in our Romans series (Romans 7:13-25). This will be available on the public Lakeshore Church facebook page (different to this private group). You can find it by clicking on this address: https://www.facebook.com/LakeshoreChurchSunshineCoast/ You can watch this video by clicking on this link even if you do not have a facebook account. You could consider gathering with a few others from church to watch together. Kathy will email parents with some kids activities for use during the video.

At this stage, we would encourage growth groups to continue to meet next week, if the group is happy to do so. I have been in touch with growth group leaders regarding health precautions each group should take. Our growth group relationships will be even more important at this time. If you are not in a growth group and would like to connect with one, please let me know.

There will be many other things to consider over the next few weeks and months, so please keep an eye out for further messages. Do not hesitate to contact myself, Bruce or one of the elders if you have any questions! Let’s keep trusting Jesus, reaching out to each other, and looking for opportunities to promote the gospel with those around us.

Grace be with you all (2 Tim 4:22),

Bill

Wednesday, March 18 – CHURCH UPDATE

G’day everyone,

The elders will be meeting tomorrow night (Thursday) to make plans for the next couple of weeks and months. Things are changing quite quickly, so we’ve planned our meeting for later in the week in order to have up to date information. Keep a look out for an update on Friday regarding church this Sunday, growth groups, etc. Please pray for us as we meet!

It’s been great to hear from lots of people this week checking in. Please keep in touch with each other, and don’t hesitate to give me a call or message any time.