Greetings from Cornerstone OPC in Chattanooga! We wanted to send this note of update to you in the wake of the storms that swept through the Chattanooga area last night. While there were areas of the city that were devastated, we are praising the Lord that everyone in our church is unharmed, and our church building is intact. One of our members was in a rental house that was completely destroyed, but by God’s grace, she was not home at the time. She is currently staying with her brother, who lives in town. (Update: She has since moved with help from the deacons at Cornerstone into a rental unit and will work with the deacons to develop a support plan.)

We would ask that you be praying for the body of Christ at Cornerstone in these ways:

• That the Lord would be giving us all opportunities to share the reason for the hope we have with neighbors who have experienced loss, are afraid, and feeling helpless and hopeless.
• That we would be bold in seizing opportunities to bless each other (within the church) and our neighbors (outside of the church) in their times of need and thereby bring glory to our God.
• That the Lord would provide for Theresa in terms of a new rental arrangement and in regard to the materials that she can’t recover from her house.

As we are currently without a pastor, we have been joining Harvest OPC (in Michigan) via live stream every week. We have derived much comfort, encouragement, and support from the Presbytery of the Southeast and the broader denomination over the years, and we are extremely grateful. As a representative example, just this morning, bright and early we received a text from Mike Cloy, checking in on us to see if we were okay and if we had needs. We praise the Lord for the love and support of our sister churches in the denomination!

In a time when we don’t have a pastor, in a time when we can’t physically be together due to the COVID-19 restrictions, and in a time that our city has been ravaged by storms, we can truly say with Job that the Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord! He has blessed us beyond measure—and like Job, we celebrate, even while we mourn, because our Redeemer lives! In times like these, make no mistake about it, the church of God is under attack. But by the grace of our risen Savior, as we draw near to the throne of grace, and draw together, we pray that we will emerge from these trials a stronger, purer church.

Sincerely,

Dan (for the session)
Dr. Daniel R. Zuidema

The Love of Christ Shown

Nearly a month ago, before COVID-19 had been known in the States, we attempted to send masks to our brothers and sisters in Asia but weren’t able to because of supply issues. Now, with the virus sweeping through the United States, our brothers and sisters in Asia are sending masks to us! There are currently 7,300 masks coming to us! What a wonderful testimony, not just of the global nature of this pandemic, but of the global nature of Christ’s church as one body.If you need a mask or would like to distribute them to your neighbors, please speak to one of your deacons and ask them to contact OPC Disaster Response Coordinator, David Nakhla for more information.

The map indicates everywhere that these masks have been distributed in the United States to date. Inset photos: Deacon David Watson from Reformation Fellowship OPC in Roseville, CA, gave masks to an RN in his church to take to her hospital and the flyer that went along with the masks! Praise the Lord for this provision!