September 28, 2021
Hello to our Hillcrest Church family,
Throughout the Covid pandemic, our #1 priority as a church has been to lift up the name of Jesus and continue to help people come into a relationship with him. We have seen many people come to know the Lord through this time, and for that, we are grateful. Early on, we made it our goal to work with whatever health restrictions were put in place, so long as they did not hinder the work of the gospel. To this point, churches have been allowed to meet, whether online or in-person with limited capacity. We have pledged to hold as many in-person services as possible. If our three current services ever reach the capacity limits, we would add more services so that more could worship in-person. So far, it seems that people have been content to use both online as well as in-person services, as we all navigate this season together.
Right now, in Medicine Hat, we are facing a surge in Covid cases, particularly among the unvaccinated. Looming on the horizon is the possibility of churches having to choose whether they will restrict services to only the vaccinated, or continue to remain open to all, with capacity limits and social distancing in place. Because of these two new factors, people are calling, writing, emailing, and asking questions with regard to vaccines and a possible vaccine mandate for churches.
People are asking us questions like:
Is it a sin to take or deny the vaccine?
Will the vaccinated or the unvaccinated threaten their relationship with Jesus?
Is the vaccine related to the Mark of the Beast spoken of in Revelation?
Does Hillcrest have an official position on the Covid vaccine?
Does Hillcrest plan to restrict access only to the vaccinated?
Since these are new questions, brought about by our current reality in Medicine Hat, we thought it wise to write a congregational letter to share with you how we currently view the situation.
#1 – It is our continued goal to lift up the name of Jesus and to continue to foster the unity of the Spirit in our midst. We think it is best if we could refrain – as much as possible – from focusing on the pandemic in our worship services, and instead focus on worshipping Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. Our preaching and worship leaders will continue to speak into the moments and challenges we are facing, but at the same time, let’s not let this current reality separate us or divide us, especially in our foyer conversations. Let’s keep our focus on Jesus our Lord!
#2 – The pandemic has given us many gospel moments where we can lift up Jesus among our friends and neighbors. Let’s continue to look for opportunities to steer people toward Jesus and invite people into a relationship with Jesus.
The two statements above summarize what has been our focus throughout the pandemic and we are asking that as a church family we continue to lean into these two goals.
#3 – Hillcrest Church is a gathering of people who believe that Jesus is Lord. We all have access to the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit can – and does – give us wisdom and direction to guide our lives as individuals. We encourage everyone to continue to seek the Lord and the wisdom of the Spirit as each new week unfolds. We encourage you to listen to others who have different opinions from yours. Try to understand why a well-meaning and sincere Christian could hold views that are so different. In seeking to understand, we will grow in empathy and compassion for others, and perhaps be challenged to adjust our viewpoint. We can become ‘set in our ways’ and thereby become less open to hearing from the wisdom of fellow believers. There is a danger to developing our own ideas in isolation from each other. Let’s listen to the Lord, and to each other, then let’s be open to discerning wisdom as we move from week to week. This pandemic gives us another opportunity to live out what it means to follow Jesus together.
#4 – Because Hillcrest is a collection of people, we are going to have opinions about the pandemic that are as varied as the community we live in. We suspect that the vaccination rate in our church reflects the vaccination rate in our city. This means that a growing majority of Hillcrest people are probably vaccinated. It also means that a certain percentage are hesitant to take the vaccine, and some are resistant to it. The disparity in viewpoints is to be expected, since we are part of a larger community in Medicine Hat. This means that there is no ‘official’ Hillcrest position on vaccines, because Hillcrest is the people, not an institution. This disparity also shows that there is no ‘official’ Christian position on these matters, regardless of how much we might prefer that to be the case. We can say that there is a growing majority of Christians who believe that vaccinations are necessary and helpful, and, there are some Christians who believe otherwise.
#5 – As pastors, we do not believe that the vaccine is connected to the mark of ‘the Beast’ from Revelation. The decision to worship ‘the Beast’ is not going to be some form of trickery. People will clearly choose to worship this being of their own free will. Thus, it is not a sin to be vaccinated. For those who are already vaccinated, or those who choose to get vaccinated, you are not hindering your spiritual relationship with Jesus by doing so. The only way we are saved or damned is by trusting in – or refusing to trust in Jesus Christ for our salvation. Things like vaccines do not have an effect on your personal relationship with Jesus.
#6 – As pastors, we believe that the church is for all people. Jesus’ invitation to trust him extends to all people. Jesus is for everyone. The church should be open for all who desire to worship Jesus. We intend to hold steadfast to this principle. If the option is extended to churches to opt in to a vaccination exemption program, we do not intend to take that option. We plan to keep our doors open to all those who want to worship Jesus. This may mean that we will have to live with capacity restrictions for an extended period of time, until the virus becomes more endemic in the population, but we believe the inconvenience is worth holding fast to the principle of keeping our doors open for all.
We hope that this serves to answer some of your questions related to this new phase of restrictions. If you have any further questions on these matters, we are always available to listen.
In His Grip,
Pastors of Hillcrest Church