Daily Devotional and WWCN Up Date From Pastor Fran

Dear Church Family:When all this craziness concerning the Coronavirus pandemic began, I felt a real uneasiness in my spirit.  I wasn’t afraid necessarily, but it could have very easily turned to fear if I didn’t have Jesus in my life and if I didn’t know without a doubt that I could stand on His promises to never leave me or forsake me. When I went to the stores and found the shelves had been swept clean of supplies, once again I felt this uneasiness in my spirit.  Not because I was fearful of not having the food or supplies that I might need but I couldn’t help but think about the panic and fear that was driving the people of this world.   I knew that I didn’t have to give into the fear that was so prevalent around me.  I could trust in God for my every need, but what about those that didn’t have Jesus and the promises of His Word.  I immediately began to pray as I went up and down the empty isles for the people that were living in panic and fear.  
 
I have several devotional that I follow each day and the next morning my devotional read like this:
 
“When the Coronavirus pandemic began, I knew my husband, who is an infectious disease physician, could possibly be involved in caring for some of the infected. One night last week, a colleague texted him saying he had received word from a friend in New York saying infectious disease doctors are dying there. 
 
The next morning the word "Do not fear what they fear" came to me so frequently that I realized it was a word from God. I found it in Isaiah 8:12, 13: "...do not fear what they fear, and do not dread it. The Lord Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, he is the one you are to fear, he is the one you are to dread."
 
God spoke these words to Isaiah when Judah was threatened by an enemy invasion and the people were terrified. Scripture says, "the hearts of Ahaz [the king] and his people were shaken, as the trees of the forest are shaken by the wind" (Isaiah 7:2). Because of their fear, the king was ready to form an alliance with other nations rather than depend on God for protection.
 
Isaiah warned King Ahaz to reject fear and to look to God. To refuse to do so was to become more and more fearful. They would ultimately be leaving their lives in the hands of an unknown power. Their failure to trust God, would make Him appear helpless, indifferent, even insignificant rather than the Lord Almighty.
 
Trusting God for protection during the Coronavirus crisis, of course does not exclude doing what is reasonable to avoid the virus. "A prudent person foresees danger and takes precautions" (Proverbs 22:3 NLT). But I've discovered we can do so without fear.”  By Althea Hinthorn
 
So do not fear what they fear...Trust God!
Blessings to all of you,
Pastor Fran
 
Update From WWCN:
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Because of the difficulty many had in connecting to our live feed this past Sunday we will be moving to a different and more secure service.

We will be e-mailing information and instructions to you about this new service and how our people can connect.

We will be working with all of our small group leaders this week with ideas they can use to engage our small groups in a weekly virtual small group experience. Look for more information on our daily E-Mail devotions and updates.

We are continuing to look at new and innovative ways to help you stay connected with your Wanamaker Woods Church Family. These are indeed challenging days, but also days of great opportunity to spread the message of hope which can only be found in Jesus Christ.

If you are experiencing a spiritual need, or just need someone to talk to,
our pastoral staff is here to help. Listed below is the contact number for each of our pastoral staff.  (You can also call the church office at 273-2248.  It is being answered 24/7)
 
 
L D Holmes:  221-5845        or  [email protected]
Pastor Michael:  414-0464    or  [email protected]
Pastor Fran:  554-6799        or  [email protected]
Pastor Delinda:  845-2290    or  [email protected]
 
Pastor Donny/Holly:  508-345-7044   or [email protected]
Pastor Dick:  633-7900            or   [email protected]
Pastor Jerry:  640-3792           or   [email protected]
Pastor Bill:  817-2802              or   [email protected]
Pastor Jared:  806-6339           or   [email protected]
Pastor Marty:  207-0479           or   [email protected]