An Open Letter to the Seattle Eastside

Church Family,

With uncertainty in the news and conversations with our neighbors, increased social isolation, and unexpected financial hardship, it is all too easy to lose sight of our source of peace. It is even more critical now that we lean on a peace that will not move, a peace planted firmly in our immovable, unchanging Lord. Our trust in Him, the One who holds the world in His hands is where we can find strength beyond ourselves. Read with me these words of promise from the prophet Isaiah.

“Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding. He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.”

Isaiah 40:28-31, NLT

Consider with me the greatness of our God for a moment. He is greater than and not surprised by a virus, or the destruction and fear this virus has come to represent. And not only is our God greater than this (or any other) calamity, but He makes His greatness/power available to those who trust in Him.

Scripture teaches us that our Lord gives power and strength to the weak and powerless. In our moments of anxiety and fear, where we are confronted with our own inability to stand up under the pressure, He is the true source of power. In Him we have the power to stand. There is a key truth here that I don’t want you to miss, God gives His power and strength to those who are weak and powerless. I don’t think that this means you and I are to posture ourselves as weaklings in the face of the virus, far from it! For we are warriors fighting a physical, emotional, and spiritual battle against all forms of evil! The real question that this passage from Isaiah confronts me with is, “Who is in ultimate control?”

If God is in ultimate control, then you and I are free to admit our weakness in the face of this epidemic and to place our trust in the One in whom we will find new strength. Strength for today to fight the good fight! And while our circumstances continue to change, the main thing remains the main thing: Trust in Him. Amen!

We have a few resources that I want you to be aware of as we walk together these next few weeks.

Service Live Stream

Many of you were able to join us for the Facebook Live service this past Sunday and even more of you took the time to watch later. Thank you for welcoming us into your home! As we follow our government’s advice and stay at home, I want to encourage each of you to join us this Sunday morning at 10am for a live service broadcast. You can reach this broadcast by following us on Facebook or clicking the link on our website, www.eastsidechurch.org, that will take you to our video feed. 

Small Groups @Eastside

We are blessed with many gifted small group leaders and they are a great resource for you to stay connected with each other while we are unable to meet in person. Most of our groups are now meeting online and I would invite you to reach out to a group if you haven’t been a part of one for a while or are able to join for the first time. Encourage one another as the body of Christ and in looking towards Him as our hope. Our small groups are listed on our site at https://eastsidechurch.churchcenter.com/groups.

Eastside Community Outreach

In partnership with Foursquare Disaster Relief, we have launched Eastside Community Outreach, an online tool to help connect those in need from our community with those who are ready and able to provide help. More information about this opportunity is available at www.eastsidechurch.org/outreach or by sending an email to Alyssa Dunahoo.

Prayer Requests

If you are sick or are caring for someone who is sick, we would love to pray for you and with you! There are two ways to confidentially request prayer: (1) Please email [email protected], and let us know how we can be praying; or (2) complete a virtual Connect Card through the Eastside Connect App with your prayer request. We will reach out to you and pray with you.

We continue to join as a church family in prayer today that our God would bring us peace, health and wisdom. That He will miraculously show up in this difficult circumstance and reveal His mercy and His power. We also pray:

• For supernatural protection and healing.
• That God would preserve our health and the health of those in our community.
• That we may walk in faith, believing He is Jehovah Rophe—the Lord who heals—and remembering that "God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." (2 Tim. 1:7).
• For wisdom and protection for those fighting on the “front lines” against COVID-19.

Online Giving

Finally, I would encourage you to continue to give as unto the Lord. We have committed to pay the staff and our missionaries through time of crisis in our community, as well as continuing to meet all of our financial commitments beyond our personnel. To give online, please follow the instructions at https://www.eastsidechurch.org/give.

You are not alone, and let’s help others to know that they are not alone either!  Please continue to text, call, write, and check in with each other and pray for each other. And, as always, should you want to reach me directly, please don’t hesitate at [email protected]. We are in this together!

I love you and am praying for you,

Pastor Russ