How Do I Access the Facebook Live or telephone conference call of our gatherings.  You can access these by computer, smart phone, or even landline phone!

To access Facebook    https://www.facebook.com/lbcblanchard/

Click the link below for a copy of the Pastoral Letter from Pastor Chris updating the Liberty Baptist Church community what is happening to our events and church services as of March 17, 2020.

Pastor Chris Letter to LBC 03 17 2020

LBC received word this afternoon that Sight & Sound Theatres has delayed the opening of the Queen Esther show until March 28, 2020.  The bus trip that we planned to take on Saturday, March 21, 2020 is CANCELLED.  Refund information will be sent as soon as we receive it from the bus company and Sight & Sound.  Any questions call the church office at (570) 907-0254 on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday from 11am – 3pm.

Dear LBC Family, Beech Creek and Blanchard Communities:

That is the question that LBC will be asking over the next several days and weeks as we think through practical steps to respond to health crises like this one. Since our weekends can be a heightened point of contact with one another, we would love to encourage the following steps:

1. Please wash your hands often and completely. The CDC recommends washing your hands for at least 20 seconds. We have bathrooms and hand sanitizer throughout the building.

2. We love to greet each other with hugs and handshakes, but let’s do our best to refrain from these for the time being. Even if you are not concerned about COVID-19, the person you are desiring to feel welcome might be.

3. Thank you for your desire to make gathering on weekends a priority, but if you are fighting any kind of illness, maybe stay at home and enjoy worshipping through our online worship experience(on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/lbcblanchard/ ) for the time being. You can also make online contributions/tithes using our online giving site at https://www.lbcblanchard.com/tithe/ Coming together on the weekends in the same place is always better, but not if there is a risk of you getting worse or inadvertently passing your illness on to someone else.

These are all just simple precautions that are easy for us to take to make sure we are being thoughtful. In the future, there may be more drastic measures that need to be taken. We will continue to monitor the situation and keep you updated.

In times like these, I am reminded of Isaiah 41:10. “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and hear you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.”

If opportunities come to serve more tangibly, we will seek to take them. Anecdotal reports suggest the church in China is sacrificially serving their neighbors and earning trust among them, much like the early church did during the plagues in Rome: Christians ran into the cities to serve as the politicians were running out to protect themselves. Knowing we are ultimately safe makes a real, tangible difference in our love for one another.

One thing I can almost certainly promise is that we will never forsake the act of meeting together as a church body, even if not everyone is able to participate on a given Sunday. We do not just gather as a church to receive religious content: we could do that over our phones! The very act of gathering is a sign of the gospel, an act of rebellion against the forces of fear, suspicion, and prejudice that tell us we have more to fear from one another than we have to gain from the presence of Christ in each other. As Paul said to the Corinthians, we are “one body, because we all share in one bread” (1 Cor. 10:17). Our tangible, physical unity around the table is itself an act of gospel proclamation, and will be worth continuing no matter what threats of danger come. Hostile governments, rogue shooters, and COVID-19 do not hold more power over us than the gospel of Christ!

We look forward to seeing you this Sunday and declaring these foundational truths together as we gather our bodies – and spirits – for worship.

God is in control.

In Christ,
Pastor Chris