Latest Updates: COVID-19 | Temple Bible Church

July 31, 2020 Update

We’re excited to gather again for worship beginning August 9. Service times are 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. More details coming soon!

June 26, 2020 Update

Hello TBC family,

Once again we find ourselves hearing and responding to new declarations and orders by our local officials and our governor even as we take in the news that COVID-19 is spreading at a more rapid rate than ever before in our community. We know that these are difficult and pressing times for all of you. We love you and we are praying for you as we know you are praying for us as we endeavor to navigate the days that God has given us in a manner that is worthy of his calling, consistent with his word, and a reflection of His great love for us and the community he has called us to serve.

Based on the new orders and announcements and based on the increasing spread of COVID-19 in our community we have made the following plans:

We will be canceling the Sunday morning service at Wildcat Stadium currently scheduled for Sunday, June 28. It has been so good to see those who were able to come the last two Sundays and it is unfortunate that we are unable to have our meeting in accordance with the current guidelines and orders. We also want to be a good neighbor to Temple ISD who has been so gracious to allow us to gather at Wildcat Stadium.
We will be gathering online at 11 a.m. Sunday morning through our live stream services. Please come join us as we worship together and hear a great message from Psalm 37.
We will have our final Sunday evening gathering in our parking lot at 7:30 p.m this Sunday. Even as we plan to have that meeting we need to reinforce the need that we will be keeping each other safe and loving each other by practicing social distancing and refraining from physical contact with others that did not come with us. As always, we highly encourage the wearing of masks, especially when distancing is difficult or not possible. We have masks available if you need them while you are here.
For Sunday, July 5 we will be having our live stream gathering online at 11 a.m. We will make announcements about the following Sundays as those decisions are made.

We thank you for your willingness to join us in loving one another by keeping each other safe. If you are symptomatic or sick or have been exposed to the virus we ask that you join us online as we will be streaming all of our in-person gatherings as they happen. Let us know if you are currently suffering from this illness or if you are having to practice social isolation because of direct exposure. We certainly want to minister to you and make sure that you are getting all of the help that you need.

Looking down the road, we will make additional announcements about the month of July as those plans are finalized. We will continue to work towards gathering together in as many ways that are safe as we navigate the days that God has given us. Once again we love you and we pray that you are all seeking after the love of Jesus Christ during these pressing times. If there is anyone in need please call us (778-3233) or email us at the church so we can find a way to help you.

Hello Temple Bible Church Family: Welcome to June 2020!

We hope this letter finds you well and living in the fullness of the love of Christ, the depth of which surpasses knowledge and is exceedingly more that we can imagine. As we endeavor to make plans for the future, it is our firm hope that we are guided by the foundation of the word of God, His Spirit and His will for us. As we share our plans for June and even looking forward to July, we encourage to prayerfully consider them through the lens of scripture:

1 Thessalonians 5: 15-19
“…..but always pursue what is good for one another and for all. Always rejoice, constantly pray, in everything give thanks. For this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 2: 3-‬4
“Instead of being motivated by selfish ambition or vanity, each of you should, in humility, be moved to treat one another as more important than yourself. Each of you should be concerned not only about your own interests, but about the interests of others as well.”

Hebrews 10: 23-25
“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.”

When praying and searching through scripture about the days we have been given and how to live in them, we have found that His word is literally weighted down with the call to be loving, as Christ loves us. These scriptures are just a few examples of the deep meanings of that call. “As Christ”! What does that mean and how can we possibly be able to do that? Are we free enough to empty ourselves for the sake of others? Have all of our fears been driven away by the perfect love of our Lord, Jesus? Here is the call- as Christ loved us… now we must love others, even those, and perhaps especially those, who stand against us. Hebrews adds that one of the expressions of loving each other is gathering together. So, how do we honor these verses with our plans and actions? How do we gather together while loving each other? Please know that as we make plans for the days to come, and as we walk in them, it is our best hope that everything we are considering is in response to this profound call – to love others. We are praying that by His Spirit, we are able.

With that in mind, we want to thank all of you who have been praying for our church and our community as we walk through these days together. We are especially thankful for your prayers as we continue to make decisions about gathering together over the weeks and months ahead. At the beginning of May, we announced that we would start gathering together each Sunday evening, in our parking lot. It has been wonderful to see everyone who has been able to join us. We want to thank you who came and worked hard to keep each other safe by following the social distance guidelines recommended by our health officials. It has truly been a blessing to have the opportunity to be together these past few Sunday evenings. Also we are continuously blessed to see how you all continue to gather together during our online services each Sunday morning at 11:00. It’s amazing to see how many people participate together online. Your generosity of spirit and service is a witness to the community of the love of Christ.

Plans for gatherings in June and looking forward to July:

We will continue with our online gatherings for Sunday morning services at 11:00. Please join us and invite others to watch alongside you and your family, while keeping each other safe, and following current guidelines for slowing the spread of this disease.
We will continue with our Sunday evening services in our parking lot through the month of June weather permitting. Our public health officials in our state leaders have indicated that churches should meet together outside if possible. For us it is possible. These services will continue to start at 7:30 pm in our parking lot between our Creekside and Main Building. Please bring your own chair/blankets to allow for your own comfort. During these services we continue to ask everyone to follow social distance guidelines. You’re welcome to sit with your family and those whom you’ve come with. Limiting physical contact and social distancing continues to be requested by our public health officials and our leaders. Please come prepared as bathroom use will be limited. Masks are highly encouraged.
Something new! Additionally, we will add at least one and hopefully two Sunday morning gatherings on June 14 and June 21! We realize that the late start of our Sunday evening services have made it difficult for some of our families to come. We are hopeful that Sunday mornings will be a way to gather for those who are not able on Sunday evenings. We will announce the locations of the Sunday morning services as soon as we have worked out all of the arrangements. Of course, these announcements will come very soon and will be in the form of another email and Facebook posts. These services will begin at 9:00 in the morning. The same protocols of keeping each other safe will be in place for these gatherings as well. Bathrooms will be available during these services.
Finally, this month we will be making preparations to begin gathering in our building starting July 12. We are making plans and preparations that will hopefully allow us to meet within our facilities while following the protocols for safe meetings that are recommended by our public health officials. Please know that when we begin meeting inside our walls we will be making our best efforts to meet together while keeping each other safe. We will communicate those guidelines during our outdoor and livestream gatherings in June. We are hopeful that these plans will be always done in “pursuit of what is good for one another and for all.”

Thank you all as you continue to walk with us as we seek to surrender to Jesus, love one another in community, and live sacrificially on mission to make much of Jesus Christ.

Blessings,
Danny & Chase on behalf of the TBC Elders

May 1, 2020

Hello TBC family,

To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are Temple Bible Church. Grace to you and peace from God our father and the Lord Jesus Christ. We thank our God as we remember all of you, always offering prayer with joy in all of our prayers for you. We are especially joyful when we think of your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now. For we are confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in us will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. For it’s only right for us to feel this way about our family, because we have each other in our hearts even though we cannot see each other and we know and see that everything you’re doing is a confirmation of the gospel in your lives and that we are all partakers of grace together. God is our witness and He confirms how we long for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. In this we pray that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment so that we all may approve the things that are excellent in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ, having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God.

I hope that God and the apostle Paul will forgive my shameless co-opting of Paul’s greeting in his letter to the Philippians! It seems right to greet you in the same manner during such a time as this. As Paul wrote these words he was in jail, separated from people, and unable to see his dear friends. I hope you are encouraged in the same way that the church in Philippi was when they heard the joy expressed in Paul’s letter even though he was enduring very difficult circumstances which included separation of fellowship. Paul in his isolation had heightened recognition of an unbreakable fellowship that transcends circumstances. I can honestly say on behalf of the leadership at Temple Bible Church that we long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus. We know you share that longing. We are so encouraged by the faithfulness of the saints of Temple Bible Church through the season of time. People are being fed, cared for, prayed over, and ministered to in countless ways despite the hard circumstances and the ever-changing news. You all have overwhelmed us with your faithfulness to continue to gather together on our online services every Sunday. The information we receive back from our service platforms shows that literally thousands of people are joining us and being ministered to by our Sunday morning service and our other online ministries throughout the week. What a great encouragement! Once again, we are so thankful for you and your faithfulness and your generosity of spirit.

We have all been absorbing the ever-changing announcements about how our state and community leaders are helping us navigate the unknowns of this virus. I and others have been on conference calls with our Governor, our Lieutenant Governor, and other public health officials over the past several days providing input regarding the current announcements and the announcements to come. I have been thankful to hear public confessions of faith in Jesus Christ by many of our community leaders who are steering us through these times and am encouraged to know that they are making every attempt to guide us as a community through the eyes of faith. I’ve been encouraged in my own heart to remember to pray for those who have been placed in these positions and to submit to them in a manner that is in accordance with Scripture. As we said to our leaders from the beginning, it is our desire to be part of the help and not part of the problem. We have prayed to God that our response would be guided by the law of love—love for one another through the love of Christ as we take care of one another and protect those who might be more vulnerable. This remains our desire.

With this in mind we are continuing to pray and consider how we can minister to one another through the next several weeks as the people of God. Public health officials and government leaders have allowed us as a Church to continue our ministries, believing and hoping that the people of God can and will take care of one another and the communities in which we live. Each communication, given by people we believe are well-informed Christ following public health officials and leaders, about what it means to “open up” recommends that we maintain proper social distancing and pay particular care to the vulnerable. It is here where Paul presses on us with the expectation that our “love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment so that we may approve the things that are excellent… To the glory and praise of God.” We pray that the plans of Temple Bible Church conform to the encouragement given to us by the apostle Paul, and please also know that there is not one element of fear expressed in Paul’s words either in the greeting to the Philippians or his words to Timothy, “for God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and discipline.”

In order to maintain what we believe is a proper call to social distancing in order and to protect our brothers and sisters in the Body and in the community at the present time, our return to larger group gatherings will be gradual. For the month of May, we will continue to meet online and worship together through our online service every Sunday morning at 11 o’clock. We encourage you to join us as we worship together. In addition, please let us know you joined us by saying “Hi” in the comments, and share your prayer requests on our comment section both in the Livestream or Facebook feeds. We also encourage you to tell your friends about the service so that they can join us as well and find out about the ministry of Jesus Christ and the redemptive power in his salvation through his shed blood and resurrection. As we adapt our personal lives to the changes that will be coming in our workplaces and our community, we strongly encourage you to set an example by following the guidance given to us by our employers and our public health officials including the Texas Department of Health. This will include maintaining social distance when possible and by wearing masks when distancing is not possible whenever you are gathered with others. We know that many of you are eager to begin meeting together in your home groups. We have every confidence that you will do so in a way that is a good witness to an onlooking world, taking care of each other in accordance with the guidance that has been given to us. If you are personally at increased risk, if you are sick, or if you’ve been exposed to someone who is sick, make sure you seek medical attention and follow the guidelines for self-isolation that are suggested to you. For those small groups which desire to resume gathering together in accordance with the protocols, make sure you are wearing masks, and please make accommodation for those who need to maintain distance. Perhaps they can still join you via Zoom or other alternatives. Let’s take care of one another. Let’s love one another.

And now, something new! Each Sunday evening in May, starting this Sunday the 3rd, at 7 p.m., we will be having a worship gathering in our east parking lot between our main building and our new Creekside facility. We will sing together. We will pray together. We will have a short devotional/teaching proclaiming the good news of Jesus. We are asking anyone who may be able to come to remember that we need to maintain a social distance of at least 6 feet by family unit, this includes the folks you bring along with you. Bring everything you might need to be comfortable including blankets and chairs for your family. Heads up—bathrooms will only be available for emergencies and will be managed accordingly; plan ahead 🙂 It is recommended when large groups gather together, even with social distancing, that masks can be helpful. This is especially true if you work or have been in an environment where you may have been exposed to this virus. Like our morning service, we will be streaming the evening service so that people can join us online. Please pray that as we come together in this manner we do so in a way that would honor one another and keep each other safe out of love. In this regard we join with Paul and his confidence in the people of God.

Events are changing rapidly, so check our updates online on our website and follow us on Facebook. Click here for the state of Texas guidelines and protocols for individual care and care for one another as we go out in public. Also please note that we are prayerfully considering the next steps for our Church that may allow us to meet together within our facilities. We, like you, are hoping that will be sooner rather than later. We love you and are praying for each of you.

Blessings,
Danny Cunningham

April 1, 2020

Help Those in Need: Dinner Essentials
In our continued effort to assist those in need in our community while complying with present guidelines, we have partnered with TISD to provide essential, non-perishable dinner items. Click the image below for more details and the opportunity to help families have the dinner essentials they need for a week!

March 27, 2020

Hello TBC family,
We know that many of you are tracking the ever-changing news regarding our community’s response to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Earlier today, March 27, Bell County officials revised their latest directive to bring their orders more in line with guidance and directives from the state government. We would like to thank our county officials for their prayerful consideration allowing for this revised order as it relates to the ministries of our church. We know it’s very difficult to lead through times like this and we know that they are making their best efforts to keep us safe.

We have been communicating directly with our county leaders so that they would know our church stands ready to be part of a helpful response to any type of emergency or need within the community. We have always appreciated their continued efforts to work with us and enlist our help through difficult times, and we will continue to work with them to become part of the solution and help during this season. This means we will continue to have our “gatherings” through services online as we have during the past two weeks.

The current directive extends through April 6 which means there will be no gatherings at Temple Bible Church at least through that date. Be sure to view our streaming schedule here for ways to stay involved and encouraged each week.Of course we pray that the curve will be flattened so spread of this virus will end, and that restrictions might be lifted sooner. Please be praying for all of our public health officials, our health care workers, along with all of the immunocompromised and vulnerable in our community as we prepare for the days that are ahead.

We love you and are praying for you all. We are confident that the love of Jesus Christ will be reflected in and through your lives as it always is. It continues to be our delight to share the gospel and our lives with you, the people of Temple Bible Church.

Please continue to check on our website and Facebook page for further updates. Also please go to The Hub on our website to volunteer to serve those in need as well as to let us know if you need help.

March 20, 2020

Hello TBC Family,

My how things change quickly! We continue to adapt and respond to the ever-changing information that we all are receiving from our leaders and public health officials. We continue to pray for each and every one of you as you go through your days and walk through this season of time. We pray for God’s peace and comfort as we know you are all working out how to walk through this season. We are in conversations with other churches in our community, health care providers and also with local government authorities. As we always have, we will continue to work closely with them and become part of the positive response to a community and world in need.

In accordance with the statewide declarations and the information we are given by public health officials we continue to have our “gatherings” and services online through and including Sunday April 5. This is not only because we are following the direction given us but also because this is a kindness towards one another. While kindness is not a foreign idea to those of us who follow Christ, the idea of “social distancing” seems and feels foreign to a people called to be together. Our history tells us that being together is not just one thing. By protecting one another, we are in fact being together and loving one another. This is why we are choosing to not use words like “cancel” or “close.” The family of Jesus is never closed and the Gospel is not canceled!

As a result, we are taking the following actions for the next few weekends or until we have more information that may indicate a different practice.

We will not be gathering at TBC for the next three Sundays. This Sunday March 22, Sunday March 29 and Sunday April 5. We continue to encourage folks to join us online. We will endeavor to keep everyone updated as we follow the guidance of our leaders and our public health officials.
We will be streaming one service beginning at 11 a.m. the next three Sundays. It will also be recorded for later viewing. You can watch on Facebook, Livestream or on our website. We were so encouraged to see that our last Sunday’s gathering was attended by so many of you. Thanks for joining with others in worship, prayer and learning from God’s word.
Join us online on Sunday mornings at 11 a.m. As you watch, you are encouraged to interact with us through the chat functions, offering praises and prayer requests.
We will continue to publish information on our website and Facebook page about how we will continue on with our ministries throughout the week. Last Wednesday we had a family gathering online for a Launchpad Family Rally. We will have Family Rally weekly on Wednesday evenings at 7:00 p.m. The Women of TBC also gathered together last Thursday both online and in discussion groups using various group meeting apps. Overflow Jr. High and High School ministries have also streamed programs for their ministries.
Once again, here is the Livestream link that will get you to the various channels and the sermon series where you can watch us when we are streaming these events live or go back and watch previously streamed events.
If you or someone you know has been affected by COVID-19 and needs support, or if you would like to volunteer to help others in need at this time, click here for more info.

We are asking everyone to honor what is being recommended as best practices for stopping the unnecessary spread of this virus.

Even as we encourage you to minister to one another in our HomeGroups groups, if you are sick and not feeling well or have been traveling recently to an area where there has been community transmission, please practice what is being called “social distancing.”

It is recommended that if you have traveled recently to areas where there has been community transmission you should practice self quarantining over the next few days or weeks.

This will be your act of love and service to the community. However, don’t go through that alone. Let us know if that’s a choice you are making and we will pray for and support you during this time. You can let us know by either calling the office and leaving a message or simply sending an email to Danny Cunningham (dannyc@tbcweb.org), Chase Bowers (chaseb@tbcweb.org), Dave Tate (davet@tbcweb.org), Casey Burke (caseyb@tbcweb.org), Brandon Brewer (brandonb@tbcweb.org), Shannon Soard (shannons@tbcweb.org), Amy Jimenez (amyj@tbcweb.org), Tim Cartwright (timc@tbcweb.org), David Richardson (davidr@tbcweb.org), or Mark Rojas (markr@tbcweb.org).

A Word of Thanks
We want to thank all of you for your prayers for our body and encouragement that you have given us. You are such a blessing to all of us. We look forward to the coming days as we take every opportunity to love one another well.

March 14, 2020

Hello TBC Family,

As you know, things are changing rapidly in our country as we respond to what is now considered a pandemic. Bell County has informed us that we have the first positively tested person in our area, and they have raised the official response level to level two. We continue to pray for each and every one of you as you go through your days and walk through this season of time. We pray for God’s peace and comfort as we know you are hearing conflicting opinions. We are in conversations with other churches in our community and also with local government authorities. As we always have, we will continue to work closely with them and become part of the positive response to a community and world in need.

After much prayer and consideration, we think it best to take the necessary precautions to avoid unnecessary exposures. This is a kindness towards one another. While kindness is not a foreign idea to those of us who follow Christ, the idea of “social distancing” seems and feels foreign to a people called to be together. Our history tells us that being together is not just one thing. By protecting one another, we are in fact being together and loving one another. This is why we are choosing to not use words like “cancel” or “close.” The family of Jesus is never closed and the Gospel is not canceled!

As a result, we are taking the following actions for the next two weekends or until we have more information that may indicate a different practice.

We will not be gathering at TBC this Sunday or next, but we are encouraging folks to join us online. We will endeavor to keep everyone updated as we follow the guidance of our leaders and our public health officials (even as we paused today to hear from the President before proceeding).
We are encouraging people to meet in small groups or with their current home group to join us online on Sunday mornings, beginning this Sunday, March 15 at 11 a.m. As you watch, you are encouraged to interact with us through the chat functions, offering praises and prayer requests.
We will be streaming one service beginning at 11 a.m. this Sunday and next Sunday. It will also be recorded for other viewing schedules. You can watch on Facebook, Livestream or on our website.
As mentioned in our previous communication, we will be interviewing Dr. John Midturi this Sunday. John is one of our Elders and is also an infectious disease specialist. We are blessed to have his giftedness and heart for Christ especially during these days.
We will publish information on our website and Facebook page about how we will continue on with our ministries throughout the week.

We are asking everyone to honor what is being recommended as best practices for stopping the unnecessary spread of this virus.

Even as we encourage you to meet together as groups, if you are sick and not feeling well or have been traveling recently to an area where there has been community transmission, please practice what is being called “social distancing.” It is recommended that if you have traveled recently to areas where there has been community transmission you should practice self quarantining over the next few days or weeks.

March 12, 2020

A Message from TBC Leadership Regarding Coronavirus:
(Updated 3/14/2020)

We know that you are aware of the news concerning COVID-19 (coronavirus), and understand that there are concerns about public gatherings. We want to proactively put your mind at ease about coming to church by sharing the safeguards and practices we have in place here at Temple Bible Church.

Greeting One Another
(When we resume gathering at TBC)
On more than one occasion Scripture encourages us to greet one another with a “holy kiss” (2 Cor 13:12; Romans 16:16, 1 Thess 5:26). While we have not practiced the “holy kiss” in our normal time of greeting on Sundays, we do ask everyone to greet one another almost every Sunday. During this season we will be greeting everyone with a smile and wave or even a hand over our hearts with words of greeting instead of a handshake.

Sanitizing/Wellness Practices
(When we resume gathering at TBC)

We have been thoroughly cleaning our entire building as usual and following our protocols of cleaning and disinfecting all hard services, toys in children’s locations and especially high contact areas.
We have placed hand sanitizers in locations around the building, as well as anti-bacterial soap in all restrooms.
Ushers and greeters will be standing by at entrances to open doors.
For the children’s check in areas please consider downloading and using the KidCheck Mobile App which allows you to check in on your phone and simply pick up your badges from the mobile check in printers. We will have sanitizer at or near the computer stations to allow for quick cleaning of your hands after interacting with the screen or keyboard

Things You Can Do

If you or someone in your family are experiencing fever and/or flu-like symptoms please stay home. If you need help or assistance from being affected by this virus please contact the church office at 254-778-3233 or by replying to this email.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
Thoroughly wash your hands for at least 20 seconds with warm water and soap throughout the day. Utilize alcohol-based hand sanitizer when soap and water are not available.
Be ready to help one another and love one another. We will let you know how we will mobilize our TBC army to help those affected by the virus if that becomes necessary. Encourage one another with the truth of God. He is in control and He is faithful.
Join us on our Livestream broadcast. You can join us remotely on our Facebook page, on our website, or on our Livestream page. While watching you can send us a message of greeting and let us know how we can pray for you!

We are praying for you, our community, our nation, and countries around the world. This is a great time to remind ourselves, as well as our children, that “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7). A great way to do that is to pray and read God’s word. Know that we love you, we’re praying for you, and we’re here for you. Information and guidance on this illness can change quickly and we will endeavor to communicate quickly if there is a need to change or adjust our plans.