In his 1920 presidential candidacy, Warren G. Harding coined the campaign slogan “a return to normalcy.” The idea was to allow the country to get back to the place it was before World War One. Although hardly the same as recovering from a world war, I think I can speak for all of us when I say we long for a “return to normalcy” for our Sunday morning meetings from our very abnormal experiences because of COVID–19.
Hey everyone. And welcome back to the Mark Prater podcast, where our aim is to connect our global family of churches with our Executive Director. Hey Mark…
Hey everyone. And welcome back to the Mark Prater podcast, where our aim is to connect our global family of churches with our Executive Director. Mark, this season has been challenging for pastors. It was challenging to shut down and seek to pastor our churches remotely, unable to gather together, but it could be for some of us that the challenge of reopening and what that has been bringing into our church is maybe harder than the previous one. Do you have any thoughts about that?…
Hey everyone. And welcome back to the Mark Prater podcast where our aim is to connect our global family of churches with our Executive Director, Mark. As we continue to navigate through this pandemic, as pastors carrying various burdens hearing a diverse collection of voices and perspectives from our church. What thoughts, what suggestions would you have to encourage us to prepare our hearts and our minds as we communicate to our churches?…
Hey everyone and welcome back to the Mark Prater podcast where our aim is to connect our global family of churches with our Executive Director. Mark, we're talking about reopening as the conversation continues and we navigate through this pandemic. There are some Sovereign Grace churches that have begun to gather again. Why don't you tell us about that?…
You likely have seen recent updates on Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Loan Guidance. But I want to make sure you are aware of this important update…
Hey everyone. Welcome back to the Mark Prater podcast where our aim is to connect our global family of churches with our Executive Director. Mark last time, last week, we talked about how Sovereign Grace Churches has been stepping up to embrace the privilege of financially providing for partners globally who are really struggling even more than we are when it comes to food shortages and things like that…
I’ve never been one that sensed that time was either flying by or dragging along. But I must admit that it seems like forever since we have had to begin practicing social distancing and shelter in place. And, of course, the resulting replacing Sunday gatherings with live streams and other means, conducting small…
Two weeks ago, our small denomination dedicated a day of prayer for healthcare professionals who are serving on the frontlines in caring for the sick during the COVID-19 pandemic. Because there are other men and women working daily on the frontline to serve us, even at their own risk, we...
Welcome back to the Mark Prater podcast, where our aim is to connect our global family of churches with our Executive Director. Hey Mark, you talked a couple of weeks ago about what you saw God revealing in Sovereign Grace pastors and some of the encouraging things you saw there…
Please be aware of the following updated information relating to COVID-19 Financial Relief…
Hey everyone. Welcome back to the Mark Prater podcast, where—our aim is to connect our global family of churches to our Executive Director. Mark, here we are three weeks into this pandemic and the social distancing and shelter-in-place orders that are pretty much all over the place…
It seems each week spent in seclusion raises new questions for pastors as they recalibrate their pastoral care to the demands of this season. It was inevitable, especially as churches went online, that the question of the Lord’s Supper would emerge. Can we livestream the Lord’s Supper?…
Please note the following timely information to help you prepare your PPP Application…
The Department of Treasury is releasing more details on how to apply for the Paycheck Protection Program. Most banks participating in the program should start accepting applications on Friday, April 3. Here is the important information you need to apply…
The Bible is sufficient for all of life, at all times, even in the midst of a global pandemic. God is good to tell us what to do in tribulation, like the COVID-19 pandemic we are all walking through together. God tells us in Romans 12 to “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer” (Rom. 12:12, ESV)…
As mentioned in my previous communication, the recently passed CARES Act includes a new loan program called the Payroll Protection Loan/Grant. This program is a significant benefit available to small businesses, including churches and non-profits. All U.S. Sovereign Grace Churches who have regular payroll should qualify…
I have had several pastors ask me about whether church staff can qualify for unemployment compensation if they are laid off as a result of the economic impact of COVID-19. Here are some key highlights (as brief as I can be!). Be sure and pass this on to whoever helps your church with compensation and benefits…
Hey everyone. Welcome to the Mark Prater podcast, where our aim is to connect our global family of churches with our Executive Director. Hey Mark, there's a rumor going around that for your protection, you've been quarantined underneath the Texas Roadhouse in Glen Mills. Is that where you're broadcasting from right now?…
I just wanted to let you know that we are monitoring information that could affect churches, particularly relating to government-sponsored relief through the Families First Coronavirus Act and the CARES Act. As we become aware of information to help you understand the impact on your church, we will let you know where helpful resources are available…
We’re into the second week of the Great Hunkerdown of 2020. Most pastors I know have spent the last week reworking their churches into some kind of new virtual reality. But we all know that pastoral counseling needs are out there awaiting our attention…
It’s become clear over the past couple of weeks that the COVID-19 pandemic would leave nothing in our lives untouched—including our Sunday gatherings. Since our pastoral team’s decision to live-stream a time of singing and teaching for our church, I’ve heard concerns about this practice…
Hey everyone. Welcome to the Mark Prater podcast, where we aim to connect our global family of churches to our Executive Director. Mark, a couple videos ago, we talked about the COVID-19 pandemic. It was just really starting. So perhaps some of our reflections on that weren't reflective of what is actually happening around this…
When my sons were young, I would sometimes take them to construction sites on my day off so we could watch the big trucks and loaders do their thing. One day, we pulled up to a busy site and my young son jumped out of the car and yelled, “Wow!” His brother jumped out right behind him and shouted, “Wow! Wow!”…
Pastors are men with a calling from God to serve His people as shepherds and overseers. Peter's exhortation is to "shepherd the flock of God that is among you." But how are we supposed to do that if we can't be among the flock that God has entrusted to us? How can we shepherd in a "social distancing" era?…
One of the ways that Scripture calls us to respond to trouble, like the COVID-19 pandemic, is to pray knowing that God will answer our prayers…
It’s honestly hard to know what to write about in times like this. If you are a Christian believer, I trust you are seeking encouragement and guidance from God and His Word, and strength and consolation through his Holy Spirit…
The COVID-19 virus (Coronavirus) has filled the news headlines for several weeks. The World Health Organization determined this week that it is a pandemic, the first our world has had since 2009. Without a doubt, members of your church are tracking these events and responding to them in different ways…
Experts from one of the country’s premier medical research centers, Massachusetts General Hospital, took to their computer screens on Thursday for the first-ever “virtual Grand Rounds.” Their goal: to take stock of what’s currently known about the COVID-19 global pandemic and share information with the medical community…
After the first case of covid-19, the disease caused by the new strain of coronavirus, was announced in the United States, reports of further infections trickled in slowly. Two months later, that trickle has turned into a steady current…