how we're changing to confront the virus outbreak

SUNDAY MORNINGS

  • In compliance with the Illinois governor’s stay-at-home order issued March 20, 2020, we closed our facilities and shut down our in-person Sunday morning activities. 
  • To provide a way for us to gather in spite of the in-person worship shutdown, we launched a call-in worship experience on May 3, 2020. 
  • In response to guidance from the state of Illinois regarding reopening, we resumed in-person worship as of Sunday, July 12, 2020, while maintaining the phone-in option. 
  • Beginning in June 2021 we offered unmasked- and in-person Sunday morning Bible study and worship on the upper level of our building, and live access to the audio of the worship via our conference call service. 
  • Currently and as a means of controlling winter heating costs, we hold in-person worship in fellowship hall, on the lower level of our building, while we continue to offer the call-in option.
  • In compliance with current state of Illinois COVID protocols, we ask all eligible persons - age 3+ and those without medical reason not to - to wear a mask when in our building for worship or Bible study. For details about that worship, CLICK HERE.



OTHER COVID-RELATED MATTERS

  • Since early in the pandemic, we've not operated any of our community outreach ministries, including monthly food pantry collections, bi-monthly meal site service, and Helmets of Hope, our essential household supply ministry to veterans facing housing crisis. The good news is that we've filled new Helmets supply requests from our agency partners and will, as conditions permit, return the ministry to its pre-pandemic activity level, as we distribute essential household supplies to veterans in a 49 county area in Illinois and Iowa. For more Helmets of Hope info, CLICK HERE.
  • Churches United has resumed operations at its meal site hosted by Zion Lutheran Church in Davenport. Since the site at Mt Zion Baptist Church in East Moline, where we served for decades, remains closed, we hope to be able to join the rotation of churches and groups that prepare and serve the meal at Zion Lutheran.
  • We check the church's office's voice mail regularly, or you may contact us through email at office@fccem.org.


THE CHURCH’S FINANCES

Providing for the financial health of our church is a difficult but critical element of our recovery from the effects of COVID-19. While several of our households send financial support via personal checks mailed to the church, or with help from their financial institutions, which send checks to the church on prescribed days of the month, many other of our households provide tithes and offerings in the Sunday worship offering tray. Given the lengthy suspension of our worship, and for the well-being of our church’s finances and our ability to meet fixed costs such as utilities and payroll, we pray that all of our giving households will maintain their faithful support of our ministries. Whether you give weekly, monthly, or at some other frequency, we offer three non-Sunday methods of giving: 

  • BY MAIL: Send personal checks made out to FCCEM (no cash, please) to 3501 7th St, East Moline, IL 61244
  • THROUGH YOUR FINANCIAL INSTITUTION: Establish a scheduled gift through your financial institution, which will send your gifts to the church in the amounts and at the frequency of your choice
  • THROUGH OUR WEBSITE (CLICK HERE): Use our 100% safe and secure online donation option to create a schedule for your gifts to the church in the amounts of your choice. 

The mission and ministries of FCCEM appreciate and very much depend on your faithful financial support, perhaps now more than ever. Thank you in advance for your help during these trying times.



A CLOSING WORD

We proclaim it every Sunday. It’s crucial that we remember and repeat it today: Our God will never, ever, EVER let us go!