Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update

Worship with Us! Go here to find our services online every Sunday morning at 9:00am. We will be opening for limited in-person worship starting May 23 and 24. Saturday service will begin at 6:00pm, and Sunday service at 9:00am. If you plan to attend, please sign up here. Here are guidelines for those planning to come to worship.

This page has information for both our church members and school families. Please scroll down to find the latest update that applies to you.

8/7/20

For School Families

Our final plan for re-opening can be found here. See you on August 17th!

 

7/21/20

For School Families

We are planning to open for school on August 17th for in-person instruction. See here for the initial plan that was sent to families via our weekly news. The most recent update on our plans can be viewed here.

 

3/30/20

For School Families

In line with Governor Ducey's order, school will remain closed for the rest of the year. Classes will still be held through distance learning. Parents, please continue to send us your feedback on how we're doing. We want to continually improve so that your child gets the best education possible during this time!

 

3/26/2020

For School Families

Our school and preschool will remain physically closed through April 10th as we follow recommendations from our local authorities. We recognize that the switch to online learning is a tough adjustment, so we thank you for your patience. At any time, please feel free to submit your feedback on how we're doing. You can send it to Pastor/Principal Foxen at principal@crossofglory.org.

Starting on Monday, 3/30, we will be opening one room of our preschool for childcare purposes. Though we are encouraging everyone to remain at home if possible, we recognize that not everyone is able to do this. If you are in need of childcare during this time, please contact us. We have limited spots available with only one room, but we'll do our best to accommodate you. We'll also be putting extra cleaning and sanitizing practices in place.

God keep you all close to him during this time!

 

3/20/2020

For School Families

As mentioned in my previous message to you, our faculty and staff has been meeting about how we will handle distance learning for classes during the shutdown caused by the coronavirus. Those plans are completed and ready to be shared with you. Please follow this link to find the information. There's a lot to digest there, so please read carefully. I also want to stress that this may not be a perfect process, especially at the beginning. Please help us out by sharing your feedback so that we can make improvements along the way as needed. Our prayer is that we won't need to do this for very long, and we'll all be back together again soon.

3/17/2020

For School Families

Our Board of Education made the decision today to shutdown the school next week due to the coronavirus. The major reasons for this are a desire to follow the recommendations of our governing authorities as well as a desire to protect the health and well-being of our students, families, teachers, and anyone they might come into contact with.

Neither the preschool nor the grade school will be in session from the 23rd-27th. I apologize for the inconvenience that this will create for families in need of childcare. Please understand that this decision was made not in order to make your lives more difficult, but for the good of our community at large. The sooner we can put a stop to the spread of the virus, the sooner we'll be able to get back to life as normal. In the meantime, I pray you'll be able to find a workable solution for your family.

The teachers of our grade school and I will be meeting tomorrow to go over plans for distance learning to be used this coming week and beyond, if needed. Grade school families, look for additional communication to come out tomorrow regarding this.

So far, this decision only affects school until the 27th. We will continue to monitor what the authorities are saying, and if it becomes necessary to extend the shutdown, we will let you know. 

We continue to trust that our God is in control, and so we refuse to be ruled by fear and uncertainty. I pray that he comfort you with his unending love for you, which he showed by giving up his Son that you might be saved from a fate much worse than this virus.

God keep you in his care,
Principal Ben Foxen


Public Worship Update

Dear members of Cross of Glory,

Our church council met tonight in an emergency meeting to discuss the information that has been coming to light on the coronavirus (COVID-19). A decision was made to suspend public worship until further notice. This decision was based on a number of factors:

  • The CDC is recommending no public gatherings of 10 or more for the next two weeks. President Trump is supporting this recommendation. Though this isn't a command from them, the 4th Commandment would still guide us to follow their recommendation, as they are making it not out of a desire to prevent us from gathering for worship but out of a desire to protect people.
  • The 5th Commandment also guides us to think of the welfare of our neighbor and do everything we can to protect their body and life. Not gathering regularly for a time in large numbers is one way we can do this.
  • Our synod president has recommended that congregations consider alternatives to public worship during this time.
  • Many of our other churches are also suspending public worship for the time being.
This decision is effective immediately, which means we won't be meeting together for Lenten worship tomorrow night, and there will be no soup supper. However, this does not mean we cannot worship. We have the capability to record and stream our services online. We will make the services available on our website and on our Vistancia Facebook page. Pastors Ehlers and Foxen will be meeting tomorrow to plan how we can continue to serve our congregation and community during this unprecedented time, so expect further announcements to come. They will be sent out via email and posted on our webpage. Our church council will be meeting via conference call on a weekly basis to reassess the situation until it seems wise to return to our normal worship practice.

Encouragement Regarding Offerings
During this time of not meeting together, it's also very important that we all continue to support the work of the church with our offerings so that the church can continue its work of serving souls with God's Word and Sacraments. Some people are setup for automatic giving through Vanco. It will be easy for you to continue giving. Those who aren't can setup their automated giving here. If you prefer not to use Vanco, you can of course still give via check. Please mail your offering to our Jomax campus. If you are giving towards Vistancia's ministry, indicate that on the check. Thank you for continuing to use the resources God has given you to his glory!

Call Meeting Is Still On
We will still be holding the call meeting that was scheduled for this coming Sunday. It will be on Sunday at 10:30am. This is being done on the advice of our district president, Pastor Jon Buchholz. If you do not feel comfortable attending the meeting, then please don't feel obligated to come. This will likely be our last chance to call for a principal this school year.

We again want to remind people of our Lord's control over this situation. Our decision to suspend our public gatherings is not a decision born out of fear, but out of respect for our governing authorities and love for our neighbor. Be certain of our God's love and care for you. Know that he watches over you. Proclaim it to your neighbors when they display their fear and uncertainty. Be his instruments to bring peace to a chaotic world.

In Christian love,
Pastor Foxen
Pastor Ehlers

 

3/14/2020

For School Families

Dear families of Cross of Glory Lutheran School,

For a spiritual response to the coronavirus situation, please see the message below.

I also want to make you aware of our plans regarding school. Currently, we are not making any changes to our schedule. Spring Break will give us an opportunity to further monitor the situation as it develops. We are keeping up to date with information put out by the CDC and our own state's health department. If it becomes necessary to cancel classes, we will do so. 

Updates will be posted to this web page, so you may want to bookmark it for easy access in the coming days.

Thank you, and may God keep you all healthy and safe!

Principal Ben Foxen

 

3/13/2020

Dear members and friends of Cross of Glory,

As we find ourselves in uncertain times, with news of the spread of COVID-19 changing constantly, it’s important to remember where Christians find their faith, hope, and strength. Even in the midst of what is being called a pandemic, our Lord is in control. In the midst of fear and anxiety, he offers hope and security. In light of these truths, we wanted to address our members on the current situation.

We have been hearing reports that other churches have been canceling their weekly worship services. For now, Cross of Glory will continue to meet for worship as planned at our Jomax campus. However, services at our Vistancia location are being suspended for the time being due to the Peoria Unified School District closing their facilities to the public on the weekends. Those who normally attend there are of course welcome to come to worship at our Jomax location.

We want you to know that we are taking the virus seriously and will continue to monitor the situation. We'll be listening to the information and recommendations that come from the Center for Disease Control and our state's health department. If the situation worsens and we change our plans for public worship, we will let you know. 

We also encourage our people to decide for themselves what is best for their situation. If you are feeling sick or are concerned that coming to church might result in you getting sick, please stay home. We are not out to burden anyone's conscience over this. In addition, we do have opportunities to join in our worship services online. Jomax services can be viewed here. Vistancia services can be viewed here.

Our church exists to offer hope and comfort to people on the basis of Jesus Christ and the promises given through him to the people of this world. We will continue to offer that hope and comfort to people during this situation. As you yourselves find solace in your Savior, look for the opportunities to share your confident faith with those around you. Times of testing are often the best times to let our light shine. Also, let us go in prayer to our gracious God on behalf of all those who are sick and suffering throughout the world. Most of all, let us remain confident in our God that he will do what is right and will use this situation for the good of his people, as he has promised.

Further updates will come via our newsletter and will be made available on this page as well.

God's blessing be upon you all!

Pastor Ben Foxen
Pastor John Ehlers