I hope you were able to join us online for Miracle Sunday this past weekend and hear about some of the incredible things that God is doing in and through our church family. Although 2020 has looked very different than any of us could have imagined, we have seen God continue to faithfully provide and direct us. His goodness is evident and His ways are higher than our ways, so we continue to yield to His plan and humbly follow His lead–and what a privilege it is!
The pandemic this year has made for some interesting planning and rather sudden adjustments to the church calendar. With the recent increase of COVID cases in Burleigh County, as well as updated information regarding the timeline of the construction project at the Bismarck campus, we’ve now had some time to think, pray, and develop a plan for the next several weeks.
Services will be held online Sundays at 9:30 and 11:00 AM until December 6, 2020. There are two reasons for this: (1) Rising COVID hospitalizations and deaths in Burleigh County and (2) Preparing for the move into the new auditorium. Due to the amount of audio, video, and lighting equipment to move from the current auditorium into the new auditorium, we knew it would become necessary to take our weekend services online on November 22 and 29 in order to have time to transition equipment and many of our current spaces. The timing of this current rise of COVID cases along with our construction needs is unfortunate in that it puts our weekend services online in November, but it also provides a great opportunity for us to prepare our Bismarck campus and teams for this new season in a new facility.
While weekend services will be online, Young Adult Alpha, Wednesday-night Alpha, the Marriage Course, Wednesday eKids and Youth, and other weekly ministries will all continue to meet in-person.
Although we won’t be holding in-person services during these weeks, we are working hard to allow people to do church in different ways in the building. There are still many in-person ministry events taking place, both in homes and at the church. Marriages are being strengthened and restored through the Marriage Course on Monday nights, young adults are asking questions and learning about Jesus at Alpha, and new followers of Jesus are still being baptized at the church. God is moving!
The new auditorium is on schedule to be completed before Christmas, and I believe that the new space will enable us to share the Gospel with more people than ever before. This year isn’t over yet and we’re excited about what God has ahead!
I am so thankful for you and for the important part you play in the Evangel family. Thank you for your prayerful support and faithful resilience in the face of difficulty and uncertainty. We look forward to what God will do as we continue to trust Him.
The best is yet to come,
Josh Skjoldal Lead Pastor
Please take a few minutes to watch this important video update from our Lead Pastor, Josh Skjoldal for information regarding weekend services..
Please take a few minutes to watch this important video update from our Lead Pastor, Josh Skjoldal.
Recently, North Dakota leaders lowered the state’s risk level under North Dakota SMART RESTART. The state moved from a yellow (moderate) risk to a green (low) risk.
Changes made:
Due to low risk, Evangel leadership has made the following decisions:
Beginning on May 20, we launched a Wednesday night service. It’s our intention to uphold strong precautions during this service and maintain a lower capacity. It is our hope that this may be appealing to those who desire to attend church in-person but prefer stricter social-distancing practices. eKids will not be available during this service.
We humbly ask that anyone with a fever or anyone feeling sick would stay home and utilize Church at Home. We also encourage those most vulnerable to the coronavirus because of their age or underlying health conditions to continue to engage in Church at Home during this time. We understand there will be some who are uncomfortable returning at this time, and that’s alright. We will maintain a vibrant and engaging Church at Home experience for you and your families and will be glad to have you continue to join us in that way.
Watch the video above for full information.
In compliance with state and CDC recommendations, we will provide an in-person service option and relaunch Sunday services on May 17. We will be taking many precautions to protect our church and community and to ease the fears of those nervous about gathering.
Here are a few things that will look different as we begin to gather again in person:
As always, we will strive to create an environment that is safe, secure, and sanitary for you and your family. We can’t wait to see you!
Walking through this season of unknowns has provided people and organizations alike the opportunity to grow and strengthen. We are so thankful for the positive growth we’ve experienced in the past six weeks.
Through the COVID-19 crisis, we have had an incredible opportunity to meet tangible needs of our community and truly be a church not just in our community, but a church for our community. Your willingness and generosity to give and serve through the City Reach Drive and the Crisis Prayer and Care ministry has been a powerful testimony of what it means to be the local church. During COVID-19, the church has remained alive and active, in our communities and in homes across our region and beyond. While the church has been connecting and engaging through online platforms, Evangel’s leadership team has been strategically planning how to bring people back into the church building. Pastor Josh has been diligently researching and planning different relaunch options for Evangel.
He’s sought counsel from numerous local, state, and national leaders to inform those strategies. We are aligning our relaunch plans with Governor Burgum’s ND Smart Restart plan. It’s imperative we continue our efforts to contain the virus. We walk a delicate balance between resuming gatherings and preventing further spread of infection.
Due to this, the relaunch of moving services back into the church building will happen in phases and will look different than what has been the “normal” at Evangel. The way forward will not be a matter of following a timetable, but of faithfully and continuously discerning the information we have at hand and responding accordingly. Please continue to visit our COVID-19 webpage for future developments and updates regarding the relaunch plan. Although we’re not able to meet in person yet, we would love to stay connected with you!
We want to thank you for your prayers and the encouragement you are giving to each other during this difficult time. Stories are coming in of how the Evangel family is caring and praying for one another. We definitely need each other now more than ever and we need God’s continued help and guidance as we navigate these unprecedented times.
As you may know, the first confirmed case of community-spread COVID-19 in North Dakota was found earlier this week and Governor Burgum has urged everyone to practice “social distancing”–recommending people to no longer gather in groups larger than 10. These restrictions are in place to help stop the COVID-19 virus from spreading. We would strongly suggest that you follow these guidelines for your protection until these restrictions are lifted.
With that in mind, all of Evangel’s ministry events and groups will move to an online platform for the foreseeable future and all weekend services will be moved to online and TV broadcasts only. The Annual Business Meeting scheduled for Sunday, March 29 will be postponed to a later date. The current members of Evangel’s board will continue to serve and the election of two new board members will take place at the 2020 Annual Business Meeting.
Although church will look a little different during this season, we are so thankful that we have the opportunity to share church together from our homes on Sunday and throughout the week.
Here is what Sunday services will look like:
We would love to stay connected with you:
In spite of the challenges we are facing, God is with us, and He is working! You are not alone. You are a part of a faith-filled body of believers who care about you, and we are in this together.
“May the Lord bless you and protect you. May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord show you his favor and give you his peace.” Numbers 6:24-26 (NLT)
Pastor Josh Skjoldal Lead Pastor
As a result, all of Evangel’s ministry events and groups have been canceled or postponed for the week of March 16-20 and all weekend services will be moved to online and BEK broadcasts only for March 22. Although church will look a little different this weekend, we can still experience the same great Evangel worship and message together on Sunday! We’re excited to gather together online and we’re so excited to have Pastor Josh and Jenaye Skjoldal back from sabbatical. Pastor Josh will be sharing a timely message regarding “unprecedented” times. There are many options for tuning in from home, so please check out the list below and find the one that works best for you:
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Many of you are probably already aware of the update Governor Burgum gave at 8:00 PM on March 15 announcing the decision to close public and private schools across North Dakota for the week. In this update, Governor Burgum also referenced new recommendations from the CDC and encouraged groups of 10 people or more not to meet. As a result, all of Evangel’s ministry events and groups will be canceled for the week of March 16-20 and all weekend services will be moved to online and BEK broadcasts only for March 22. In addition, the Zoom Retreat scheduled for March 26-27 has been canceled and refunds will be issued.
Evangel has continued to closely monitor this quickly changing situation and we are prayerfully considering the best steps for moving forward, as the NDDoH will provide further recommendations later this week. We are working hard to develop some new and exciting ways for you and your family to engage with all that God is doing (and will continue to do!) at Evangel.
Please continue to watch this website for more important updates and announcements, including information about Evangel’s weekend services.
Following the update from Governor Burgum earlier today, Evangel’s leadership wants to reassure you of the decision to continue gathering together for weekend services. This situation may change quickly and we will respond to any future recommendations accordingly. For those of you who are not able to join us this weekend, either due to illness or caution, we encourage you to join us online or watch our broadcast on BEK TV. Please watch the video below to hear a special message from Pastor Josh regarding COVID-19.
Sunday 10:30 AM – TV Channel Bek247 10:30 AM – Facebook Live 10:30 AM & 12:00 PM – live.goevangel.org
Evangel has been closely monitoring recommendations from the North Dakota Department of Health (NDDoH) regarding the Coronavirus (COVID-19) situation in North Dakota. Even though COVID-19 cases in North Dakota have been extremely limited and at the time of this writing there are zero cases in any counties where we have campuses, a few people have asked what Evangel is doing to maintain a clean and safe environment during this season. To set your minds at ease, we wanted to let you know that we’re taking the following steps to keep Evangel an environment where you and your family feel safe:
During this season, we ask that if you or anyone in your household feel sick in any way, please stay home. If you are unable to join us in person for services, we encourage you to take advantage of either our online services or our television broadcast on BEK TV. To stay plugged in with all communication and what’s going on at Evangel, please follow us on Facebook or Instagram. Please note that all future information regarding COVID-19 and any potential disruptions to Evangel’s activities will be communicated through email and social media.
Whether you join us in person or online, we’re excited to worship with you this weekend!