Dear Neighborhood Church Family,
 
Another week has passed as we continue in the midst of COVID-19 and Phase 2 of reopening in Montgomery County. I love to see many of you connecting with our live stream, connecting in Neighborhood Groups, and giving of your time, talent and treasure to see God’s mission advance from our neighborhoods to the nations. It is a privilege to serve alongside all of you.
 
As we still look towards reopening the building, we are in a holding pattern in stage 2. I would love to have more things in person but also recognize it will still take some time. I appreciate your flexibility and continued prayers and look in hope towards to future.

Grace and Peace.
 
Pastor Mark
 

​ Dear Neighborhood Church Family,
 
Happy 4th of July. I hope you enjoyed an extended weekend and being reminded of the many freedoms we do have in spite of the struggles. Also, for those who came out to the Picnic, I hope it was enjoyable to see some other people, while still taking necessary precautions.
 
As of Monday, we are continuing in the status quo of Phase 2 of reopening in Montgomery County.  With all of the rising case of COVID-19 across the nation, it seems like Phase 3 is still a way off.
 
I feel like the apostle Paul as I write that I long to see you in person but know the present circumstance limit that interaction. As we know more, we will keep you up to date.

Grace and Peace.
 
Pastor Mark
 

 Dear Neighborhood Church Family,
 
We are now at the end of June or the beginning of July, depending on how you would like to view it.  

We are continuing in Phase 2 of reopening in Montgomery County.  Phase 2 allows for in person gatherings both inside and outside of the building with restrictions. Some of these restrictions are very limiting.
 
The hope is that Phase 3 will come soon but with rising cases of COVID-19 across the nation, it seems like Phase 3 will take a bit longer to arrive. We continue to prayerfully evaluate when it is feasible to have in person gatherings and will let you know as we move closer.
 
With this in mind, we will continue to meet virtually and will keep you informed as we know more.
 
P.S. I would like to invite you to an outdoor picnic this Sunday July 5th. 

Grace and Peace.
 
Pastor Mark
 

 Dear Neighborhood Church Family,
 
Another Week has gone by and another week hopefully towards reopening.
 
AS of Friday, we are now in Phase 2 of reopening in Montgomery County.  Phase 2 allows for in person gatherings both inside and outside of the building with restrictions. The restrictions for inside the building are too limiting for what we are able to accommodate, so we are planning on a having a picnic outside on July 5th.  We are still hoping to resume in person public gatherings but will need to wait till Phase 3, which will hopefully be in Mid-July.
 
With this in mind, we will continue to meet virtually and will keep you informed as we know more.
 
Grace and Peace.
 
Pastor Mark

 Dear Neighborhood Church Family,
 
Thank you for your continued support and participation as we work towards reopening the church building and beginning gatherings.  
 
We are now in Phase 1 of reopening in Montgomery County.  Phase 1 does not permit gatherings of over 10 people but does allow drive up/drive through services with no contact.
 
This past week, you received a survey (which is right below this post) in regards to reopening. I would appreciate if you would take the time to fill it out, so that we can make decisions based on both your anticipated participations and government guidelines with physically gathering.
 
With this in mind, we will continue to meet virtually and will keep you informed as we know more.
 
Grace and Peace.
 
Pastor Mark

As ministry leaders are having discussions as to how and when Neighborhood Church will reopen, we'd love to get your input.  Please click below to complete a COVID-19 Safety Survey. 

 Dear Neighborhood Church Family,
 
Above and beyond what is happening with COVID-19. The nations is now reeling from injustice, racism, looting and more. My heart breaks and goes out to our African American brothers and sisters who have experienced ongoing injustice. As our church continues to embrace the beauty of being a multi-ethnic congregation, I hope we can model in a simple way how the Gospel of Jesus Christ both unites and reconciles people of all ages, ethnicities, and both men and women.
 
With regards to COVID-19, on June 1, Montgomery County Entered Phase 1 of Reopening.  This is good news and we celebrate this. As a part of Phase 1, not much has changed in the state and county. Guidelines continue to restrict church gathering to 10 people or less. There is also the ability to have drive in services with no contact, which in some way defeats the purpose.
 
In light of this, we will continue to meet virtually through Phase 1 and then reevaluate when we know what is allowed in Phase 2.
 
May you know Jesus and his encouragement during this time and if there is any way the church can help, let us know. 
 
Grace and Peace

Pastor Mark
 
 

 Dear Neighborhood Church Family,
 
Thank you for your continued prayers, patience, and participation with Neighborhood Church. 
 
As of May 21, The county Executive Marc Elrich, along with County Health Officer Travis Gayles are unwilling to set a date for phased steps to reopen.
 
According to the county's website, there needs to be a sustained 14 day decrease in regards to confirmed cases, hospitalizations, deaths, acute and ICU bed usage, and more before entering into phase I. There is now a daily County tracker of where we are in each of these critical areas located here
 
Although much of the Country is beginning to reopen, along with the President declaring Church’s essential, we as a local church and as part of Montgomery County, Maryland will continue to wait for county guidelines and timelines for reopening the inside of our physical building beyond use for live streaming, rehearsals, maintenance,  and by staff. 
 
As we look to reopen, safety for all is of paramount importance and we will only reopen when we are confident of having these safety measures in place.
 
The church is not closed, because the church is not a building! It is the people of God, living out the mission of God. Lets continue to live that out wherever we are. 
 
Some said closing the church building was hard, but reopening will be even more challenging. My prayer is for wisdom, grace, and for God timing to be perfect for when we gather back in person.
 
Pastor Mark

​Dear Neighborhood Church Family,
 
In light of the continued spread of the Coronavirus and our responsibility to both honor God and the state of Maryland, of which we are a part, we will continue to meet virtually as a church until further notice.
 
According to Governor Hogan’s website, The State of Maryland is continuing to operate under a state of emergency, and all levels of government are taking a comprehensive, collaborative approach to keep Marylanders safe. (The list of ongoing state actions is available at the Governor’s website.) As of May 15th Maryland entered Phase I of reopening. Although this is good news, Montgomery County is not there and according to The county website there needs to be a sustained 14 day decrease across confirmed cases, hospitalizations, deaths, acute and ICU bed usage, and more.
 
As part of these actions, on Thursday, March 12, the state of Maryland began to prohibit all mass gatherings over 250 people and recommended social distancing to slow the spread of the virus. On Monday March 16 this was followed by shutting all sit-down restaurants, bars, health clubs, and prohibiting gathering of over 50 people, which now has been reduced to 10 people. Therefore we have cancelled our Sunday services and other uses of the building for the foreseeable future. In place of the physical gatherings on Sundays and other events we will be offering live streaming on Facebook here and YouTube here.

What about small groups? 
Although we will not be gathering in large groups, we still encourage you to meet virtually in small groups and contact people through social media, texting, phone calls, video, etc. throughout the week.Click Here for current small groups.
 
What about the coming weeks?
Since this is a fluid situation, we will keep you up to date as we know more information and make decisions in the best interest of the public and church.MCPS has now closed schools through the end of the school year, so we will be meeting virtually at least till then. We are planning to do as many things as possible online. Please make sure to check the website for any updates and subscribe to the newsletter. 
 
My prayer is for us to be people who are not led by fear but by faith, not living in panic but in supernatural peace. I believe God is giving us a great opportunity to show and share how followers of Jesus respond in the midst of chaos. I am reminded of the words of Jesus, “ I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
 
Safe in the arms of Jesus,
 
Pastor Mark