Solon • Chagrin Falls • Twinsburg • Bainbridge • Aurora • Cleveland • The Ends of the Earth
A Welcoming Faith Community for Cleveland's Chagrin Valley

Please join us for worship!

Our video worship service was available on our Facebook page this morning at 10am.  We used a premier setting so people could interact with the service and each other in real time. It's still available to watch!

Sounds fancy, right?  But don't worry, if you can check your email and click this link, you can handle this!  You don't even need a Facebook account to click the link and watch.  Once you have found our facebook page, click the link for the video "The Living Church In Such a Time As This"

If you aren't interested in linking with us via Facebook, we've got you covered.  Click here for the youtube video link.

Dear Pioneer,

A lot has changed in the past week.  COVID-19 went from being a distant problem to a very present and real problem.  We have confirmed cases of the disease in nearby towns, and we see the world around us seeming to stop.  Of course, life does not stop.  We have very real needs, and very real worries other than getting this disease, and we may be left wondering, “How do we balance?” 

First, I want to share that this disease is not just media hype.  We can see the patterns of spread from all over the world, and we know how it will spread here.  The steps our governor is taking are drastic, but not excessive.  They are drastic because the problem is drastic.  The steps he has taken will ensure that the mortality rate of this disease stays at 1% in our region instead of 4% as in many regions that have not enforced social distancing early on.  Therefore, I will be following the governor’s recommendations and the CDC’s recommendations as much as possible.  You may say, “But religious groups are exempt from those bans.”  Yes, but that is only because the Constitution forbids the government from imposing laws on religious groups—the reasons behind the bans very much apply to us.

I have had several changes of opinion as I have seen the data and the recommendations coming out.  As my first letter to you said, I did not project cancelling worship, but I decided in the end that it would be best.  For the coming weeks, we will have a live streaming worship service.  Details on that will be forthcoming as we work out the logistics of such a platform.  But I see worship as a need.  We need to come and sit at the feet of our Lord, we need to be reminded that our God is King, even over infectious diseases.  We need to call out to God and give voice to our confusion and anger, and open ourselves to God’s love, grace, instruction, and calling.  We need, all the more in this time, to know that we are God’s children, together as one church.

Please know that the church has not closed.  We are working in some different ways, often from home (I am home today because I have a cough—it’s minor and has been passed from Levi to Karen to me—we consulted with our doctor, and it is certainly not COVID).  I have encouraged Peggy and Dave to work from home as much as possible.  If you need to contact the church, please use email or leave a voicemail message.  If we are working from home, we will be checking our messages several times a day.  

We are also thinking of creative ways to continue caring for our members who are isolated during this time.  Several of our members have volunteered to help with groceries or other errands.  I’m also distinctly aware of the need for childcare for some of our working members whose children are home for several weeks at least.  If you need help or are able to help others, please shoot me an email or call me at (330) 554-4986. 

Also, I expect to be writing some devotions and meditations over the next days and weeks.  I will share these with you as much as possible.  As always, it is my joy and honor to be your pastor, and to encourage you in your lives of faith!

Grace and Peace in our Lord Jesus!

Rev. Benjamin Graves

Join us for a Lent Study!

Click here for a short preview of the book.

This Lent, let us join together to discover five spiritual practices that will help us walk closer with God.  Together, Pioneer members and visitors are invited to read and study "The Walk" by Adam Hamilton.  Groups will meet on Sunday morning, at WNL and on Thursdays.  If this is something you are interested in, please RSVP to Aaron today!