PASCOAG COMMUNITY BAPTIST CHURCH: RESPONSE TO COVID-19

After much prayer, discussion, and study of the facts surrounding COVID-19 (Coronavirus), I have come to a decision concerning the Pascoag Community Baptist Church.

As I see it in Scripture, I have two responsibilities that must be at the forefront of the ministry. The first and greatest is the preaching of the Gospel! This is the duty of each individual that claims the name of Christ. This duty is mandated by both a scriptural and moral obligation.

The second duty is also a scriptural and moral obligation that I must adhere to. I am required to care for the flock. In this case, I have made the decision that for the sake of those who call me Pastor and friend as well as our neighbors and our community, Pascoag Community Baptist Church will cancel all church services and Community Christian School will cancel all classes for the remainder of March and we will re-evaluate and make further decisions from there. All parents of CCS students will be contacted by the school shortly with details concerning how we plan to keep your child’s education moving forward over the next few weeks.

Please understand that these decisions were not made lightly or out of fear, but out of a deep concern for our church & school family, and for the community that we serve. If there is anything we can do for you during this time, please do not hesitate to reach out and allow us to minister to you.

Your friend,

Pastor Bryan K. Speroni

Pascoag Community Baptist Church

brypams@juno.com

PUBLIC STATEMENT RE: FALSE INFORMATION BEING DISSEMINATED ON-LINE

PUBLIC STATEMENT OF COMMUNITY CHRISTIAN SCHOOL,

A MINISTRY OF PASCOAG COMMUNITY BAPTIST CHURCH

RE: FALSE INFORMATION BEING DISSEMINATED ON-LINE

(name withheld for confidentiality) (issued Sunday, May 20, 2018)

Community Christian School was telephoned by a prospective parent regarding enrolling her four-year-old student in the church’s preschool program. This prospective student’s parent never filled out an application or actually applied to the school. Additionally, this prospective student’s parent was told by phone that the student would be enrolledif she wanted to place the child in a preschool program run by a Baptist church. The prospective student’s parent was given a copy of the church’s statement of faith that was voted on by the church membership years ago for her to review. At no time, did any church or school official ever state that the child would not be welcome to enroll. Any statement to the contrary is patently false.

Due to Internet confusion on this point, the church has been blitzed with on-line attacks and received safety threats to our campus by a major campaign now being waged on-line. With recent church and school shootings, we are forced to put our campus on high alert and notify law enforcement to make sure that no misguided individuals act violently toward children on our campus.

We would ask all parties involved to defuse the dialogue and maintain a safe and civilized conversation on these important issues. Baptist churches, Catholic churches, Jewish synagogues, Muslim Temples, and other religious organizations all take religious positions on issues such as what constitutes appropriate sexual conduct or marriage. We would hope that the interested on-line community would respect the rights of all American citizens to worship as they deem best and to train their children consistent with their sincerely-held religious beliefs.