Many of us are at this point staying AWAY from the virus, but there are those who are moving TOWARDS it. Our essential workers are putting themselves in the way of COVID-19.

We may feel COVID-19 hasn’t impacted us as a church or a community. But it will. Oswego and surrounding communities will see more positive cases.

So, starting today, I am calling us as Elim Grace to take action and begin supporting our frontline ESSENTIAL workers. We will call this “Operation Frontline”.

Operation Frontline will focus primarily on getting care packages (think larger plastic bins) to break rooms where staff can “refuel and restock” for continuing their work. The care packages will include only the HIGHEST quality snacks. We will start with 20 packages.

At this point our care packages will be sent to:

(1) the Oswego Hospital – nurses, doctors, ER, ICU, security and engineering departments. The engineering staff are those working around the clock to bring all additional required space up to standard, i.e. bringing entire units to negative pressure ready for ventilators, etc.

(2) Public Health

(3) Our local urgent care(s)

As a church, this will be our Serve Oswego project for 2020.

To do this part, an “Operation Team” has been tasked with putting together the care packages and will begin delivering them soon. (The “Operation Team” includes Jonathan and Alissa Evans, Michelle King, and Rachael Stahl.)

As it comes to rallying each of us and uniting to do what we can:

(1) You can give to Operation Frontline – We created an Operation Frontline fund here our website (click on the Give tab above). This fund will help sustain and replenish the care packages whether for the short or long term. 

Another way this fund might be used will be that our Operation Team will purchase breakfast, lunch or dinner for a particular floor/group/shift through one of our local restaurants; i.e. they might order bagels from the bagel shop and deliver them around town to our essential workers; etc.

(2) You can purchase gifts cards from our local restaurants and pass them along to our “Operation Team” for delivery. By Purchasing gift card/certificates, you will be both supporting our local businesses and our frontline workers. (See Mayor Barlow’s recent mailer including all local restaurants currently open. A pic of it is available on our Facebook page. PLEASE NOTE: Not all restaurants are currently selling/receiving gift card/certificates, so ensure they are before purchasing.)

(3) You can purchase and write thank you cards (or make them along with your children) and pass them along to the “Operation Team” for delivery.

All of this will serve, I hope, to greatly refresh the morale and energy of those working under a lot of stress right now. 

Please know, this is likely only the beginning. We hope to expand these packages/bins to include many more of our essential workers across the city. We know there are many more besides those listed above. They ALL deserve our appreciation and admiration, as well as our support.

Dear Elim Grace, we ARE going to get through this. But it matters HOW we get through. We want to be stronger in the end, not weaker, both as a community and a church. So we will do our part, the part God’s given us to do. 

I believe we will be surprised by the extent to which God calls us to go, but also by the extent to which He resources us to go to that extent. This is Operation Frontline. Let’s unite and serve as best as we can, with fulness of generosity and love as the body of Christ.