Cinco de Mayo. It rhymes.

And that’s the extent of my knowledge on the 5th of May. Now, don't forget it's occurring on Taco Tuesday this year, which (in my mind) makes it significantly more important—but apparently, the actual event has nothing to do with food.

A quick google search revealed that Cinco de Mayo is observed to commemorate the Mexican Army’s victory over the French Empire at the Battle of Puebla, on May 5, 1862. We ('merica) beat the French way before that. Matter of fact, we weren’t even a country when we sent the Poilu’s packing, but thank God we kept their bagels…and fries…and kisses—which you should only do if you’re married…but what I’m trying to say is when it comes to war, a popular phrase is, "the enemy of my enemy is my friend." I can’t help but wonder if this whole coronavirus pandemic isn’t uniting enemies in a way that will benefit humanity. Enemies are becoming friends under this health crisis.

To that point, I also believe that a common vision can unite a group just like a common enemy can. I’ll say it this way: fighting FOR something is no different than fighting AGAINST something.

And while the world is busy fighting against a pandemic, maybe we can get caught fighting for the Gospel. Maybe we can be caught fighting for the love of our neighbor. Maybe we can be found fighting for the cause of Jesus.

Furthermore, what I know with complete certainty is that Jesus didn’t die for a building. To be clear, he destroyed the temple and it’s never recovered.

That’s why we (New Anthem) are in no real hurry to rush you in to a building somewhere. Buildings don’t change lives…God does. Sunday isn’t the vision. It’s a tool to communicate the vision. See, God’s vision has always been about making you more like His Son. It’s why He wants you in a community of Believers. Because life change happens when information meets community. And community isn’t an hour on a Sunday.

Here’s all I’m trying to get you to understand: I’m not an architect with a blueprint. I’m an army general with a battle plan (except once grenades start going off, I want to make sure I’m like the Mexican Army, not the French Army, on Cinco de Mayo. So plans will change, but the vision won’t). Things change in our approach as information changes.

We’re still trying to connect you to God’s purpose. For now, until social distancing restrictions are lifted, this is primarily going to happen in small groups in people’s homes. We’re currently working on locations, and when sites are finalized, we will share them on all of our social media and email platforms.

Until then, please let us know how we can best serve you and your family. Let’s keep praying and believing that the best is yet to come.