Church in Sanctuary

Dear Church Family,

I wanted to share with you that after much prayer and discussion our session was in full support of us moving to re-engage in worship together in the sanctuary beginning the weekend of June 14 at 10 AM.

We give thanks, then, for the promise of our faith—that the Lord God will bless and keep us, the risen Christ is with us, and the Holy Spirit connects us with believers near and far. We take comfort and inspiration from the example of the earliest believers, who “spent much time together in the temple” and “broke bread at home … with glad and generous hearts” (Acts 2:46).

We are tracking the news in these times—with numbers of new cases, numbers  of persons who have died, and numbers of those who are recovering—we remember the good news of the gospel: “And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved” (Acts 2:47).

There is no perfect plan- we have endeavored to the best of our ability to make our people safe and meet needs. Some of these proceedings will feel a bit uncomfortable at first. They are for me as well. We have made the best decisions based upon current information.

There are very different “emotional responses” to COVID19. Knowing that we are all children of God, we will accept your feelings with grace. We all feel differently, we are leaving the choice of whether to worship at home, or in the church, up to you.

FACEBOOK LIVE SERVICES WILL CONTINUE SUNDAYS AT 10 AM.

We have made a few changes to worship, the worship space, and how we interact with each other. Our service will be shorter than usual, as we will have no singing, no offering collection, no greeting time, and no coffee hour yet. We will not be offering any Sunday School at this time. There will be coloring sheets available to pick up at the entrance to the church, as well as crayons.

Here are a few steps that have been taken to provide a safe environment:

• All rooms have been and will be thoroughly cleaned and sanitized.
• All doorknobs and handles have been and will be sanitized.
• Only the restroom on the worship floor will be available. It has many cleaning apparatuses, and is handicapped accessible.
• Every-other pew has been taped off, offering 6-foot buffers from the next row. Please realize this is for the health of all, we are sorry if this affects your regular seating area.
• Services will be dismissed row-by-row beginning with the back.
• All doors to gain entry to the building will be left open as the weather permits to avoid needing to touch them.
• You will be greeted with a smile as well as a squirt of hand sanitizer. Masks will also be available if you would like one/ have forgotten yours. This is not required, just requested.
• We are fortunate that we are in our summer months – we would ask that people exit the building following service and enjoy fellowshipping outdoors to keep the foyers as empty as possible.
• Offering plates will be placed at the exits for your convenience.
• Communion will utilize pre-packaged cups and wafers for the time being.

Here are some things you can do to help us open safely:

• Stay home if you are ill or if you have a temperature.
• Once you have been seated please remain in your seating area.
• While we will be providing hand sanitizer stations, you may want to bring your own sanitizer and Kleenex.
• Please exit the sanctuary following service.

We are trying to remain very flexible.  I realize these are unprecedented times for our church family. I want to tell you how blessed I have been by your faithfulness, your encouragement, and your love to me. Although these days have been challenging, we have also learned about new ways to connect and to minister effectively. Now, I believe our greatest days are still ahead.

Wishing God’s peace for us all,

Pastor Leigh