May 13, 2020

Dear Church Family,

Praise be to our God and Father and His Son, Jesus Christ from all blessings flow!

I hope you are all doing well in these somewhat confusing and challenging circumstances. It has been a great blessing to see you all weekly on the Zoom calls.  It isn’t the same as being together, but it does help to see all your faces and hear your voices.

I just wanted to give you some information from the elders regarding our restart of corporate worship.  While we are all longing to see one another, we also recognize that our current circumstances present some challenges we haven’t had to deal with before. With the latest guidance from the Jackson County Executive Office, churches are being allowed to meet as long as they meet the stated occupancy requirements.  We have evaluated the Cotillion location and we meet those requirements by a pretty large margin. So we will hold services this Sunday, May 17^th.

So, first things, first…just as it was challenging to move into “lockdown” and isolation from others, it may also be challenging to re-enter our social connections. The elders want to reassure you, that our desire is to take all reasonable measures to ensure the health and safety of our body, and to be subject to the authorities in our community while still moving towards “normalizing” our reconnection as a body. Just as we are all one, yet still individuals, it only stands to reason that not everyone will be in the same place regarding gathering together.

Each of us have our concerns about the future, so we want to make sure you all know you should feel free to come back into our corporate worship on a timeline while taking precautions that make you and your family feel safe.  There will be no “sideways” glances if you choose to wait a few more days or weeks before attending worship services.  Each person has a different level of concern and there is no pressure from the body to immediately join in corporate worship.  We love you all whether you come back immediately or wait for a time. But obviously our heart is the sooner the better!

We would also like to share with you some of what to expect if you choose to meet on Sunday. Chairs are set up in a way that meets the requirements of social distancing.  We have allowed for six feet of separation between the rows of seats, ten-foot aisles and appropriate distance for the worship team and the pulpit.  We would like for family groups to sit together in a single row and then we can make necessary accommodation for those who attend on their own or with close friends. Note that two empty chairs is equal to six foot distancing.

Some additional details for you to understand and consider:

1. As much as we all want to hug each other, please observe the social distancing guidelines we are operating under (Jazz hands or air hugs are allowed)
2. Feel free to visit with each other, but please observe social distancing
3. Please feel free to wear a mask or gloves if you wish (maybe Dale can find us some guidance from the Puritans regarding facial covering!!!)
4. We will not be serving snacks or coffee at this time.
5. We will observe the Lord’s Supper, but the elements will be set out on tables prepared by our deacons using appropriate gloves and masks procedures.  We will then be able to self-serve perhaps by rows to retrieve the elements and return to our seats and partake together.
6. We will not be having Sunday School.
7. There will be not be a nursery during the worship hour
8. The worship team may be reduced to the musicians and our worship leader (still some details to work out)
9. We will be “live streaming” the worship service for those not able to attend (THANK YOU Ryan Holland!) You will be able to access the live stream through Facebook. More details to work out, and a communication regarding how to access it will be coming out before Sunday.

I hope this information helps to inform your decisions about attending worship.  We would love to see you all, but we are very sensitive to the situation and don’t want to exert any undue pressure on anyone to go beyond what you feel is appropriate for you and your families.

We love you all, and long to see you and worship together as a family.  Please feel free to reach out to either of the pastors or any of the elders to get any questions answered or voice any concerns you might have.  We are all in this together, and with God’s guidance and protection, we will come out the other side of this time even stronger and more united than before.

In Christ’s love,

Your Elders and Pastors