Update on Sundays: Now at 10am and 5pm
Dear church,
The week of Thanksgiving is one of my favorites of the year. I’m not exactly sure why, but I enjoy the whole thing — the feasting and fellowship and board games and pie, and the slowness of it all. The pace of Thanksgiving Day is something special, at least in my experience.
I mention all this now because of the situation we’re in as a state. As there are recent spikes in coronavirus cases, there are also new measures to stifle the spread, per the governor’s latest mandate.
And you may have noticed an “inconsistency.”
While the governor has mandated that you can’t host social events inside your home, he has not issued such a restriction on churches gathering for worship. He has said we can’t be together in our homes, but he has not said that we can’t be together — up to 250 of us — as the church.
Does the lack of further restrictions for churches mean there’s not a coronavirus risk at church gatherings?
No, it does not mean that. Of course there is such a risk, and one that we as pastors take seriously.
As I’ve mentioned before, we are not simply waiting for directives from the state on how we respond. Due to the increasing threat in March, and the extreme mystery of this virus at that time, we decided not to gather on March 15 before the governor’s executive order. Little did we know at that time that we’d not gather again in person as one body until September 13. This present letter is not the time to hash out all the lessons learned — and still to be learned — from those months of not being together, but as helpful as they may have been to slow the spread of COVID-19, they also created a sense of disconnection and uprootedness that has challenged our souls, our church, and our cities. We believe that is a risk we must also withstand.
Sundays Going Forward: 10am and 5pm
We believe, first, the corporate gathering of the local is essential; and second, the coronavirus is not to be treated flippantly. We seek to hold these things together, which means we will continue to gather on Sundays for worship, and we will continue to abide by the precautions of masks and distancing.
To be clear, we will continue to gather on Sundays because of our theological conviction in its priority — not because we have become cavalier in response to this virus or to the health of others. We will continue to provide the live-stream option for those who are high-risk or have any hint of virus symptoms. When in doubt, don’t come out! Do not feel pressure from your pastors in this season to gather in person if you have concerns.
Additionally, in the hopes of making our Sunday night gathering a better option for many, we are changing the time to 5:00PM. Again, I invite you to come on Sunday nights if the arrangements are possible!
With the two gatherings, 10:00AM and now 5:00PM, and if we can distribute enough of us between these two times, it will provide ample space for us in worship, allowing us to continue to meet and maintain carefulness.
In sum, I have been very encouraged by our church, and the glad-hearted, wisdom-seeking quality of our membership. It’s been a lot this year, but my thankfulness for you has only deepened.
In hope,
Pastor Jonathan
