GOING BACK INSIDE

Sunday night the board met for our monthly meeting. At it we unanimously decided it was time to return inside. We are tentatively excited for this change. Excited because we know that outdoor worship has been a struggle for many. Tentative because we know that the virus has not been eradicated yet. Many experts are now saying that the worst could still come. Because of that, we are still requiring masks and physical distancing. One thing about the masks, they need to stay on over noses too. Multiple studies have shown that a mask which is not covering your nose is ineffective. Furthermore, we wear them because we are called to love our neighbors. Studies have shown that people without symptoms can still spread the virus. It is a very small thing when compared to the cross that Jesus calls each of us to pick up. Additionally, there is a new study which suggests that mask wearing could make some people immune to the virus! Apparently masks could allow a small virus load into our bodies. That load is not big enough to cause us to get sick, but it is big enough for our immune systems to recognize and defeat the virus before it really gets us. How awesome would that be?! In addition to the distances and masks, we are also limiting capacity in our worship service. To make sure everyone can attend, we will have two different worship services: 9:00 AM and 11:00 AM. Sunday school will be at 10:00 AM. Bill’s class will be meeting in the children’s wing and Will’s class will be meeting on the adult classes. The 11:00 service will be a traditional worship service in the Sanctuary. The 9:00 AM worship service will be in the gymnasium. We are going to attempt “Brunch Church.” We will meet in the gym around tables. We will still have singing and a sermon, but we will include a short discussion time at the tables, too. We will provide coffee and water, and if you would like to bring a snack, you are welcome to enjoy one. This service will be a bit more interactive hoping to fill some of our socializing void which we have been missing. We also hope that it will be a soft entry space for new people to the faith. In the future we plan to provide a brunch, but we still need to gather the volunteers as well as the finances.

Speaking of volunteers. If anyone wants to assist with setting up the gym for this new service. We will do so tomorrow after Wednesday night church. We are excited about this new format and hope that you will feel comfortable inviting your friends and neighbors to join us. We look forward to seeing you this Sunday!