Many have expressed ideas, concerns, and desires for our regathering to worship God together. The Session has tried to take all into account, though all comments are not on the same page. Here are some guiding biblical principles for you to consider regarding the plan we have chosen:
- We are committed to worshipping God in Spirit and truth no matter the challenges, whether online or in person.
“Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks” (John 4:23).
- We are committed to loving one another in sacrifice and self-restraint as we begin to gather.
“Do not do anything that endangers your neighbor’s life. I am the LORD” (Leviticus 19:16b).
- We are committed to the whole congregation, not just those who are not so much at risk,
and whatever we do as we begin to gather, we want to provide for all to worship as best we can.
“If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it” (1Corinthians 12:26-27).
HERE IS OUR PLAN:
SPC Phase 1 to begin June 7th (We will open in phases as does the Commonwealth.):
– WE WILL CONTINUE TO RECORD THE SERVICE on Fridays to be made available Sunday mornings, beginning at 8:30am and any time thereafter. This way those who cannot or should not gather with others will have the worship service brought to them.
– We will continue to encourage those in high-risk categories to worship online. We trust your judgment in this. We care for your physical and spiritual well-being.
– WE WILL BEGIN AN OUTDOOR SERVICE ON SUNDAY MORNINGS, JUNE 7, TO START AT 10:00AM.
Families can bring their own lawn chairs or blankets, practice social distancing, and are strongly encouraged to wear a mask if possible for the sake of others. Dress appropriately for outdoors. It will be like worship at a summer camp rather than indoors and air conditioned. We will always have the recorded service to fall back on if weather prohibits outdoor worship.
– We will provide a short-range FM transmission so that those who would like to attend in person but do not feel comfortable can stay in their cars but be parked in a spot that they can see the service. (Note: the delivery of equipment for this by June 7 is hopeful, but not certain.)
– Bathrooms will be available, though we encourage you to abstain from using them unless absolutely necessary. We are working out the details for best sanitary practices.
This is just the basic announcement. More details will follow as we work them out. We recommend to you an excellent article by the gospel coalition about the attitudes we should have as we work through this.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/church-dont-let-coronavirus-divide/
We look forward to future phases as things open up more. We could add an indoor service to our outdoor service, then have multiple services indoors as needed to accommodate everyone who can come, then move back to our normal schedule. All these plans are so contingent, we are not setting any details in stone at this point. By now we are all familiar with the proverb:
In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps (Proverbs 16:9).
So now my resume includes, in the same church over 38 years: Church Planter, Solo Pastor, Sr. Pastor, Televangelist, and Outdoor Tent Revivalist! The challenge of ministry is always fresh! All kidding aside, I do pray that God has been at work in your life through the ministry of the Word and prayer in worship that we are struggling to provide by God’s grace and in His strength through this difficult time.