This is a question many are beginning to ask as the state begins its reopening phase after this period of social distancing to slow the spread of the Coronavirus. The governor of Delaware recently issued safety guidelines for places of worship who wish to return to in-person services. Both our presbytery and our denomination have also issued their own guidelines, recommendations and considerations to congregations as they prayerfully discern reopening plans. It will take a lot of careful planning, coordination, and hard work to be able to resume in-person worship at HoC safely.
Session will be convening in early June to begin this conversation about resuming
in-person worship services. We will be reviewing all the guidance, recommendations, considerations, and best practices as outlined by our state, public health officials, our denominational leaders, and our own ministry context. We will be moving slowly in this process, with the understanding that, just
because we can reopen soon doesn’t mean we should. We will not be in any rush to resume any in-person activities until we fully understand all available health and safety information, assess the risks involved, and believe that we can safely implement a reopening plan. There are also spiritual concerns to take into consideration in our decision to resume in-person worship and activities. Over these past few months as we have been experimenting with online virtual
worship and faith formation experiences, we have discovered that we are reaching people beyond our members and friends who regularly attend in-person worship services. We’ve been discerning as a church how we can better engage our neighbors who may never come to our church building for a traditional church service. There’s a lot of ministry potential for developing an online community of
people who are interested in learning more about following Jesus and serving others, but may not be interested in coming to a church building to do so. By returning to in-person worship too soon, we may be short-circuiting the work of the Holy Spirit who is moving us toward such new ministry opportunities. I would like to see us continue to develop our online presence beyond the time of the
pandemic. I could see us perhaps having a hybrid ministry that encompasses both an in-person and an online community. There is great potential, and we don’t want to uproot the tender shoots of these new possibilities as they are just beginning to sprout!
So friends, there is no simple answer to the question, “when are we going to return to in-person worship services?” I know we all miss being together, seeing each other in-person, and worshipping in our beautiful sanctuary together! We do hope to eventually return to in-person worship services. We do not currently have a timeline for such a reopening. We will move slowly, carefully, and prayerfully to discern when and how we can resume in-person worship and activities safely. All the while, we will be doing our best to keep in step with the Holy Spirit, who
may be calling us to slow down, watch, wait, listen, and pray for the new things God in doing in our midst. We’re in the season of Pentecost, after all! We don’t want to get ahead of the Holy Spirit!
Please be praying for our church and our leadership as we discern this process! Stay safe and well!
Blessings,
Hilary
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