Dear HoC members and friends,
The session has been discerning how best to conduct our life together as a
church over this challenging period of the Coronavirus pandemic. We
appreciate everyone’s responses to the congregational surveys we sent out
recently. We greatly value hearing your input on your ministry needs, as well as
your thoughts and feelings regarding various worship scenarios (indoor in the
sanctuary, outdoor, virtual).
At our August meeting, session reviewed your feedback and discerned how best to move forward with plans for the fall. The majority of survey respondents did not feel safe resuming indoor in-person activities due to the virus. We had hoped that the spread of the virus would be contained and controlled enough to resume in-person activities in our sanctuary in the fall. However, after reflecting upon congregational feedback, general virus trends, and the safety risk to our members and friends, session determined that it was not prudent to resume indoor in-person activities. In light of these considerations, the session has decided the following:
To suspend indoor in-person worship and activities for the remainder of the calendar year.
To continue to offer virtual worship and fellowship opportunities.
To offer some outdoor worship and fellowship activities with proper social distancing and safety protocols.
To revisit this decision at our January session meeting in 2021.
We understand that this is a difficult decision, and it is not one we came to lightly. We genuinely wrestled with the safety risk of the virus vs. the human need for inperson relational connection. We believe this decision honors the safety and wellbeing of our congregation’s members and friends, while offering some safer options for gathering inperson for those who may wish to do so.
To support our members and friends during this period, we will be:
• Reviewing our current virtual worship & fellowship opportunities and looking for ways to improve their quality and accessibility.
• Adding new virtual opportunities, as well as some outdoor gatherings with appropriate social distancing/safety protocols.
• Expanding ways to keep congregation members and friends connected through email, cards, phone calls, and other means.
• Expanding and enhancing our online presence and interaction with members and friends. • Improving connectivity by providing technology devices & support to members and friends who currently lack these.
• Exploring worship live-streaming capability. We recognize that this is going to be a challenging fall season in the life of our church. However, this
church has weathered many storms and endured many periods of hardship in that past. I have no doubt that God will be with us through this difficult period. I’m so thankful to all of you for rising to this challenge, stretching beyond your comfort zone, and finding innovative ways to be the body of Christ together during this unprecedented time. Please reach out to us with any questions, concerns or needs you may have during this difficult season. We ask for your continued prayers and support as we navigate this uncharted territory, trusting that God will guide and support us until we can be safely together in person in our sanctuary again.
I close this letter with words from Hebrews 10:23-25, “Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful. And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” Whether virtual or in-person, we are still the church! May God give us the grace and strength to persevere, whatever the circumstances. I believe that God is faithful, and he will do this!
Blessings,
Pastor Hilary
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