Hello, my friends!
I’ve had a few questions sent to me asking if we are reopening this Sunday, given the President’s announcement that churches are to be considered essential. First, let me just say that I agree with him, that the work and prayers of the church are God’s essential, redemptive plan to bring the kingdom of heaven to earth. The church being the church is mission-critical to God’s plan for the fulfillment of the gospel.
And my hope is that we’ve not dropped the ball on this assignment, even during the quarantine. As a staff and elder board, we’ve poured our hearts and minds into utilizing the resources we’ve been given and to expand that kingdom message. And it has! It is so fun to see people connecting to Church by the Sea in an expanding sphere of influence. We have church members are attending now out of state and even outside of our country. I love that!
But one of the things I know we all are craving is the corporate gathering of our local body. Church just doesn’t feel the same in a virtual world. Just know that it is our heart to do this as quickly as possible. That being said, we will not be opening our church doors this Sunday. We simply are not adequately prepared to do so.
One of the reasons is that our state, county, and city guidelines have yet to be released. Apparently, they are coming at the start of next week. This will give us a clearer picture of what is expected and how we can work within those guidelines to provide a careful, thoughtful plan to keep our church appropriately safe. We want to be prudent without being paranoid. We want to be optimistic without being cavalier.
This means we will do our due diligence as we move forward towards reopening. We’ve been working with several members of our church that are involved in the medical field to make sure we’re taking into account the most current understanding of the virus and how best to respond. It isn’t going to be perfect. This situation is novel, which means theories are constantly changing and new data is being rolled out in real-time. This has always been the way of science and research, but we are now being given a front-row seat to the dialogue. Positions will shift and change as we go. They always do. But we are committed to paying heed to thoughtful, non-reactionary dialogue and doing our best to act within those boundaries.
I am delighted to be given the blessing to reopen. We will. But most likely it will begin with outdoor meetings of our small groups in our courtyard. We will use stricter cleaning and sanitization protocols. We will be careful. We will keep an appropriate social distance. And we will make sure that those that are vulnerable and more at risk will be given opportunities to continue to participate virtually. Every one of you is so important to us!
On a pastoral note, let me remind us, above all, to be compassionate in all we do and say. This is the most essential behavior in all of this. It is the defining mark of a Christian according to John’s epistles. They will know that we are Christ-followers by our love for each other. Never forget this. When we cease responding to each other in compassion, we are no longer essential. We are salt that has lost its saltiness. We are a light that has been covered.
So, keep that front and center in your mind. Respond to each other with patience and kindness. And just know that we’re getting so close. We’ll keep you posted in the next few days on ways that we can begin to reopen our facilities. Hang in there! We’ll be back together soon!
Love you guys!
Jeff