June 10, 2020
Greetings,
You’ve probably heard by now, June 21st is “Back to Church Sunday.” We’re going to keep offering an online worship service for as long as we need to, but let me tell you a little bit about June 21st in six brief points.
1) Touchless church
We’re going to do our best to allow you to attend church with your hands in your pockets, if you so choose. Call it “touchless church.” Doors that need to be pulled open will be done so for you. Instead of paper bulletins, we’ll have a digital bulletin you can access through the ABC app. Instead of passing around offering plates, we’ll have drop boxes stationed throughout the building for you to put your offering in.
2) Disinfected church
We will be as thorough as humanly possible in disinfecting the building. Doorknobs, flat surfaces, the children’s areas, and even the arm rests of the chairs will be disinfected before and after and, in some cases, during each service.
3) Self-check church
Do your part in this as well. If you’re not feeling well or someone in your family isn’t feeling well, please stay home and worship online with us. Practice impeccable hygiene. Wash your hands, cough into your elbow. You know the drill.
4) Multiple venues church
If you’re not comfortable sitting in the worship center, we’ll have smaller seating areas in the lobby and the Student Ministries Center (Heckman Hall) where you can watch the service on a screen. Multiple venues will allow us to spread out a bit. On a related note, our balcony is under construction. We still have seating there, but it’s limited seating.
5) No mandatory restrictions church
Let me be clear about what we’re not doing. We’re not capping attendance. So we’re not going to turn people away at the door. We’re also not going to police social distancing. You can monitor yourselves.
Masks are encouraged, but please bring your own. However, they aren’t required for entry. I would, however, strongly suggest you wear a mask during the singing time.
Speaking of singing, we’ll be doing just 2-3 songs instead our usual 5-6 for the time being.
6) Celebratory church
We also desire to reopen in a spirit of celebration. I would expect the energy level to be strong. You’re going to see friends you may not have seen in months, so come with a spirit of celebration.
I hope to see a number of you on the 21st. For those of you waiting a little longer, we’ll miss you. Keep worshiping online with us and we’ll pray to see you soon.
Journeying with you,
