Dearest friends,
Thank you to all who completed the worship survey shared several weeks ago! Your feedback was incredibly valuable in understanding the impact adjusting our worship might have and the diversity of perspectives across our worshipping community. Amid this diversity of perspectives, I take full responsibility for the decisions made about when and how to resume in-person activities. I consider it a Christian duty of love to steward the shared health of our community while also working to ensure the full accessibility of our worship throughout these unusual times. Your support, flexibility, and encouragement as we continue to commit ourselves to this important work is greatly appreciated!
At this time, the live-stream worship service will remain our primary worship opportunity and will remain on Sundays at 10:30am. I am so thankful for how this service has allowed us to worship from across the country and build an online community as we engage in conversation and prayer each week in the live chat. I look forward to worshipping with you in the live-stream service as we continue growing into this online ministry!
In the coming weeks, we plan to begin offering a Morning Prayer service in-person at the church on Sundays at 9:00am. This service will include the sermon and scripture, as also used in the live-stream, incorporated into a time of prayer and worship. In adherence to best practices, there will not be congregational singing. Additional health precautions will include:
- Pre-registration: to ensure adherence to attendance guidelines, pre-screening questions, and contact tracing, we will ask that you register for the service online or by calling the church office.
- Masks: as is our current policy, masks will be required at all times in the church building.
- Physical Distancing: pews will be marked so everyone may maintain a distance of six feet from those outside of their household while in the church building.
- Hand Sanitizer: everyone will be asked to use the hand sanitizer provided at each entrance when entering the church building.
- Other Precautions: we will not use name tags, bulletins, hymnals, or offering plates.
This service could begin as early as on November 29 but will depend on the current prevalence of COVID‑19 in the community. As before, I will continue monitoring the COVID-19 data reported by the county, the guidelines presented by the health department, and other indicators of safety including whether the Manchester Community School District is providing in-person instruction. Information about the Prayer Service start date and other COVID-19 precautions will continue to be shared by email and posted to our website and Facebook page.
In these unusual times, I am encouraged by our unusual love. May we continue caring for “the least of these,” knowing that it is love shown to Christ himself (Matthew 25:40). I am blessed to be in ministry with you all.
In Christ,
Pastor Dillon