Discerning Our Next Steps and Stages of Reopening

Church Family,

This past Sunday we returned to gathering in our church building after an extended break due to restrictions of the pandemic we are all walking through. It was good to once again be able to communally embrace God in worship, be encouraged in community, and be equipped for God’s mission in our backyards. Thank you for demonstrating the witness of a caring, concerned, and compassionate community by following and honoring our plans, procedures, and mitigation protocols. Please continue to follow these guidelines to ensure safety is established for all, using the best way we know how at this time. We also recognize that many are not comfortable returning yet, and that is okay; take your time and know that we care for you and support you. We are all in this together and we value your continued care and mindfulness in making our time together one that is safe for everyone.

As we consider our next steps and stages of reopening, our team has continued to pray, pursue insight, and participate in conversation with other church communities. While striving to operate from a place of wisdom and not fear, we own as leaders that we are tasked to be wise caretakers and administrators of our gathered church family and want to serve God and our whole community well. Entering this journey, we recognized that a certain fluidity and adaptivity would be needed as we move through each stage. As of now, we will continue to meet as we did Sunday (following our present plans, protocols and mitigation procedures, as well as not hosting small group hour/Sunday School or children’s programming) until at least August. With Pastor Jeff’s transition on July 31, the reopening team will be delegating the ongoing discernment of our next steps and stages of reopening to the BRIDGE Team.

We thank you for your support and prayers throughout this journey, and ask that you continue to show this support to the BRIDGE Team as they lead our church community forward with not only reopening, but preaching, pastoral care, providing discipleship, planning, and promotion for our church community through our upcoming pastoral leadership transition.

Blessings,

Re-Opening Team
(Joshua Buser, Jonathan Kilheffer, Tracy Kilheffer, Jeff McLain, Derrick Stoltzfus)

Plans, Protocols, and Mitigation Procedures

• We ask that you wear a mask if you plan to worship through song with us.
• We will limit the amount of singing we do for some time.
• We will have masks available for guests who wish to sing with us.
• We will have the carport entrance unlocked and propped open.
• We will have windows in the sanctuary slightly raised for fresh air circulation.
• We will use donation boxes, rather than passing an offering plate.
• We will ask that you sit distanced from non-family members.
• We will use prepackaged communion.
• We will have additional sanitizing stations.
• We will not be using handouts of any kind (bulletins, children’s, etc.).
• We will continue practicing social and physical distancing.
• We will store Church Hymnals and Bibles for safety.
• We will have messages recorded on video and available online by Tuesday.
• We will have no Library for the unforeseeable future.