Stay tuned to this post for periodic updates regarding LBC’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic! As updates are available, they will be listed here, with the most recent appearing at the top. As always, feel free to contact the church staff at office@lbcliberty.org or (816) 781-1234 for further details.
November 18 Updates
Clay County recently released updated guidelines to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. The updated guidelines continue to allow churches to gather for regular worship services as long as six feet of distance is maintained between households and attendees wear masks. Because of the measures we have consistently taken, the only change to our worship gatherings is the mask requirement for children. Under the new guidelines, masks are not required for children ages five and under but are required for children ages six and up.
Additionally, the updated guidance restricts gatherings of more than 10 individuals if they are not regularly scheduled activities (such as a worship gathering), so the church building will not be available for birthday parties, showers, funerals, or other similar functions.
Groups that hold regularly-scheduled activities, such as the Wednesday night Student ministry and Equipping Groups that meet on Saturdays, will be able to continue to gather provided they maintain six feet of distance between households and attendees wear masks. Because social distancing is not possible in all homes, Community Groups will move to an online format for the remainder of the fall.
Finally, please remember to follow the COVID-19 guidelines anytime you are on church property.
Stay home if you are sick or have been exposed.
Wash or sanitize your hands frequently.
Keep six feet of distance between you and other households at all times (even when outdoors).
Refrain from hugging or shaking hands.
Wear a mask.
Socialize outdoors whenever possible.
Our adherence to these guidelines allows our church to be safe for those who need to be cautious, honors our local government, and still allows us to gather for corporate worship. While we do not enjoy any of these restrictions, we are grateful the Lord continues to allow us to worship together. Please continue to pray that our church family would remain united during this time, that community leaders would exercise wisdom to lead with care and compassion, and that the Lord would be glorified in our response to this pandemic.
As always, if you have any further questions, please connect with the Pastors or staff!
October 12 Updates
We have been meeting in our current fashion for nearly five months now, and we are so grateful for how our church family has responded to this abnormal season. At the same time, we’re glad to announce that we will be making yet another transition soon that we hope will serve our members, guests, staff, and pastors well!
Service Times
Presently, we gather for two services each Sunday: one at 10am and one at 5pm. While a few members prefer the evening service, most of our members cannot consistently attend an evening service, so we’ve run out of space in the morning while the Sanctuary is half-empty for the evening service. In addition, the large amount of time between services makes it difficult to schedule volunteers for any given service. As such, beginning on Sunday, November 1st, we will transition to two morning services: one at 9:15am and one at 11am.
By making this switch, we can more evenly distribute the number of people attending each service and will not ask people to RSVP if they will attend each week. No more Monday emails; no more responding by Thursday! You can simply arrive on a Sunday morning for the service your household is scheduled to attend.
Service Assignments
We will, however, have to continue the Red and Blue Week rotation, so you will be assigned to attend every other week in the Sanctuary. Our first week of the new schedule (November 1st) will be a Blue Week. We will need to move a few people in order to balance out family sizes, so please do not be surprised if you switch from a Red to a Blue week or vice versa! As usual, the color of the upcoming week will be announced in the weekly News & Updates and available on the Breeze calendar. Since you will not receive an email from the church office on your assigned week, we encourage you to put it in your personal calendar as well!
You will also be assigned to attend the 9:15am or 11am service on your given weeks. We anticipate some of you would prefer a 9:15am or an 11am service over the other. Please know that we will take these preferences into account, but we likely will not be able to accommodate each one.
If your work prohibits you from attending one service or rotation over the other, please reach out to Adrian by Sunday, October 18th to let him know. We will communicate the new service assignments by October 26th.
Sunday Mornings
Though we will not require an RSVP each week, we do still have to practice social distancing within the Sanctuary. As such, we will continue to assign seats at the door to maximize the number of people we can have in each service. We will do our best to accommodate special requests regarding where your household sits, but options are limited, and seating will be dependent on the needs of others, the number of people in your family, and the time that you arrive for worship.
When you arrive on a Sunday morning for your scheduled service, please continue to park in the Upper Parking Lot and enter through the south Lobby doors. A staff or volunteer will meet you at the door and assign you seats in the Sanctuary.
Seating will be first come, first served, so early arrivals will get seats first. Late arrivals may forfeit their seats if none are available by the time they arrive. Please plan to arrive early for your scheduled service so that you will be able to join us in the Sanctuary!
Please know that we may ask you to move after you’ve been seated or to shift seats as needed. We will attempt to keep these shifts to a minimum, but as always, we ask for your flexibility and patience!
Guests
One consistent challenge has been making accommodations so guests can still join us for worship! We want guests to be able to sit in the Sanctuary on their first few visits with us, so we will continue to ask guests to register online to tell us they’re coming. This will allow us to save seats for them in the Sanctuary, marking them as “reserved for a guest”. We will, however, release any reserved seats if the guest has not arrived by the start of the service and if members assigned to that service still need seats.
Overflow & Livestream Options
We will continue to provide a livestream of each service for anyone who needs to remain at home. In addition, we have two Overflow options during both services for those who want to watch the livestream alongside other church members or who arrive late and do not get a seat in the Sanctuary.
First, we will continue to provide a Fellowship Hall Overflow Room. While you are welcome to bring your own seating, you may also use the plastic chairs available in the Fellowship Hall. When you plan to sit in the Fellowship Hall Overflow Room, please park in the Lower Parking Lot and enter the building through the Fellowship Hall entrance.
Second, beginning November 1st, we will open a second Overflow Room in Rooms 200-202 (upstairs in the education wing). Anyone may sit in this second Overflow Room as desired, including those who cannot wear a mask. The Clay County Public Health Center has provided a full list of those who may go without a mask. You do not need to bring your own seating for this room. When you plan to sit in this second Overflow Room, please park in the Upper Parking Lot and enter the building through the Education Wing / Childcare entrance.
Family Rooms
The Mothers’ room will continue to be available for nursing mothers upstairs outside the sanctuary. In addition, we will continue to livestream the service to the Family Room downstairs in Room 101. Any parent can utilize this space with his or her children. Finally, we will continue to make Room 100 available as a Cry Room as needed.
Continued COVID Precautions
We will continue to require social distancing and masks throughout the building, and we will continue to clean between and after the services. As always, please wash your hands regularly and make use of the hand sanitizer provided throughout the building.
Serving
This transition opens up the opportunity for serving in a more structured way. If you are not already serving again, we could use your help! The church staff and Ministry Team leaders may contact you soon to get you plugged into a serving opportunity that fits your new rotation and schedule. We need volunteers to serve in Connections, Cleaning, Overflow, and Registration at the moment.
Childcare & Equipping Groups
We are not yet able to open up Liberty Kids or Sunday morning Equipping Groups. We do, however, anticipate that this shift will pave the way for us to open Liberty Kids again! We look forward to making that addition in the coming months, followed sometime later by the return of Sunday morning Equipping Groups.
Socializing Outdoors
While you are welcome to socialize inside, we will continue to encourage anyone who is able to socialize outdoors. Once outside, you may remove your masks, but please continue to maintain appropriate distance between households.
We hope to occasionally put up tents and space heaters on the lawn to allow for more comfortable socializing as the days get cooler.
FAQs:
Why are we doing this?
This should feel more like our “normal” worship gathering schedule.
This will be better for our church staff, pastors, and volunteers.
This will help us more evenly distribute the numbers of those who attend each service and will allow us to mix members again, so that we can see different members than those we’ve seen over recent months.
This allows us to eliminate the RSVP system! Come if you’re able, and stay home if needed.
This will allow us to interact between services with members. Members can socialize outside after the first service and before the second service as desired.
This will enable us to add children’s activities in the near future!
Why November 1st?
We know it can be difficult to make changes, so we opted to make this move on a date when the time is already changing! Daylight Saving Time ends on November 1st, so everyone will hopefully gain an hour of sleep that day. We know this can be a difficult transition for many little ones, but we do hope that this will help many of those scheduled for the 9:15am service to begin making that transition.
Why 9:15am and 11am instead of 9am and 10:45am?
While we used to meet at 9am and 10:45am, we shifted both services up 15 minutes to 9:15am and 11am for two reasons. First, we hope everyone will arrive 15 minutes before their assigned service begins. If you attend the 9:15 service, we encourage you to arrive by 9am! If you attend the 11am service, we encourage you to arrive by 10:45am! This will provide you with plenty of time to park, find your seats, and socialize before the service begins. Second, we desire to make the earlier service doable for any of our attendees. Bumping it back by 15 minutes gives everyone an extra 15 minutes to arrive for worship. The 45 minutes between services will also allow volunteers to clean and reset for the second service and will give everyone sufficient time to exit the Sanctuary or Overflow spaces after the first service before newcomers arrive for the second service.
July 22 Updates
Last week, the Clay County Health Department made a few changes to their COVID-19 Recovery Plan related to the use of masks. In light of these changes, the pastors would like to make a few comments concerning our approach to wearing masks inside our building.
We recommend but will not require children under the age of 10 to wear masks.
Every individual 10 and older will be required to wear a mask at least until August 23rd. Unfortunately, at this time face shields do not qualify as a mask, as face masks should provide a seal around the mouth and nose.
For those with respiratory issues that make wearing a mask difficult or impossible, we encourage you to take advantage of the livestream until masks are no longer needed or wearing a mask becomes an option.
We recognize that some of these comments may come as a disappointment to you. Please know the pastors put much thought and discussion into this. Our rationale for not granting exceptions for respiratory issues is two-fold: 1) We believe it is safest and most consistent to require everyone to wear a mask rather than granting exceptions for a few. 2) The livestream will continue to be available for those unable to wear a mask.
We know that many of you rightly desire to fellowship with other believers on the Lord’s Day as well. If you desire fellowship but are unable to attend worship services, we encourage you to invite some members to watch the livestream with you in your home. If you’d like to see a list of which members are scheduled to watch the livestream on a given week, please contact Adrian in the office.
May 19 Updates
Special Pastoral Check-In This Week
The church staff will be recording this week’s News & Updates podcast during the Pastoral Check-In on Wednesday night! Join the Zoom call from 6:30-7:30pm as the staff answer questions and explain details regarding our return to worship. To access the check-in, click the link here and enter the password. Please contact the church office if you need the password. You can also hear all of the audio from the conversation by calling the number (312) 626-6799 and entering the meeting ID: 840 165 853.
Children in Worship Zoom Conversation
When we gather again, many of our children will participate in corporate worship for the first time. If you are anxious about how your child will do during the worship service, please join us for a Zoom conversation next Tuesday, May 26th from 8-9pm as we consider ways to help your child engage with the worship service. We are eager to see how the Lord will use this time to continue to equip LBC’s families to worship together. The link for this conversation will be sent out via email next week.
Scheduling Details
Since many of our members desire to return to worship soon, we have created a rotation for when members should plan to attend. Those who registered will be assigned to the 10am or 5pm service on either red or blue weeks. May 31st will be the first red week, June 7th will be the first blue week, and all subsequent weeks will alternate between red and blue.
It can be difficult to keep track of which week is which, so the Breeze calendar has been updated to reflect the color for each week. To confirm which week it is, log into your Breeze account, click on the “Events” tab, and click the buttons for the “Red Week Worship Services” and “Blue Week Worship Services”. Once selected, both calendars should continue to appear moving forward. If you have any issues with Breeze, please contact the church office!
If you registered to begin attending services soon, you will receive further details next Tuesday by email regarding which week and service time you are scheduled to attend. The seating assignment will shift each week, but we will make every effort to keep you on a consistent schedule. The situation will likely shift as more members return to worship and as restrictions change, so please be flexible with us when additional changes are needed!
Communication
If you have not yet filled out the registration form to indicate when you plan to return, please do so here by Thursday, May 21st. Any responses received after the 21st will be scheduled to attend the June 14th service at the earliest.
If something comes up at any point and you are unable to attend on a Sunday when you are scheduled, please contact the church office by email or by phone at (816) 781-1234 so that we can give your seats to guests or other members who hope to attend that week.
If you have currently decided not to attend services, please contact the church office when you are ready and able to attend services again. It may take a few weeks to find available seats and to get you scheduled for a service once you are able to return, so please bear with us as we work you into the rotation.
Volunteer Teams
Due to the physical distancing and capacity guidelines, we will not have Sunday morning Ministry Team volunteers so that space is reserved for those attending worship. This includes the Connections, Shuttle, Coffee, Courier, Host, and A/V Teams, as well as those who read Scripture and give the corporate prayer. Unless you are notified directly by your team leader, please assume that any existing volunteer activities are on hold for Sunday mornings. Since this includes the shuttle service, please plan to park in either the upper or lower church parking lot.
At the same time, we are creating one new team that will clean at the conclusion of each service. If you are able and willing to remain after the service you attend to serve on the Cleaning Team, please email Whitney. This will be a vital service to ensure our church family is able to continue to gather during this season.
Livestream Soft Launch and Details
This coming Sunday, May 24th, at 10am, we will soft launch the livestream to ensure all equipment is working properly. Each week, the livestream link will be available on the News & Updates page, where the Family Worship Suggestions are currently located. You will continue to receive a weekly email with the link provided, as well.
Beginning May 31st, a livestream will be available for both the 10am and 5pm services, so you may watch the service at the time when you are typically scheduled to attend worship. Staff members will be available to assist you during the soft launch on May 24th should you have any issues accessing the livestream, so please call the church office at (816) 781-1234 if you would like assistance!
Finally, if you feel comfortable doing so, we would encourage you to invite another household to join you to watch the livestream together on the weeks when you will worship at home. While our entire church family cannot gather at once, many of our members can still connect with one another on Sunday mornings in small numbers.
May 12 Updates
The church staff have continued to work through logistics required for our return to corporate worship! All plans are tentative and depend upon a number of factors, but here are the most recent details as we know them.
Sanctuary Setup
The sanctuary will look much different from what we are used to! First, the fabric sanctuary chairs have been swapped for the plastic chairs from the Fellowship Hall, so that we can disinfect chairs between each service. We have placed chairs in rows, and each row is spaced six feet from the next row of chairs. Household units will be assigned to a specific set of seats in a given row, and buffer seats will be marked off between household units to keep appropriate distance between households. A picture of the planned setup is included below!
Signup Results
As of the writing of this update, 117 of our members and families have registered to begin attending services as soon as we open back up, and another 24-72 will return in the subsequent weeks depending on the situation and precautions taken. In order to maintain occupancy and physical distancing guidelines, we will create a rotation so that members will be able to attend a service every other week. While attending every other week is never our preference, this will allow all of our members to participate to the degree they are able! In addition, this will allow us to be flexible as members feel comfortable returning, without requiring us to adjust the system as numbers increase. Finally, this will allow us to reserve a few seats in each service for guests, so that we can remain open to our community throughout this season.
Livestream
During this season, we will provide a livestream of the worship service, so that those who are not scheduled to attend the service may watch from home. Further details about the livestream will be provided in the weeks to come. We plan to host a “practice” of the livestream on May 24th, to ensure our members are able to access it during subsequent weeks.
Mothers’ Rooms
In order to maintain appropriate distancing in the current Mothers’ Room, seating has been limited there to allow for three mothers to use it at a time. An additional room has been set up downstairs in Room 101, to accommodate an additional four mothers. Parents may also utilize the lobby or Rooms 100, 102, or 104 downstairs for crying children, though appropriate distancing should be maintained in each of those spaces.
More information will be available soon regarding cleaning procedures, service assignments, and what to expect on your first Sunday back!
May 6 Updates
We continue to work through the logistical details regarding our ability to join for worship again, and as we move forward, it will help us to know when our members plan to begin attending! Please take a moment to fill out this registration form no later than Sunday, May 10th, to indicate whether you plan to attend soon or remain at home for the near future.
We plan to hold two services each Sunday: one at 10am and one at 5pm. While you will be able to indicate your preference, please note that we may ask you to attend either service, simply because of the way numbers fit together. Please let us know on the form if you cannot attend one of the service times for work, and we will do our best to accommodate that need.
Finally, know that we will be implementing several adjustments to help keep our members safe. More information about these adjustments will be provided as we get closer to May 31st. They will include at a minimum:
Requesting those who have been exposed or who have symptoms to remain home,
face masks worn by all attendees,
six-feet of distance maintained from one household unit to the next,
and extensive cleaning before, between, and following all services.
Thank you for your prayers and support as we try to figure this out together.
May 5 Updates
Returning to Gathering for Worship
Last week, the Clay County Health Department released their COVID-19 Recovery Plan. As we desire to submit to our government authorities and care well for our members, we will follow these guidelines moving forward. While guidelines differ by county and city, our church building and most of our members are located in Clay County, so we will adhere to the Clay County guidelines. If you would like to read the Recovery Plan, you can find the entire plan here. Below is a brief summary of these guidelines.
There are four phases to this recovery plan. We just completed “Phase 1 - Slow the Spread.” As of 12:01AM on Monday, May 4, we have officially entered into “Phase 2 - Recovery - Reopen Slowly.” There are four steps within this phase, and moving to the next step is dependent upon how well the community responds to the gradual reopenings allowed in the previous step.
During the first step of Phase 2, we must not exceed 25% of our church's building code, which means no more than 60 individuals can be in our sanctuary at a single time. Additionally, household groups must be seated at least 6 feet apart from other household groups. The Clay County Health Department has created this infographic that outlines the regulations for houses of worship, such as ours.
In light of these regulations, here is our plan for returning to gather for worship.
Sunday Morning Worship
We have established a tentative start date to resume worshipping in a limited, unusual fashion on Sunday, May 31. We use the word tentative because we will monitor the situation and adjust this date if needed. To be clear, we would only push this date back and not forward. Also, due to various limitations and constraints, we will provide a much simpler form of worship during this time (e.g. no worship band, a simpler liturgy, no Scripture readers).
If we determine it is safe and prudent to gather on May 31, we will have two services--one in the morning and another in the evening. The reason for these two times is to allow plenty of time for people to exit the building without feeling rushed and to disinfect everything in between services.
In order to ensure we do not exceed 25% of our maximum occupancy, our members will need to sign up beforehand to attend one of the services. Because attendance will have to be monitored carefully, we may have to ask people to attend one service or the other, so you will receive confirmation of which service you are scheduled to attend from church staff. Only those who are registered to attend that particular service will be allowed to enter the building. This practice is not intended to discourage people from attending, but rather to ensure we are able to follow Clay County’s guidelines. We are working on a plan to accommodate guests, as well, and more details will be provided as they are available.
Depending on the number of people who sign up to attend, we may need to create a bi-weekly rotation for our church body, where members may only attend service every other week so that more can attend in person. Also, we may open up the Overflow Room at a later date if we need to accommodate more people. However, all this depends on space and logistical concerns.
At least two pastors will be available at each service to talk, counsel, or pray with our members--from six feet apart, of course.
Those members who are at high risk, have compromised immune systems, or do not feel comfortable gathering should not feel compelled to attend these worship services and instead should remain safely in their home. We would also ask that those who believe they have been directly exposed or who are experiencing symptoms should stay home until they have determined they are not at risk to transmit the sickness to other members.
We have decided to provide a live stream or video recording of our services for those members who are unable or uncomfortable attending. This is a change in our current practice, and there are a couple reasons why we have decided to provide this option now. The main reason is that it could be a very long time (possibly a year) before some of our members can safely attend a worship service. We think that live streaming or video recording these services will be a means of edification and encouragement for these members. Additionally, providing this option for our service will be one way to encourage those who experience symptoms or believe they may be infected with the coronavirus to stay at home.
Childcare
Since it will be extremely difficult for children to maintain appropriate social distancing protocol, no childcare of any kind will be provided during these worship gatherings. Instead, children of all ages are welcomed and encouraged to attend with their parents. We will have a few rooms available in the building for nursing mothers and fussy babies. For more information on children’s ministry see below.
Lord’s Supper
We will not immediately begin celebrating the Lord’s Supper when we return. To do so introduces too many logistical concerns that we are not yet able to address. As time passes, we will try to figure out a way to do this in a safe, sanitary, and responsible manner.
Equipping Groups, Community Groups, & Virtual Groups
At this time, our church will not be hosting any small groups (e.g., Equipping Groups, Community Groups, Bible studies, etc.). Due to health and sanitation reasons, the church building will not be available for use during the first and second steps of Phase 2. When we progress to the third step of Phase 2, we will reevaluate this prohibition.
Virtual Small Groups and their leaders should continue meeting only if they believe there is a need and that doing so is beneficial.
Pastoral Check-Ins
Pastoral Check-Ins will continue to take place on Wednesday evenings from 6:30pm-7:30pm through the end of May. To access the check-in, click the link here and enter the password. Please contact the church office if you need the password. You can also hear all of the audio by calling the number (312) 626-6799 and entering the meeting ID: 840 165 853.
Children & Student Ministries
All Wednesday Night Activities will be canceled until the third step of Phase 2 commences. This is the step when schools will be allowed to reopen. However, social distancing protocol will still need to be implemented.
Due to so much uncertainty, we believe it is best to cancel Vacation Bible School this year. It is possible we might reschedule it for the fall if it seems prudent.
Staff, Pastors, and Deacons
As of the morning of May 4th, the staff will be working from the church office again, which is allowed under the updated guidelines. The staff, pastors, and deacons continue to be available to you. Please reach out to the pastors if you have any pastoral care needs, and connect with the deacons or staff if you have any physical needs that we can help meet.
The staff will continue to make grocery runs for the foreseeable future, so please continue to call the church office (816-781-1234) or fill out the form here if you need anything.
Additional Updates
We know that you probably have several questions. Truthfully, we probably don’t have the answers for you yet. There are literally hundreds of logistical details the staff will need to work out before the May 31st date. We hope to provide a weekly update to the plan each Tuesday, so that you will know what to expect and how to prepare.
Remember, all of this is very unusual, and it will feel very different from what we have come to expect from Sunday morning worship. While we will be able to see some of our church family and worship together, it likely will not feel normal. As you pray for our church in the days and weeks to come, please ask that the Lord would prepare each of us for this unusual season, that we would be gracious and considerate towards one another, and that we would rejoice in our ability to gather--even if it’s not in the way we desire.
FAQs
How long will this last?
We do not know how long this will last, as the duration of these measures will depend on the continued spread of the coronavirus in our community and on the medical community’s ability to identify appropriate treatment options for it. The Clay County guidelines specify that each step in Phase 2 should last at least 4 weeks. As such, we can expect to follow some variation of these measures at least through August, though we anticipate it may continue for several months beyond that. We understand how difficult the uncertainty of this timeline may be for some, so please know that we will keep you updated as much as possible.
When will we hear more details and be able to sign up for a service?
We will communicate these details to you as soon as possible, hopefully providing more details regarding sign ups and services as early as next Tuesday.
What if I need to stop by the church building for some reason?
We desire to limit foot traffic in the church building to ensure the staff are able to continue working from their offices and that cleaning protocols are followed. The money counters will be in the building each week to prepare the giving deposit, but beyond that, please limit trips to the building as much as possible.
What can I do to help right now as a church member?
There are several ways you can serve the church right now!
First, please pray for our church. Pray for our pastors as they make decisions, our staff and deacons as they serve, and for our members as we attempt to care for one another from a continued distance.
Second, prepare to be flexible and gracious: with the leaders and decisions that are made, and with other church members. This could be a very divisive issue, as many of our members see this challenge from different angles. Be flexible, be gracious, and consider your fellow members as you make decisions and have conversations.
Third, continue to give as you are able to ensure that we are able to continue meeting needs and serving our church members well! Finally, continue to check in on other members, follow church communications as they are provided, and volunteer to serve as you are able.
March 24 Updates
Since we are all required to stay at home for the next several weeks, the church staff have created some ways for our people to connect with one another online! Below are a couple of ways we are facilitating virtual connections.
Pastoral Check-In
Each Wednesday evening from 6:30 PM - 7:30 PM, one of the pastors will host a free video conference call for all our members. This will be a time for him to provide some updates, offer words of encouragement, answer questions, and pray with the church.
This Wednesday, he will interview Stuart Bell, church planter and pastor of City Center Baptist Church in Seattle, Washington. Stuart is on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic, so join us to hear an update from him and ways we can pray for him, his church, and his city.
To access this conference call you will need to download the application Zoom. Once you have it downloaded, you can join the video conference call here. If you prefer not to join by video but still want to hear the audio, you can join by phone call! Simply call the number (312) 626-6799 and enter the meeting ID number (840 165 853) when prompted.
Virtual Small Groups
In addition to the Pastoral Check-In, we will launch virtual small groups beginning on Sunday, March 29, to gather virtually on a weekly basis! The purpose of these small groups is to help our members connect with one another. Each week these groups will read a passage of Scripture, provide updates on how they are doing, spend some time praying for one another, and enjoy some fun, lighthearted conversation.
To check out the schedule of these small groups, please follow the link here. To sign up, simply contact the host of the small group you wish to join!
Why We’re Not Live Streaming
Some of you have asked whether we’ll host a live stream of worship services during the break. Here is a helpful article on the blog, explaining six of the reasons we’ve chosen not to do so!
March 23 Updates
Stay-At-Home Order
Over the weekend, Clay County issued a 30-day stay-at-home order, beginning Tuesday, March 24 and concluding on Friday, April 24. This stay-at-home order requires all residents to remain at home unless they are performing an essential activity such as securing groceries or seeking necessary medical attention. In observance of the stay-at-home order, the church staff will begin working from home as of March 24.
However, the church staff will continue to be accessible to you! You may continue to connect with the church office by email or by calling the church phone (816.781.1234). Adrian will have access to voicemail messages left on the office phone, so please leave a message if you call the church office. Paul, Whitney, Taylor, and Adrian can all be reached by email, and you may connect with Paul or Whitney by phone anytime.
The staff will continue to make grocery runs on Thursdays, so please contact a staff member or fill out the Grocery Request Form here to request groceries.
Virtual Gatherings
The staff are working to introduce virtual gatherings this week! We anticipate we will provide a Wednesday night gathering and small groups throughout the week, so stay tuned for more details regarding each of these opportunities.
Resources
If you are looking for ways to utilize the time at home well, consider checking out a few of the resources linked in the article, Resources for Growing & Connecting During Quarantine.
March 17 Updates
All Church Activities Canceled until Further Notice
As of Sunday March 15th, the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) has temporarily banned any gatherings of 50+ people, for the next eight weeks. This means that all organizations with more than 50 people in their gatherings should cancel their services in order to mitigate the spread of this COVID-19 pandemic.
In an effort to care for our members, love our neighbors, and submit to the civil authorities, all church events will be canceled until further notice. This includes all Worship Services, Equipping Groups/Sunday School, Wednesday Night Activities, the Good Friday Service, the Church Work Day, Chat & Chow, Senior Luncheons, Women’s Ministry Events, and anything else we may have missed!
Once the ban is lifted and we are able to gather again, we will celebrate Easter on our first Sunday back together. We anticipate we may be able to gather again on May 10th, though we will continue to assess the situation as it unfolds.
With these adjustments in mind, the next few months will look dramatically different than what we’ve been used to. Here is what you can expect in the weeks to come.
Increase in Church Communication
Since we cannot meet in person, you should expect an increase in church communication. We will be making frequent updates to this blog post (so check back often!), and we will email you as new information becomes available. Also, video updates will be posted and emailed as the pastors and staff feel it is necessary.
Please don’t be put off by the increased frequency of church emails. This is only a temporary measure so that all our members are informed, “connected” to the church in some way, and cared for during these weeks of isolation.
Pastoral Devotions for the Lord’s Day
At this point, we will not be conducting a livestream service. Instead we want to encourage families and households to worship together on the Lord’s Day. Each week we will have a pastor record a short devotional as well as a pastoral prayer for you all to listen to and discuss. We will also recommend some songs to sing and a full sermon to listen to, much like we did last week.
Small Group Gatherings
For the next two weeks (March 17th-31st), the White House has advised people not to gather in groups of 10 or more. Until we hear otherwise, we’re encouraging our people to adhere to this recommendation. In the future, we will work on some ways to encourage our members to meet in small groups to care for, fellowship, and worship with one another.
Help from the Staff, Pastors, & Deacons
Throughout the eight-week ban from gathering, the church staff will continue to work diligently to help us care for one another from a distance. The pastors will continue to be available for any pastoral care needs, and the deacons will be available to assist with any physical needs as may arise. If you have a need that one of our deacons can meet, please contact the church office, and the staff will direct you to the right deacon!
We intend to continue helping our members with every means we have available to us and will intentionally care for our members through financial assistance and grocery runs during this season.
Financial Assistance: If your job has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and you are in need of financial support, we have funds set aside to assist you! Please contact a staff member, a pastor, or our deacons of benevolence (Mike Rzepka).
Grocery Runs: If you are unable to secure groceries, the staff and deacons will begin making grocery runs each Thursday during the break and will deliver items to the homes of members! Please contact a staff member or fill out the grocery request form here to request groceries.
What You Can Do
Many of you have already asked how you can support the needs of our church family during the weeks ahead. Here are a few ways you can continue to serve the church body.
Give: One of the primary ways you can assist our church family is to continue giving as normal if you are able. We won’t be able to pass an offering plate, but you can give online anytime. You can also mail a check to the church office. Your faithful giving allows us to serve our members financially, provide physical support for those who can’t leave their homes, and continue the operations of the church throughout the break and beyond.
In addition, a portion of every dollar you give goes directly to the Cooperative Program to fund local, national, and international mission endeavors. Already, many of our mission agencies and SBC entities expect a difficult financial year ahead due to decreased giving. Please consider giving so that we can continue to advance the gospel around the world.
Pray: Continue to pray for our church and our world during this unusual time. Pray for wisdom for government officials and leaders in our communities; for health officials, emergency responders, and those caring for the sick; for those affected directly by the pandemic, who are suffering the effects of sickness or the reality of death as a result; for the countries and communities hit hardest by COVID-19 and the many challenges they will face as they seek to recover; for our church as we work to minister to the needs of our church family, that we would be a witness to our community; for wisdom for our pastors as they seek to lead us well; and for the spiritual good and physical health of our members and families.
Serve: If you have time or opportunity to serve our church body, please let a staff member know! We will be working on a few specific projects over the course of the next eight weeks and would love to help you serve our members well.
Redeem the Time: Read Pastor Brandon’s latest article and consider utilizing this time to pursue further Christlikeness.