(October 2020)
Dear Church Family,
For the past 6 months, your elders have continually sought to both honor the Lord Jesus and care for His people in all the decisions we have made. Because there are different commands in Scripture, it has not always been easy determining what we should be doing. This is also why you see differences in how various churches are responding, as elders are wrestling through what God would have them do. At this stage, we are adjusting our plans for in-person gatherings. However, we still have these same goals in mind. Before we outline for you our plan for the months ahead, we want to give you biblical and pastoral reasons for our decisions.
OUR BIBLICAL PRIORITIES
One way we are called to obey the Lord is by submitting to the authorities He has put over us. 1 Peter 2:13-15 says, “Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right. For such is the will of God.” Because of COVID-19 and all the health concerns related to it, our government has put various restrictions on our society and even on the church. Out of a desire to obey Christ and care for the physical well-being of His people, we have done our best to honor these restrictions (i.e. social distancing, wearing masks, meeting outdoors, etc.).
However, your elders believe that there are limitations to the government’s authority. When we are told to disobey God in any way, ”We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29). For example, when the state told us that we could not sing, we believed they overstepped their God-given authority, so we sang because God is worthy of our praises. We are commanded to “come before him with joyful singing” (Psalm 100:2) and to sing together in order to minister to one another (Colossians 3:16).
Another way we are called to obey the Lord is by assembling together as a local church. We are exhorted that for us to “stimulate one another to love and good deeds,” we are not to be “forsaking our own assembling together” (Hebrews 10:24-25; Acts 2:46). To fulfill our calling to be a spiritually healthy church, we should strive to be together “face to face” (1 Thessalonians 3:10; 2 John 12). Normal Christianity is Christians being together face to face: to encourage each other in Christ, to fellowship around Christ, to worship God together through Christ.
WHAT WE DID SO FAR
At the beginning of the Shelter In Place Order in March 2020, we were willing to not meet in person for a short time because of the initial plan set forth by our government. As time went on, we grew more and more desperate to gather once again with the saints. Like Paul, “We . . . were all the more eager with great desire to see your face” (1 Thessalonians 2:17).
Thankfully, when the government said we could meet outdoors we seized the opportunity to gather once again. We have made great efforts to facilitate in-person gatherings because we believe it is vital for your spiritual well-being. Under this situation, we have been able to obey both priorities to obey our government and gather as a church.
However, because of recent weather issues, including the bad smoke from the fires, we have occasionally not been able to assemble. Your elders do not believe this is good for your spiritual well-being, especially considering that our county is more restrictive than most and that the Autumn and Winter weather is coming.
OUR PLAN MOVING FORWARD
We have been increasingly under the conviction that it is essential we assemble together, face to face, so we can worship our King together and fellowship with one another. We still desire to continue to honor and obey our God-appointed governing authorities as much as we can and we still desire to guard Christ’s sheep against physical harm as much as is reasonable. However, we strongly believe that our primary responsibility is to “keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account” to Christ (Hebrews 13:17).
In order to hold on to all these convictions at once, we are adopting a hybrid-type approach to our gatherings. We will open our Sanctuary and Modules A and B (with windows opened) for indoor worship service on Sunday mornings. Our indoor seating will have a capacity limit and required registration (Sanctuary, 35; Module A, 20; Module B, 10). We will also have outdoor seating with video available as much as weather permits. This change is scheduled for October 25, unless the weather forces us indoors sooner.
While moving indoors, we still want to guard your health and honor our governing authorities. We understand that COVID-19 is a real virus. To inhibit the spread of COVID, health authorities have mandated the use of face coverings. In light of this and to show preference and care for one another’s physical health, we ask that those who are able would wear face coverings while indoors, especially when singing. In all that we do, we desire to imitate Christ who said, “love one another, even as I have loved you” (John 13:34). We desire that your love for one another to a watching world will testify of Christ’s love.
However, we are also aware that some dear brothers and sisters in our church family have a strong conviction regarding not wearing face-coverings. We never want to prohibit any believer from joining our worship service due to a matter of personal convictions. As the body of Christ, let’s strive to promote unity and show love by preferring one another in our decision about whether to wear a face covering, and by refusing to judge others who hold a different position than our own. In all these things, we want to “pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another” (Romans 14:19).
PLEASE REGISTER BEFORE JOINING OUR SUNDAY WORSHIP SERVICES
ONE LAST WORD OF ENCOURAGEMENT
So we strongly encourage you to gather with us. For those who are providentially hindered from gathering with us due to legitimate health concerns, we will still be offering a live stream. We humbly ask you to continue to pray for your elders, this church, and our witness. We know our decision may bring up some questions or concerns; if you have any, please talk to one of the elders. We desire to hear from you. May we continue to pray that our love and unity would be upheld, that lives would be changed, and that Christ would be exalted.
Sincerely,
your elders