WCC - Phased Reopening
Dear Ones,
I am truly grateful for the many prayers prayed for the elders and me as we have contemplated the best plan to reopen our church. It has not been an easy decision and we are blessed to know you have covered us in prayer. After much prayer and discussion we have decided to open in a phased approach. This approach will give us the opportunity to gather again slowly as we believe nothing has really changed since the stay at home order was given other than permission to meet under very strict guidelines. Please let the Lord lead in this as we desire to bring glory to His name as we wisely reopen.
With that said, we are planning on a four phased approach to reopening. Each phase will have a timeline that will depend upon the current conditions at hand as this pandemic continues to unfold. This plan is subject to change and will follow guidance by the Elders and recommendations by the State health officials.
PHASE ONE
Phase one is our current practice - Zoom meetings for small groups and YouTube worship on Sunday morning.
PHASE TWO
Phase two will begin on YTBD where we will supplement our morning worship on YouTube with an evening worship gathering outside at our new property. This Sunday night service will be held at 6 pm and will last an hour or so. Fellowship can be held afterwards for those interested in staying later. We would encourage you to bring a lawn chair to sit in and practice social distancing i.e. 6 feet apart as family groups and mask wearing when you are not able to maintain social distancing just as advised when we go out into the public. Parking for this event will be at the church and the new property, encouraging the younger folks to park at church and walk down the hill. Those who are in the vulnerable population are encouraged to stay home.
PHASE THREE
Return to morning worship in the sanctuary following the guidelines necessary for the safety of all. The morning worship would then be livestreamed taking the place of our current YouTube worship. We would continue the evening service and, in addition, our small groups (DFG, Prayer Meeting, Committee Meetings, Bible Studies, Youth & Children's ministries) will have the opportunity to meet live at church and those meetings will be shared on Zoom for those who need to stay home. Those who are in the vulnerable population are encouraged to be cautious in their live participation.
PHASE FOUR
Phase four will be the new normal. We will return to what we knew before the pandemic with compliance to any necessary safety guidelines. Each of our ministries will have a livestream/Zoom component. Those who are in the vulnerable population are encouraged to be discreet in their live participation.
To reiterate - the movement to the next phase will follow guidance by the Elders and recommendations by the State health officials.
Blessings,
Pastor Bill and the Elders - Dale Chase, Mike Dube, Walter Nekoroski, Jr., Porter Spooner