We’re all tired of adjusting and adapting in order to continue to gather as the body of Christ, yet we are also called to love our neighbors as ourselves. None of us wants to get sick or get anyone else sick, and our healthcare workers need us to continue to do our part to relieve the pressure on our healthcare system. After talking with our Deacons and Sunday School teachers as well as my colleagues in Hattiesburg and in other CBF churches around Mississippi, here’s our (newest) path forward for gathering in the midst of the omicron variant.
Starting this Sunday, January 23, we will return to a shortened, in-person worship at 10:30am. We will say masked and have more intentional spacing in the sanctuary. I’ve blocked off every other row in the sanctuary to encourage our spacing out. We will still record worship for those who wish to stay home or who need to stay home because of illness. Those choir members who are comfortable attending worship in-person are invited to rehearsal at 9:00am, masked in the sanctuary.
There will be no in-person Adult Sunday School as we monitor the spike in our community. Those teachers I’ve spoken with have no objection with this decision and many had already decided to gather in other ways.
In order to reduce the number of people in the sanctuary, shorten the service a bit, and continue to offer our kids the richest opportunity to nurture their faith that we have, we will return to holding Godly Play during the worship hour. Godly Play will begin at 10:15am. Childcare will also be available during worship for our youngest children.
Is this ideal? No. Will it help us get through another spike while still gathering, but minimizing risk? I think so.
Please continue to take all the precautions you can to stay safe and healthy. If you don’t feel well, please stay home. It’s not that we don’t love you, we simply want to get past this spike and continue to do our part to love our neighbors and support our local healthcare workers too.
Please let me know if you have questions or concerns.
As always, you belong.
Brett
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