Dear church,
As you know, about 10 days ago we made the choice to suspend our public worship gatherings until the spike in COVID-19 infections could be evaluated. After carefully considering Governor Abbott's latest directives, and what we can know concerning the recent spike in infections, we have decided to resume our worship meetings (8:30 am and 10:30 am) this Lord's Day, July 12th.
There are several things I wish to stress as we do this:
1. The spike in infections is real. Anyone who chooses to take part in the worship gatherings needs to do so understanding the risk of infection. We are not making this choice because we underestimate the public health risk.
2. Our return to the gatherings will look exactly like what we were doing prior to the most recent suspension of those meetings: the same entrance points, the same dedicated seating for those at highest risk, the same steps of cleaning and preparation prior to and between the meeting times, the same freedom with respect to masks (some will wear them, some will not), the same distance maintained in seating arrangements, etc. We will return to offering childcare in the same way we did prior to the temporary suspension, too. If you choose to RSVP and join the public gatherings, we desire that you would be fully aware of the arrangements.
3. All precautions we exhorted before still apply. Do not attend if you are dealing with any kind of sickness. Even if you think that you are dealing with allergies, please err on the side of caution. If you have a fever or any other symptom of illness, please live stream the worship service. If you choose to attend, PLEASE FEEL FREE to wear a mask if that's your desire, and we wholeheartedly encourage you to do so. We are not mandating masks, however, and your expectations should reflect that.
4. If you choose to live stream because you are concerned about the health risk, you have our full support. What we DO exhort, however, is that you REGISTER your live stream attendance via the website that we created for that purpose. We continue to be mandated by God's Word to shepherd the flock. That is not a responsibility to take lightly, and we want to be faithful in the work of caring for souls. As members of Founders Baptist Church, we have covenanted together to obey the Scriptural mandate to be faithful to worship services. If you cannot be present in person, then fulfill that obedience by attending to the live stream and registering that attendance.
5. We have also covenanted together to be faithful in our giving, and the financial needs of your church have not changed. The ways in which you can obey the Lord with your giving remain the same. Offerings can be given at the back of the church after worship services, or you can give online.
So, with all of these precautions and warnings, why would we choose to resume meeting?
We resume meeting because we need to. It is good for our spiritual health. We live in a fallen world in which disease and death are realities. We are not cavalier about those things, but we also serve God knowing that these things will be with us until Christ returns. Every indication is that this virus will be with us for a very long time. We do not believe that a live stream only approach will be the healthiest and wisest choice for our congregation over an extended period of time (potentially into next year). Our governing authorities have not banned our meetings, even offering specific exceptions for worship services regarding mask requirements. It appears that while the spread of the virus continues, the mortality rate is very low, especially so as it pertains to younger and healthier people. Taking everything into account, we believe that this is the best approach for our church. As always, and as we trust you understand, we will continue to monitor the situation and may have to adjust as circumstances change. But for now, this is our course.
If you plan on attending this Sunday, please RSVP to one the services here:
You are in our prayers, and we look forward to seeing you this Lord's Day.
In Christ's Love,
Pastor Richard
