A letter from Anthony...
“Some people have gotten out of the habit of meeting for worship, but we must not do that. We should keep on encouraging each other, especially since you know that the day of the Lord’s coming is getting closer.” Hebrews 10:25 CEV
The Lord has blessed us as a congregation with many ways to keep in contact during this season of social isolation. Our online Zoom services have allowed the majority of us to continue worshipping together each week and to fellowship with each other in the ‘break out rooms’ after the service. I know many of us have also been making phone calls, visiting, sending letters and cards, and doing what we can to keep connected with the body of Christ. I believe in many ways our congregation has weathered this storm well.
However, despite how blessed
we have been to remain so well connected throughout this challenging season, it
is still extremely important that our church family work toward a return to
meeting together in person. When God’s
people meet together in person, we are able to encourage each other as we sit
alongside each other (1.5m apart) and hear from God’s word. Meeting together enables us to have one to
one conversations after the service that help us to feel connected in a way
that isn’t possible even in the helpful online format that we have been using.
I am very aware that there
are some who are feeling very “covid cautious” during this season, while others
are more “covid sceptical”. However, as
we begin to make steps towards returning to physical gatherings it is essential
for unity in the body of Christ that we respect the concerns of those who are
“covid cautious”, so that we might find a middle ground for worshipping our
Lord and Saviour and fellowshipping together around God’s word that is
encouraging to everyone within the body of Christ.
This coming Sunday (6
September) we will be taking the first steps toward returning to physical
gatherings, by opening the doors of the church building for the first time in
months. In recent weeks the Covid Safe
compliance for our congregation has been organised, which will now allow us to
begin meeting in the church building. So
this Sunday, 23 people will be invited into the main church building with an additional
22 seats available to attend the service in the morning tea hall.
The current restrictions require that we allow for 4 square metres for every person attending, however, those from the same household (parents and children, spouses) are allowed to move their chairs next to each other – although please keep in mind those around you who have turned up on their own when moving chairs together.
The 4 metre square rule
currently limits us to having half the congregation meet in person each week,
and so we will alternate between those who are meeting in person and those who
are attending the service online via Zoom.
In order to keep this simple, we have established eight Fellowship
Groups.
This Sunday (6
September), Groups 1 to 4 will be invited to meet in person this week, while
Groups 5 to 8 will join Sunday’s service via Zoom.
The following Sunday
(13 September), we are all invited to gather together for ‘Church in the Bush’
(no service in the church building, but a short recorded service will be sent out).
On Sunday
20 September, Groups 5 to 8 will be invited to meet in person in the
church building, while Groups 1 to 4 will join the Sunday service via Zoom.
If you are someone who
believes that it would be wise for you to continue to physically isolate during
this season rather than joining the service in person, please don’t feel any
pressure or embarrassment about remaining a part of our online services. If you have a cold or flu-like symptoms and
it is your week to join the service physically, we ask that you instead join
the service online via Zoom that week out of respect for the church
family.
So, what will church
look like as we begin the process of returning to physical gatherings?
A present there is no legal
requirement to wear masks in our services, and there will be no pressure placed
upon anyone to wear them. There will,
however, be some masks available if anyone would feel safer wearing one, and
there will be no judgement placed on anyone who chooses to do so.
The chairs have been spaced
in the church building and in the morning tea hall at 1.5m spacings according
to the social distancing requirements.
However, as mentioned earlier, spouses and family groups can move chairs
togethers.
The service itself will
remain in our online Zoom format so that we are caring for both those in the
church buildings and those at home on Zoom.
For those at home on Zoom
there will be no significant changes to what we have been doing, they will
still be able to log on as normal from 10:00am, and will still be placed in
‘break out rooms’ after the service so that they can catch up with others in
our church family.
For those meeting in person,
we will not be able to sing during the service, but we can listen and hum along
with the songs as they are played. When
catching up with people after the service please remember to follow the
recommended physical distancing requirements.
This means not gathering in large clusters, being mindful not to cluster
in a bottleneck as we make our way in and out of the church buildings and
allowing 1.5m between yourself and those from other households.
It is important that we as a church family care for each other during this difficult season, and this return to partial physical gatherings is just the first step on the road back. It provides each of us with a fortnightly opportunity to physically meet with God’s people (should we feel comfortable to do so) and it provides the opportunity to reconnect in ways that we haven’t been able to do in months.
Meeting together, however we
are able to do so, is essential for our individual walks with the Lord, as we
keep each other accountable for how we are going, as we encourage each other,
and spur each other on to love and goods deeds.
It is through Christ’s life,
death and resurrection that we have been united as one body. And so as one body – united by the blood of
Christ – may we make every effect to regularly meet together regardless of the
hurdles that we have to overcome.
In Christ, Anthony
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
Comments
Post a Comment