Dear Church Family,
Blessings and greetings from the ministry team. We trust that you are doing well and it is our prayer that you have been ministered to in a special way by our Lord Jesus Christ during this time of congregational separation.
We have all been walking through a most unique season of our lives these past 2 months. We would like to emphasize that this is a time in which we, as the church, must set a different standard than the world does. The apostle Paul told the Romans, “So then, let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up”. As a church, we are made up of people with differing mindsets and opinions, yet must be able to honor the opinions and positions of our fellow believers and even agree to disagree, while staying in perfect unity as the Body of Christ. Satan would love nothing better than to use this event as a tool to bring discord in the Body of Christ.
We as a leadership team have been hearing from some of you that you desire to meet together as soon as possible. This yearning is biblical. In fact, Hebrews 10:25 instructs us, “Let us not neglect to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another…”
Meeting together and encouraging one another is a critical part of our Christian walk but we also seek to respect the government, as the Bible instructs us to do. In Pennsylvania we are permitted to hold worship services. Our governor listed churches in the “essential” category that could remain open. We had discontinued corporate meetings out of concern for the health of our congregants, out of respect for societal concerns, and in honor of the governing authorities.
It appears, however, that the majority of our congregation is at low risk for serious health risks from COVID-19, and since we are permitted to hold worship services, we have decided that it is time to begin a phased opening of our regular church services.
We plan to reopen on Sunday, May 24, 2020. Attendance is expected to be much lighter than normal because of the holiday weekend, so plans are to have one service starting at 10:00 (no Sunday School). Starting on the following Sunday May 31, we plan to offer 2 services (no Sunday School). The first service will start at 9:00 and the second at 10:30, each lasting about an hour. The date to restart Sunday School will be announced at a later date, with enough notice for teachers to prepare.
We suggest that those who are in a high-risk demographic consider continuing to take in the service by watching the livestream or listening on the phone. Additionally, anyone who is uncomfortable or has any concerns about health implications is also encouraged to stay home and enjoy the services from there. (All services will be Video and Phone Live-Streamed.)
We ask that each of you be very sensitive to your fellow brothers and sisters. If you are experiencing any health issues: a cold, a cough, or digestive issues, please stay at home. If you have an even slightly elevated temperature, please stay at home.
We will do our best to provide a safe, clean environment when you come to church. We will have doors opened for you and will not be passing an offering plate, but rather have a box available for you to simply drop your offering into before entering the sanctuary. There will be no Sunday School or nursery care provided, so parents that come will need to keep their children and babies with them. There is a 50% capacity recommendation that we plan to follow by blocking off every other bench. Ushers will seat your family together in every other bench, keeping some limited distance from other families. Ushers will then dismiss you after the service to go outside. We encourage you to do any visiting afterwards outside in the parking lot so the lobby does not get congested. For the time being, we recommend no hugs or handshakes.
Please remember how critically important unity is in the Body of Christ. Be very careful that everything you do, everything you say, and everything you post on social media is unifying to the Body of Christ. Right before His crucifixion, in His most passionate hour, Jesus prayed; “That [we] may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me” (John 17:23).
We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord.
They will know we are Christians by our love!
Blessings,
Hinkletown Leadership Team