Dear GraceLife,
I am extremely proud of how we have stuck together as a community during this coronavirus crisis. I know it’s been extremely difficult for you and your family being stuck at home during quarantine. We’ve experienced the same emotions and stress as you have as well. Many of us are burnt out, worn out, and longing for life to get back to normal.
I am also thankful for our government officials allowing churches to reconvene. I miss being together with our GraceLife family. There is tremendous power in encouraging one another in person. I’m sure many of us would love to see each other and worship together face to face. So with the announcement on Monday by the governor, this is what that means for GraceLife.
Even though we have permission to meet, we will not rush into meeting in-person for the protection of those who are vulnerable and susceptible to negative effects of this virus.
To put it simply, here are a few principles on why we will not be meeting on campus just yet:
- Your health and safety is a priority.
Because information changes from day to day, we would like to see some stability in the situation before we commit to any specific plan for re-opening.
- Our in-person worship experience does not translate and operate well under strict social distancing guidelines.
We feel the quality of the in-person experience with the current restrictions (no singing, social distancing, sparse seating, long lines to enter the building, limited movement, etc.) will not be better than our current online experience.
- Kids will not be able to do social distancing properly.
Kids are naturally drawn together and it will be virtually impossible to keep them 6 feet apart from one another.
This crisis has changed the trajectory of how a church functions and our traditions, at least in the short term and possibly for a very long time.
This is not a passive stance to the governor’s allowance but what we think is a prudent choice at this time.
When will we be able to resume services at church?
Though I cannot give a definite timeline at this point, we will remain fluid, flexible, and agile when making the decision about meeting on campus. We will follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the directives of our government officials. These decisions are never easy to make but we are in favor of your best interests and in the best interest of GraceLife.
We still believe that church is the community of people bringing shalom (peace) to our world, and not limited to a building.
We believe we do not “go to church” but that WE ARE THE CHURCH. The “church” is when God’s people gather and live out the Gospel in their words and actions. Right now we are gathering online together at the same time and same space. Church is always a reference to people, not a place. The church is at its best when people inside the building take Jesus’ message outside the building and serve those they meet. The emphasis has never been WHERE we meet (John 4 – only Jerusalem or on a particular mountain) but THAT we meet in Spirit and Truth, which we will continue to do online for the time being until we can gather on campus.
Until then, we will continue to pray with the hopes that this season will end soon.
Take heart and keep the faith! I am with you on this journey!
Sincerely,
Pastor Eugene