Church Gathering With Safety Measures
Last Sunday we got to re-open our church facility for in-person gathering for a corporate worship. It was a “test-run” with servant-leaders, before we open it up to all of our members this coming Sunday. There were about thirty of us in the sanctuary. It was wonderful to see fellow brothers and sisters. It was wonderful to sing with the fuller band and hear the large sanctuary being filled with the sound of instruments and more voices (yes, with our masks on and yes, with plenty of physical distancing of more than 2 meters apart). And it was wonderful to actually preach to people and not just to the camera. After the service we got to connect, though briefly, and chat with our masks on. Although there are many restrictions for our in-person gathering (and rightly so), I am grateful that we are now able to meet for corporate worship on Sundays.
I am mindful that not everyone feels comfortable with a large group gathering. As I shared in my last pastoral letter, let’s make sure that Coronavirus does not divide us! Some of you may be excited to come back on Sunday mornings for corporate worship. Some of you may feel more uneasy than excited to come back. There are many different reasons why you will choose to continue to worship at home and not come out to join us at the church facility. You will not be judged; we should not judge anyone for showing up or not showing up on Sunday for in-person gathering.
There are many good reasons to come back to join in person for corporate worship. If you choose to worship at home at this season, I want to make sure that the reason you are continuing to worship at home one Sunday is not simply because of convenience. Just to be clear, our practice of online connection is a circumstantial compromise rather than an ongoing convenience. Sitting in the comfort and safety of our homes to watch a sermon on our phone or TV is convenient, and convenience has a way of quickly undoing the work of long-held disciplines. It takes effort and discipline to wake up early in the morning, get dressed, drive all the way to church on Sunday morning (which is what we normally did prior to coronavirus). The past three months have put us in a different mode of life, including our Sunday morning routine. We must certainly act wisely and responsibly. But we must also guard against the deceitfulness of sin and laziness. And so “let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near” (Hebrews 10:24-25).
For those of you who are hesitant to come back for in-person gathering on Sunday, I want to assure you that we are doing our best to put in safety measures for our in-person worship. I thank our deacons and COVID-19 Task Force Team who have labored to put in place the best practices for our re-gathering. You will be receiving more information about our Sunday in-person gathering before this weekend. I do look forward to seeing you face to face soon! If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me, our staff, elders or deacons.
