How I have missed seeing you and coming together with our church. This time of “staying safe at home” and our state and nation being closed down has been hard on all of us. I know it has been harder for some than for others. But all of us have had to change and adjust our lives to this “new normal.”
Yet, I have exciting news to share. Our staff and leaders have been talking for weeks now about how we will re-open. Our top priority is the safety and health of everyone who comes into our building. We have been cleaning the church from top to bottom, the floors, the restrooms, following the CDC and Health Dept guidelines for sanitizing large areas. We have been working hard to prepare for re-opening.
SOFT OPEN PLANS
These next two Sundays, May 17th and 24th, we will have a “soft” open. What does that mean? These two Sundays, our worship team will be back to lead us in worship, and our entire service will be live! We are making a change to our schedule. We will now have just one live-stream broadcast at 10am. Also, our host team and deacons will be here on-site as we train for our grand re-opening on Sunday, May 31.
GRAND RE-OPENING MAY 31ST
So, I invite you to join us here on Sunday, May 31, at 10am to come back to church! When we come that Sunday, we will only be able to have our church worship service. Hopefully, later in June, we will be able to start our small groups and Sunday School classes again.
YOUR SAFETY IS OUR TOP PRIORITY
As I mentioned, your health and safety are extremely important. Please bring a mask if you prefer to wear one. We will have sanitization stations in the foyer, and masks will be available for those who forget theirs. We will not require anyone to wear a mask, nor will we be taking temperatures at the door. But we do ask if you are not feeling well or have a fever to NOT come to church at that time.
The social distance requirements are going to change the way we interact while at church. At this time, we will not be able to shake hands or give a hug. We ask that you do your best to keep a 6-foot distance between you and another person. As you come into the building, we have created a touchless environment. Our greeters will have the doors open for you; you will not have to open them. We will not have a bulletin or card to give you. You will find that all welcome and prayer cards, and giving envelopes have been removed, as well as our hymnals. Our wonderful and friendly ushers will help seat you and your family. To keep appropriate distances, we will only be using every other pew aisle and have “please sit here” cards on the pews to designate correct seating. I know this will be a huge adjustment for everyone. Please be patient with us as we seat people. We will be seating from the front to the back.
During our services, we will not be able to greet each other like we are used to. The offering will be collected as you leave the auditorium, and our ushers will be dismissing everyone one aisle at a time. We all love to gather and talk after worship, but for right now, we will not be able to do that in the foyer. We ask that you talk outside in the parking lots.
Lastly, we will not be able to have childcare at this time. Our worship services will be geared to the entire family. And what a joy it will be to worship God together, both young and older.
We cannot wait to finally be back together!
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Two other important things that I want to share with you:
- Our Summer Day Camp program will be able to open per CDC and Health Dept guidelines. Ms. Martha and her staff will begin on Monday, May 18th. If you or someone you know is looking for childcare this summer, there is no better place than right here at Eastwood! Our church website has all the information. We are looking forward to minister to the children of working moms and dads who really need childcare so they can get back to work.
- Faith Week had to be cancelled due to this season. Yet, Pastor Lucas has been working hard to set up a wonderful camp experience that will be held July 15-18th. We are calling it, Faith Week at the Creek! The cost will only be $75 per camper. We will have more details soon. This is for our students 7th – 12th grade.
We continue to pray for you. Please worship with us online the next two Sundays. We miss you and can’t wait to see on Sunday, May 31st at 10am!
God bless you,
Gordon Small
Senior Pastor
