Covid-19 Response

Many things have changed over the last year as the world was surprised by an unknown global virus and sought to respond in ways that were appropriate, based on the best information at hand.  We are thankful for the developments gained in therapeutics and vaccines, which are providing much-needed help and movement towards a more normal existence.  In these times of transition, it is our desire to provide an environment where we, as the family of God, can most faithfully prioritize the in-person gatherings for fellowship and equipping to pursue His mission in a fallen, sin-cursed, and disease-ridden world.  With that in mind, we want to announce the following changes to our masking policy:

1. The decision to wear a mask will be left to each individual.  If you feel the conviction to continue to mask up, we will fully support you in doing so.  If you feel the conviction not to wear a mask, we will fully support you in that decision as well.
2. We urge you to approach this with sacrificial love as the guiding value for how we relate to one another as the Family of God.  Believers holding both convictions can flourish and co-exist in the same space when we are loving and considerate of each other.  This will require all of us to honor each other’s convictions, and at certain times, adopt another person’s convictions for the sake of unity.  
3. We also urge those of you who have refrained from in-person engagement with the Body of Christ, to consider rejoining us for Central Teachings and for your MC Gatherings.  We realize the fears that many have struggled with, but we also believe that you can engage with others in a way that is safe and still honors the higher calling of being together as God’s Family.  We live in a fallen world where risks to our health abound.  We have been called to ultimately pursue life with eternity in mind, which does put us, at times, in vulnerable positions here in the temporal world.  We pray that you would consider this step of faith and not allow a long-sustained withdrawal from Biblical community to become your normal life pattern.
4. Lastly, as we move forward with this new individual approach to masking, we want to make clear the fact that we are not instructing you on how you to approach masking outside of our church gatherings.  As believers, whose ultimate aim is not only to model but also to communicate the gospel, we must deeply consider how we interact with our unsaved friends with regard to masking.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact one of the Elders.