Regathering and COVID-19
Mill City Family,
We have seen a range of different responses as we have prepared to gather in-person for worship on Sundays. This is honestly a reflection of how our culture has responded to the whole country reopening. Some voices have advocated that doing anything outside your home in the vicinity of another human is gross negligence, while others have called the virus a hoax. We have seen and heard the range of responses on Facebook, at kitchen tables, in work settings, etc.
In hearing some of our own church family respond, we want to clarify some things as we get ready to incorporate in-person gatherings again. Firstly, why gather in person at all? Why encourage groups to figure out social distancing in an effort to gather? This goes back to what we have said since the beginning. We stopped gathering in person because our governing authorities and health officials recommended we stop in order to give our healthcare system enough time to adjust to the pandemic.
There was quite a bit we did not know about this virus and it would have been unloving to our neighbors to risk lives with the possibility of overrunning the health care system. Now that the governing authorities have a better understanding of the virus and our healthcare capacity, they have allowed us to wisely approach reopening along with businesses, recreation centers, and other organizations. And that is what we intend to do as we continue to follow best practices of social distancing and safety.
However, we will not be able to guarantee that gathering in-person, for worship on Sunday or for groups, will be completely safe (read that again). We can practice every safety guideline, we can check every box, and the possibility will remain- you could still get Covid-19. This is why we invested in live streaming technology, so that those of our church family that are most at risk (the elderly and those with pre-existing conditions) could participate from home. It is up to you to make the decision that is best for you and/or your family.
These decisions are difficult to make, which is why we want to give grace to one another while also collectively repenting of self-righteousness and pride in our approach to others. Your brothers and sisters in your church family don’t “hate their neighbors” if they choose to attend on Sundays, nor are they “blind” or “sheep” if they decide to stay home. Now is not the time for disunity. We don’t have to be uniform in our individual decisions in order to be unified in our collective response.
These are difficult times filled with fear, confusion, and uncertainty, but our call to love one another with a fierce love and empathetic understanding remains the same. We will take every step together, walking as wisely as possible. Sometimes that’s calling an audible like we did last Sunday when we didn’t get Covid results back for two of our pastors (which, praise God, they don’t have Covid). Other times it will be continuing to gather in-person, even as folks in our church family contract Covid and stay home. We need wisdom, we need grace, and we need to remember that while we have a diversity of opinions on this in our church, those are secondary to the unified faith and love for one another that guides us.
So in closing, let’s move forward in unity. If you feel comfortable coming on Sunday, we look forward to seeing you in person. If you don’t feel comfortable attending in person, join us via the livestream. Let’s be a church that embraces our present reality with humility and grace, unified in our desire to be a gospel-centered community on mission.
See you this Sunday (online or in-person)
