Dear SBC Church Family:
Greetings in the name of our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ! I certainly pray you are doing well and that God is blessing you and keeping you safe in these days. Please continue to pray for our nation in these challenging and uncertain times. As we have shared in our recent services, and I have mentioned in our email updates, this is a time when we must pray for and work for racial unity and reconciliation, pray for peace and unity of our nation, speak with grace and love as the people of Jesus, and pray for our law enforcement and first responders as they deal with multiple issues and situations. Meanwhile, we must continue praying for all those impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
I would like to share that we plan to have our “Re-Gathering Worship Service” in our church building and sanctuary on Sunday morning, June 28, 11:00 a.m. We will not have Sunday School-Small Groups or other services and activities for the near future. We are not speaking of reopening because the church has not closed! The church, that is the Body of Christ, has been open and highly active since mid-March. Only the church building has been closed. So, we will be Re-Gathering to worship.
We have had a Re-Gathering Team working to develop a plan that has been approved by our insurance carrier and approved by a group of around 15 church leaders (consisting of deacons, trustees, safety and security team, and administrative team members). Bro. Daron Vaughn will be coordinating the overall plan implementation and helping everyone follow the plan as closely as we can for the foreseeable future – because at this point, we do not know how long this will have to be followed. As most other churches and organizations, our plan is based on following the guidelines and recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Kentucky Department of Public Health, Lake Cumberland District Health, Taylor County Emergency Services, etc.
Beginning Sunday, June 28, here are the major things that we will be asking people to follow:
If a person is sick, at risk of becoming sick, or concerned about attending services at the beginning, you are encouraged to exercise caution before returning to worship. This is particularly true for those who are in higher risk categories.
Signs will be posted that remind people to remain six feet apart, to discourage anyone from attending who may be displaying symptoms of COVID-19 from entering the building, reminding people to use basic hand washing for 20 seconds or use of hand sanitizer, coughing into a tissue and disposing of the tissue into a waste basket.
Anyone who is running a temperature of 100 degrees Fahrenheit or higher is asked to stay at home. You are encouraged to take your temperature before coming to church. One of the ushers will have a digital thermometer (one that reads temperatures from the forehead and does not touch the skin) to take temperatures of anyone who would like to have theirs taken. Should a person have a temperature of 100 degrees or more, that person would be asked to go home.
Due to the way that COVID-19 is transmitted and the belief by health professionals that asymptomatic carriers of the virus are transmitters of the disease, we will refrain from some of our traditional practices for the foreseeable future – no handshaking, no hugging, no kissing, etc. Disposable masks will be provided at no cost to those who do not have masks.
The wearing of masks is a recommended practice by CDC and state and local health authorities, but this will be up to each person’s individual discretion. The science behind the wearing of masks is to primarily protect others from becoming infected should you be asymptomatic with COVID-19. The usher who is taking temperatures will also distribute masks to any who would like to wear one.
We will not be serving coffee, food, etc. during this period.
Greeters/ushers will be stationed at the side foyer entrance prior to the beginning of the service. The side door will be propped open. In the foyer, the offer for masks and taking of temperatures will be made. Ushers will wear masks and gloves.
An usher will accompany each family or individual to a seat in the sanctuary. Families/individuals will be seated in such a manner so that social distancing of six feet in all directions is maintained.
Bro. Daron Vaughn will work, as needed, with the usher seating the family/individual so that the social distancing is maintained.
People will be asked to remain in their seats during the service. Members and guests are encouraged to cooperate and follow the usher to the sanctuary to be seated. Stopping to visit and talk in the foyer, during this period, is discouraged in order to keep the flow of people moving and to maintain the social distancing of six feet.
Hand sanitation stations will be placed in the foyer entrance and at the “front door” area by the bathroom. People are encouraged to utilize the hand sanitation stations while entering and existing.
To avoid the handling of paper, there will be no printed bulletins, prayer lists, monthly calendars, etc. for now.
The order of worship, responsive readings, words of hymns, scripture readings, announcements, etc. will be displayed on the screen during worship services, and I will continue to send out regular emails and texts to keep the church family and friends updated.
The hymnals and Bibles have been removed from the pews for now. This is as recommended by the CDC. Why? The same principle applies to these items as to the bulletins, prayer lists, etc. The point is to further prevent the spread of COVID-19. You can certainly use your personal Bible – and, again, the words of the scripture, songs, etc. will be displayed on the screen.
At the end of the service, ushers will come to the midpoint of the sanctuary and proceed to dismiss the back half through the front door and the other half through the foyer area. The ushers will dismiss people so that social distancing is maintained while exiting. Just as with the foyer door when people are entering, both doors will be propped or held open for those exiting at the end of the service.
The upstairs bathroom will be available for use if needed. No more than one person should enter the bathroom at a time. Bathroom use should be minimized to the extent possible. The bathroom will be disinfected after each use by a member of the Re-Gathering Team after each use. The cleaning person will wear a mask and gloves.
The basement and Fellowship Hall areas will be closed during this period.
The water fountain in the bathroom will be turned off and covered.
No childcare and nursery will be provided.
The church has purchased a new iPad Pro 4th Edition and a tripod. It is our plan, at this point, to live-stream the sermon portion of the service on Facebook Live. Additional information will be forthcoming on this – it will enable those who are at home, plus those who have been joining us during this interim period out of town, to still follow us and participate in our worship. These sermons can be archived as well. I plan on still doing a weekly video to be posted on Facebook and the website as well. These two steps will be a significant step in increasing our presence in the virtual world of worship and ministry. Members of our Re-Gathering Team will be helping with this as well.
With a decision made this past week by the state, we will be able to have occupancy in the sanctuary up to 50% of our seating capacity. Prior to this decision, churches were being limited to 33% of capacity. The 33% rule presented a definite challenge for us. Why are we undergoing these measures as we re-gather for in-person worship on June 28? Because we care about one another – because we care about and love the most vulnerable among us – because COVID-19 is a real threat to the health and safety of people and it has not gone away – because God gave us the Great Commandment where He said we are to love Him “with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength…” and “we are love our neighbors as ourselves…” And because he taught us in Matthew 25 to care about the “least of these our brothers and sisters” and that as we do “unto them, we have done unto Him…” There are several documented instances in Kentucky, and around the country, where there have been COVID-19 hotspot outbreaks because of churches gathering and not following the recommended best practices and health standards.
Pray for us as we prepare for our Re-Gathering of Saloma Baptist Church on Sunday, June 28. I look forward to seeing many of you for the first time – face-to-face – since the second Sunday of March. Saloma Baptist Church has maintained a strong and ever-present witness during this pandemic – I am thankful for all that is being done, and I pray that we will move forward stronger and more committed than ever before. Please contact me anytime that you have any questions, or as we may be of assistance. The most direct ways to contact me are to call or text me on my mobile phone at 270-403-3610, or email me at jechowning@windstream.net. May God bless you and keep you in these incredibly challenging days.
In Christ,
John E. Chowning, Pastor