We will be resuming public meetings starting this weekend on Sunday 5/24/20. In light of continued risk of COIVD-19 spread and the safety recommendations from local, state, and federal sources we will observe the following conditions when meeting for time being. We look forward to gathering in public again with you all.
Social Distancing: Households should sit together but are encouraged to remain six feet in distance from each other group during worship. Each household should make their own decision whether to wear a mask in the service. Please be respectful of one another no matter what decision is made.
Health and Wellness: As is usually our custom, if you are sick we encourage you to worship from home out of brotherly love for all others in the church. The Holy Spirit is not limited to the geography of the building. He can heal us and keep us safe, but scripture and church history would inform us to be mindful of the health and wellness of others in the church at all times and not willingly put others at risk. Our response to COVID-19 should be the same as it would be with other infectious and transmittable illness: caring is not sharing.
Cleaning: We will arrive early to clean the building with disinfectant and open the building up so it can air out. The restrooms will be cleaned and ready for use. Each family is encouraged to bring their own disinfectant wipes, spray, and hand sanitizer. There are limited supplies available on store shelves and restrictions on purchase volume for each of these supplies so the church is not in a position to provide these for everyone at this time.
Facilities: We meet in county facilities, two primarily. These facilities have different methods and measures required for cleaning and set-up. If the building is cleaned by the county there is less concern for us when we initially enter the building. If the building is cleaned by each user of the space, then we must be more cautious and assume the building may not have been cleaned properly. We should leave the facility, as is our norm, in better and cleaner condition than when we walked in to it.
Worship and prayer: We will worship and pray as a church community, like we always do with one exception: we will not lay hands on or join hands with one another for the current time. The Holy Spirit often uses the human sense of touch to confer spiritual healing, peace, or even revelation. However, there are many scriptural and historical references for the Holy Spirit moving freely and fully without human touch being involved. Let’s major on the Holy Spirit doing his work and not major on telling the Holy Spirit or others how the Holy Spirit can and will work. We are not God.
Children’s Ministry: We will emphasize the importance of distance and personal space with the children as we gather in worship with the families of the church. World Changer’s will still meet on Sunday mornings with a strong emphasis on safety, distance, and cleanliness for the children. Children’s ministry is voluntary and each family should make the decision on their child or children’s participation.
Teaching/Preaching: We will continue with teaching and preaching as normal. Our study this year has been in Revelation and we will continue into this study. Additionally, we will continue to use Zoom for our Wednesday night classes, currently Prophetic Personalities. On Tuesday’s, Pastors Brian and Sara will continue lead the Activation meetings through Zoom at this time.
Ministry in the community: Please continue to be the church in your community. People need faith, hope, and love at this time. Remember the Apostle Paul’s words well, the greatest thing in that list is love. Love does not require you to be fearful of anything but mindful of everything regarding the needs of another. When sharing your faith and hope with others be lovingly respectful of personal space. There is no reason to reference masks, political opinions about the current situation, or social concern about what is happening at this time. If there is common ground in opinions between someone and yourself that may be helpful, but it may be a distraction from the Lord’s business for you. If there is disagreement between you, the Lord is clear that you are to be gracious and defer. Share your faith and hope, with love. Don’t get side-tracked. Keep being the church.
Disclaimer: The recommendations above are general suggestions to help aid the safety and comfort of each individual attending public gatherings at The Prov. Every household must make their own decisions about these matters, understanding that the decision to attend a public gathering for worship is done so while accepting full personal responsibility for the health and wellness of one’s household. The Prov is not responsible, in any manner, for the health and wellness of those who chose or do not chose to participate in public meetings. The decision to meet publicly, or not, is solely at the discretion of the pastoral leadership at The Prov in consultation with the Lord, local authorities, and national health advisories. The Prov will not pressure any participant to take a certain precaution or avoid precautions. The Prov will not be pressured into making a decision based on the disruptive activities of others. If a disruption occurs during a public meeting authorities will be contacted to handle the matter. All are welcome to come who are prepared to worship and gather with friends as we honor the Lord and each other. This gathering is solely intended for the faith and fellowship of the saints and those seeking to be a part of a Christian worship experience.
