Long Green Baptist Coronavirus Response

We are excited to announce that we will be safely reopening our building for live worship gatherings, beginning November 8th. We will be offering two worship options— a first service at 8:30 am, and a second service at 10:30 am.

Your children are more than welcome to join us in the sanctuary, as LGBC Kids will not be offering in-person programming just yet. We simply need more time to make sure those environments are safe enough & fun for our kids. We hope to begin offering childcare for the 10:30am service as soon as safely possible.

We are eager to see our church family, and we are now pursuing that as safely as possible, adhering to current CDC guidelines, and following local and state guidelines for indoor gatherings. Here are some details that are important for you to know...

We will be offering two services— one at 8:30 am and one at 10:30 am. We encourage families to attend the 10:30am service and we plan to begin offering childcare at the 10:30 am service as soon as we are safely able to do so.

For those who are in the highest “at risk” categories, or those who are not comfortable attending in person services, we will continue to offer a livestream option here for our Sunday morning service. We are working to launch a new livestream experience and “drive-up” parking lot experience. We plan to make these options available sometime in mid-November.
Local and State guidelines for churches requires the use of cloth face coverings (for ages six and up) among staff and congregants.

We have done our best to create a safe space for worship. We have upgraded our HVAC system to meet and exceed CDC recommendations for houses of worship. We are going to try several different ways to spread people out in the sanctuary. We will continue to evaluate our worship space and make changes as they are needed. Hand-sanitizing stations available as you enter/exit the building.
We ask that you sit with family or those you know well. We ask that if you are sitting down next to someone that you do not know, that you leave two seats and one row open between that individual.
In-person Worship Services will be family formatted, with all ages worshiping together. With our youngest worshipers in mind, each Worship Service will be no longer than fifty minutes.
Our Worship at Home page will continue to be available on our website and other social media platforms. We encourage anyone who may be high-risk or uncomfortable attending to “Worship at Home” with us.

As we formulated our plan, here are some frequently asked questions we have received:

How will we social distance? We will encourage folks to keep at least two chair- spaces between family groups. We will have “skip” signs every-other row. Hopefully, this will keep a row of space between each family. Once the first service is done, we will move the signs to the next row. We will not require folks to make reservations. We will continue to monitor attendance and work through crowd size as it develops.
Will I be required to wear a mask? We will ask all participants to follow local and state guidelines (Maryland’s mask mandate, for 6 and up)
How will services be different? We will continue to make our service as “no- contact” as possible. All handouts will be picked up at the entrance(s). Lord Supper will be set out individually on tables (Porch of the sanctuary, and front lobby). Offering boxes are being installed this weekend (no passing of the plates). Pew Bibles and Hymnals have been removed. We will use projection for all songs, scripture, etc. We will continue to be as “contactless” as possible. The church facility will be disinfected on a weekly basis.
What’s been done to address the air quality indoors? The HVAC filtration work is complete in the sanctuary, fellowship hall, and adult classrooms. We have upgraded our HVAC system to meet or exceed CDC’s recommendations for houses of worship.
What word best fits the situation? FLEXIBILITY— We will continue to evaluate what works and what does not. Please be flexible with us!

As we prepare to regather indoors for worship, let’s pray that we might be rooted in God’s love for one another. Pray that we might express this love to one another: “Love one another with brotherly affection”; “Outdo one another in showing
honor” (Romans 12:10); “Through love serve one another” (Galatians 5:13); “Bear with one another in love” (Ephesians 4:2).

Amidst concerns surrounding the coronavirus (COVID-19), we want to let you know how Long Green Baptist Church is responding.

Our leadership team is carefully and continually monitoring this situation as we follow the direction of experts in science and churches in how to deal with the situation. As information evolves, this page is the primary, most up-to-date place for you to receive answers to commonly asked questions.

We are committed to doing everything we can to provide a safe environment for our church family and surrounding community.

HOW SHOULD I RESPOND SPIRITUALLY TO THE CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19)?

The coronavirus (COVID-19) is yet one more reminder that we live in a fallen world of sickness, sin, suffering, and death. Ultimately, none of us are immune to any of these things. But that’s why the gospel is such good news.

God has not left us alone in this world of sickness, sin, suffering, and death. He has come to us in the person of Jesus. The greatest news in all the world is that Jesus lived a life with no sin, died on a cross to pay the price for our sin, and rose from the grave in victory over sin and death. Now anyone anywhere who turns from their sin and trusts in Jesus will be forgiven of all their sin and restored to relationship with God forever. That means that through Jesus, we never have to fear sickness or death because we know we have eternal life with God.

If you do not know that you have eternal life with God, we urge you to put your faith in Jesus. And if you do know that you have eternal life with God, we urge you to share your faith in Jesus with others. Times like these remind us all of the fragility of life and the inevitability of death. So, let’s spread the greatest news that death has been defeated and eternal life is available to all who trust in Jesus.

In addition to trusting in Jesus and sharing about Jesus with others, here’s some other ways you can respond to the coronavirus (COVID-19):

Trust in God as the good and sovereign Creator and Sustainer of life upon whom we all depend.
Pray for mercy for the sick, strength for doctors, insight for researchers, and wisdom for our local, state, and national officials.
Look for opportunities to love and care for others, whether they are sick, isolated, marginalized, poor, or oppressed.
Avoid every semblance of prejudice or racism. In light of the origination of this virus in Asia, it has been grievous to see a rise in racist incidents against the Asian community. So just as we do in any circumstance, guard against all prejudice or racism in your thoughts, your words, and your actions.
Even if we are unable to gather at certain times, stay closely connected to the church family. Gather with smaller groups as appropriate, and participate in worship gatherings online if that’s the only option.

Reflect often on the brevity of life, the urgency of eternity, and the beauty of the gospel!