Last week our Elders shared that we are making plans for in-person worship on Sunday, May 31. A driving principle behind our plan to regather is this encouragement from Hebrews.

“Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe,” (Hebrews 12:28)

We are eager to see our church family, and we are now pursuing that as safely as possible, adhering to current CDC guidelines, and Governor Hogan’s guidelines for opening churches in phase one. Here are some details that are important for you to know...

• We will have one in-person Worship Service at 10AM. Bring your lawn chairs/ blankets for the field. Please stay together as a family and pick your spot where you feel comfortable. Should weather be an issue, we may reschedule for later in the day or move back to an on-line only worship format for that Sunday.
• If you, or anyone in your household, has a fever, cough, sore throat, shortness of breath, unexplained loss of taste or smell or otherwise feels sick; or have had a positive test for COVID-19, have been in close contact with someone that has tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 14 days, we ask that you and your family NOT ATTEND our in-person Worship Service.
• We ask that prior to heading to church, each family perform a temperature check. If anyone in your family has a Fever, we ask that you and your family DO NOT ATTEND our in person Worship Service.
• The entire in-person gathering will maintain social distancing and healthy hygiene. We will have hand-sanitizing stations available as you enter/exit the field.
• In-person services will be “no-contact” services. We also encourage you not to hug, shake hands, etc. We will provide PDF links to music, sermon notes, and any other items we typically “hand-out”. We will not be passing offering plates. Elements for the Lord’s Supper will be made available prepackaged containers.
• CDC guidelines for churches encourages use of cloth face coverings among staff and congregants. We understand the encouragement to wear masks is a polarizing issue, and regardless of where you land on it, all are welcome.
• In-person Worship Services will be family formatted, with all ages worshiping together on the field. For now, there will NOT be separate worship and teaching for Long Green kids. With our youngest worshipers in mind, each Worship Service will be no longer than one-hour.
• Each household is asked to bring their own chairs and blankets to set on. Please be sure to use social distancing when picking your family’s spot on the field.
• Adult wing restrooms will be open for use, parents, please escort children to the restroom. Face masks are required in the building. A nursery room will be made available to mother’s who are nursing. A majority of the building will be cordoned off and unavailable for use.
• Our Worship at Home page will continue to be available on our website. We encourage anyone who may be high-risk or uncomfortable attending to Worship at Home with us.

As we prepare to regather 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).