The Final Reopening
Today marks one full year of a dramatic cultural shift because of the global pandemic. March 13th of 2020 was the final day of in-person school for many children, and businesses across New Jersey closed. The church also had to make the difficult decision to move to online worship only. A year later hope is finally on the horizon! As the weather warms and spring approaches, vaccines are being distributed at an incredible rate. Over 22% of New Jersey has received at least one dose of the vaccine, which is enough to prevent major afflictions that could require hospitalization and almost categorically prevents death. In the United States about 2.2 million people are vaccinated each day, which is fast enough that by May half the population could be vaccinated and by August everyone in the country would be. Here in our community, we know that cases are falling and hospitalizations, as well as deaths, are dropping, too. Signs are pointing in the right direction and our Church Council discussed whether this is the right time for us to reopen the church or not.
After a vote this past week, it was decided that yes, this is the time to reopen. We know some will disagree. Some will think we are moving too quickly, while others think we have been far too slow! There are good arguments on both sides, but the leadership team of the church thinks the time is right. We will reopen for outdoor worship on Easter Sunday, April 4th at 9:30am and on May 3rd we will resume our second service indoors (that means the 9:30 service will meet each week outdoors, while the 11am traditional service meets indoors, starting May 3rd. The time for the 9:30am service to transition indoors has not yet been decided). For the time being when we regather we will continue to encourage people to wear masks, to keep socially distant and to take precautions so as not to spread Covid. We will also ask people to only gather indoors if they have been vaccinated. Of course, some are ineligible for vaccines such as children under 18 and those with certain health conditions. That makes it all the more important that the rest of us are vaccinated! We know folks have a right not to be vaccinated, and we will not ask people to prove they have been so at the door. Instead, we invite you to consider not your rights, but your obligation to your brothers and sisters in Christ. Do all in your power to love them, protect them and help them experience the fullness of life Christ desires for us.
You can read more about the plan for reopening in the attached file, but it is largely an amalgam of our previous plans from the summer and fall. We encourage you to get vaccinated as soon as you can, so you can rejoin us in worship. I just received word today that I will be able to get the vaccine myself just a few short days before Easter (please, pray for my health!). This is an exciting time for our church and we are eager to be together again. It is only a little while longer now, so I encourage you to, as the bishop would say, “keep the faith!”
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” - Philippians 4:6