Services and COVID-19

Saturday, March 14, 2020

Dear CBC Family and Friends,

Tomorrow we will only have our 10 AM worship service. We will NOT have Sunday School or an evening service. Bloomsburg Christian School has been mandated by Governor Wolf to not have school for 2 weeks. With that in view we will not have AWANA for the next 2 Wednesdays. We will have Prayer Meeting on Wednesday.

We have been working on, and will continue to work on, a wise, God-honoring, people-loving, approach to the coronavirus (CONVID-19) pandemic. We want to honor God’s worthiness of regular worship, fulfill our need to regularly gather, take responsibility to love neighbors by considering their health needs, as well as obey our governing officials’ instructions regarding the well-being of our communities. Our need for worship is high. Our concern for everyone’s health is high as well.

Our church attendance is well below Governor Wolf’s mandate against “large group assembly” (250 people). But we want to worship AND keep each individual as healthy as we can. It could be weeks or months before the threat of the virus subsidizes, and it will almost certainly become greater for our area before it diminishes. For most people, the sickness and symptoms of the virus have proven to be fairly mild. The young seem to be affected the least, sometimes not showing any symptoms (which creates more risk of spreading). On the other hand, the elderly, and those with other health problems, or compromised immune systems, have proven to be more vulnerable to severe, even deadly, cases. We especially need to watch out for and care for the most vulnerable.

We plan to weigh the biblical mandate for worship against the risk of spreading the virus by limiting our time of interaction and personal contact, as well as by taking increased precautions through good hygiene habits, sanitation, and cleanliness.

To decrease the risks during our meeting together, please carefully note the following guidelines. We want everyone to consider and follow them carefully.

1.    If you or your children have symptoms of sickness (fever, cough, sneezing, etc.), please stay home.

2.    If you are an “at risk” person, with an immune deficiency, or just feeling vulnerable, please do not feel pressure to come to church, but feel free to stay home. We will not judge anyone as we know some face much greater risks of more serious illness. We will do our best to maintain connection with you during this time.

3.    Let’s agree to replace hugs and handshakes with waves, “elbow bumps”, smiles, and kind words of greeting.

4.    We urge everyone to carefully use good hygiene. Wash your hands often. If you use the restroom, wash your hands before and after using the facilities. Teach and insist your children to do so also.

5.    If you need to cough or sneeze, cover your mouth with your sleeve or tissue. Guide your children to do the same.

6. We encourage everyone to refrain from touching “commonly touched areas.” We plan to have attendants ready to open doors and to wipe down restroom stall doors and faucet handles.

7.    We will be taking extra-care in cleaning and sanitizing our facility, especially areas that are “high traffic” and commonly touched surfaces (doors, door handles, railings, bathroom counters and stall doors, etc.) before and after services.

8.    We will supply hand sanitizer, tissues, and sanitary wipes in various locations of the church as supplies are available.

We have utmost confidence in God and know we have nothing ultimately to fear. All things are in His good and capable hands. We also know that God calls us to responsible action and love for one another while we measure the risks we take in serving Him. Let us support and pray, not only for one another, but especially for those who don’t have our confidence and assurance in Christ. Let’s work to both continue to worship and show concern for others.

For Christ and One Another!

Pastor Tim Smith

Pastor Sean Stouffer

Posted on March 14th, 2020 filed under Church Life, Coming Events.

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