Special Announcements
September 15, 2020
Dear Church Member,
Some of you may be aware that the Winnebago County Health Department has raised concerns about the uptick in Covid-19 cases in Winnebago County. The Winnebago County Health Department has begun to monitor and cite businesses, schools, and places of worship for non-compliance in enforcing face coverings. The Winnebago County Health Department has within its power to close establishments who are found in violation. Now, the Health Department does have an administrative process before closing an institution, but if you have been listening to the news, the media is quick to pass judgment.
Given the current situation, we are asking that you wear a mask when entering the building until you are seated in the sanctuary. After being seated, you may choose to remove your mask. We have designed the sanctuary to accommodate the CDC recommendations as to social distancing. We do not have the square footage to meet those recommendations in our foyer or nursery. At the end of our worship service, upon leaving your seat, we ask that you put your mask back on until you are in the parking lot.
We are asking you to do this so that we may maintain our testimony in the community and be able to continue worshipping our Savior without being shut down. Satan would like to ruin our testimony and close us down. I understand if this frustrates you. But maybe this will help us all understand what our brothers and sisters in the Lord have been experiencing in other lands. God is still on the throne. Let’s keep our eyes focused on Him.
Pastor
Dear Church Member,
Some of you may be aware that the Winnebago County Health Department has raised concerns about the uptick in Covid-19 cases in Winnebago County. The Winnebago County Health Department has begun to monitor and cite businesses, schools, and places of worship for non-compliance in enforcing face coverings. The Winnebago County Health Department has within its power to close establishments who are found in violation. Now, the Health Department does have an administrative process before closing an institution, but if you have been listening to the news, the media is quick to pass judgment.
Given the current situation, we are asking that you wear a mask when entering the building until you are seated in the sanctuary. After being seated, you may choose to remove your mask. We have designed the sanctuary to accommodate the CDC recommendations as to social distancing. We do not have the square footage to meet those recommendations in our foyer or nursery. At the end of our worship service, upon leaving your seat, we ask that you put your mask back on until you are in the parking lot.
We are asking you to do this so that we may maintain our testimony in the community and be able to continue worshipping our Savior without being shut down. Satan would like to ruin our testimony and close us down. I understand if this frustrates you. But maybe this will help us all understand what our brothers and sisters in the Lord have been experiencing in other lands. God is still on the throne. Let’s keep our eyes focused on Him.
Pastor
Couples Retreat
October 23-24
Click on this link for complete details
https://livingunited.com/chicago-couples-retreat/
Click on this link for complete details
https://livingunited.com/chicago-couples-retreat/
Join us as we return to Church
July, 15, 2020
Dear Church Member,
The deacons and Pastor met this past Sunday evening to discuss the possibility of returning to worship together in person on Sunday Evenings. In order to accomplish having Sunday evening services we need your help! We need volunteers to clean the sanctuary, foyer, and foyer bathrooms after the morning service. Without this commitment we will not be able to open our facilities for an evening service.
We want to protect your health and our testimony as we come together. All volunteers will be asked to wear vinyl gloves, which we will provide. We will have specific instructions of what to clean, what to clean with, and how to clean. We will have a sign-up list on the back table of the Sanctuary.
Dear Church Member,
The deacons and Pastor met this past Sunday evening to discuss the possibility of returning to worship together in person on Sunday Evenings. In order to accomplish having Sunday evening services we need your help! We need volunteers to clean the sanctuary, foyer, and foyer bathrooms after the morning service. Without this commitment we will not be able to open our facilities for an evening service.
We want to protect your health and our testimony as we come together. All volunteers will be asked to wear vinyl gloves, which we will provide. We will have specific instructions of what to clean, what to clean with, and how to clean. We will have a sign-up list on the back table of the Sanctuary.
June 23, 2020
Dear Church Member,
This is a lengthy announcement, but let me encourage you to read and reread it in its entirety as we endeavor to get back to worship together in our church building.
Our new "in-person" worship service schedule is 10:30 a.m.
We will live stream this worship service for those unable to attend our "in-person" service.
At this time, we will be conducting only a morning service.
As we progress, we will add additional services.
Let us crawl before we walk and walk before we run.
Let us just get back to basics - worship God with our family.
To start out, we will not be providing nursery care or a children’s ministry.
Let me encourage you to take advantage of this change to worship as a family.
To help with having children in the service our worship service will be limited to one hour.
The deacons and I met Sunday, May 31 to discuss implementation of the expectations by the Illinois Department of Health and Winnebago County Health Department as to resuming physical gatherings for worship. In navigating the documents from these two entities we found that though similar they were not exact as to their recommendations.
We recognize some will interpret the guidelines as mandates, while others will see them as considerations, suggestions, and recommendations. Based on the CDC's opening statement regarding the "reopening of churches" for "in person gatherings"; we are interpreting them as "suggestions to consider and accept, reject or modify according to our own faith tradition." That said, we are striving to follow as many of the suggestions as possible.
We are presenting the following adopted procedures in bullet form.
That which is in parenthesis is directly quoted from the Winnebago County Health Department document as a guideline to follow.
sake and partly to follow the guideline). After a person is seated that person can feel free to remove their
face covering if they would like to do so.
The spirit of the guideline has always been either social distancing or masks when social distancing is not
possible. It has been “either or” not both. Obviously, in a store where everyone is passing each other in the
aisle social distancing is difficult if not impossible, which is why stores are requiring masks.
We feel it quite reasonable that once a person has been seated, and are now socially distanced by 6 feet,
they may remove their face covering.
In keeping with that recommendation, we have chosen to remove all hymnals.
We will be using our screen to project the words to our music.
We have also chosen not to pass out bulletins, etc.
Announcements will be displayed on the screen, as well as, the website.
In keeping with that recommendation, we will not be providing coffee and refreshments for awhile.
Also, in keeping with that recommendation, we will suspend our welcome time and handshaking that we
are accustomed to have at the beginning of our worship service.
We do encourage fellowship as you sit in your pew and as you congregate outside in the parking lot.
Please let us respect each other’s handling of this situation.
Let us put into practice 1 Corinthians 8:8-9 “But masks commendeth us not to God: for neither, if we wear a mask, are we the better; neither, if we don’t wear a mask, are we the worse. But take heed lest by any means this liberty of your’s become a stumblingblock...
Some will come right back to an "in-person" worship service, while some will delay their return and continue to worship with us on our website. Let us be patient with one another. Let us love one another.
“Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth.”
You will notice that we have been making some updates in our facilities.
We apologize for the minor incompleteness in the foyer.
We trust you will appreciate the changes we are making to welcome you back, and to minister to those who are yet unable to come back. I am looking forward to seeing you once again in person.
Pastor Bodwell
Dear Church Member,
This is a lengthy announcement, but let me encourage you to read and reread it in its entirety as we endeavor to get back to worship together in our church building.
Our new "in-person" worship service schedule is 10:30 a.m.
We will live stream this worship service for those unable to attend our "in-person" service.
At this time, we will be conducting only a morning service.
As we progress, we will add additional services.
Let us crawl before we walk and walk before we run.
Let us just get back to basics - worship God with our family.
To start out, we will not be providing nursery care or a children’s ministry.
Let me encourage you to take advantage of this change to worship as a family.
To help with having children in the service our worship service will be limited to one hour.
The deacons and I met Sunday, May 31 to discuss implementation of the expectations by the Illinois Department of Health and Winnebago County Health Department as to resuming physical gatherings for worship. In navigating the documents from these two entities we found that though similar they were not exact as to their recommendations.
We recognize some will interpret the guidelines as mandates, while others will see them as considerations, suggestions, and recommendations. Based on the CDC's opening statement regarding the "reopening of churches" for "in person gatherings"; we are interpreting them as "suggestions to consider and accept, reject or modify according to our own faith tradition." That said, we are striving to follow as many of the suggestions as possible.
We are presenting the following adopted procedures in bullet form.
That which is in parenthesis is directly quoted from the Winnebago County Health Department document as a guideline to follow.
- A sign will be posted in the foyer going into the sanctuary stating:
- “All individuals over the age of 2 years who can medically tolerate it, should wear a facial covering”.
sake and partly to follow the guideline). After a person is seated that person can feel free to remove their
face covering if they would like to do so.
The spirit of the guideline has always been either social distancing or masks when social distancing is not
possible. It has been “either or” not both. Obviously, in a store where everyone is passing each other in the
aisle social distancing is difficult if not impossible, which is why stores are requiring masks.
We feel it quite reasonable that once a person has been seated, and are now socially distanced by 6 feet,
they may remove their face covering.
- We have configured our sanctuary so that family groups can be socially distance.
- Each pew will be marked visually with an area where you may sit.
- The area where you may not sit will be covered with a type of decorative ribbon.
- We ask that you do not sit in the area of the pew that is covered.
- The Winnebago County Health Department has recommended that all shareable items be removed from the worship space.
In keeping with that recommendation, we have chosen to remove all hymnals.
We will be using our screen to project the words to our music.
We have also chosen not to pass out bulletins, etc.
Announcements will be displayed on the screen, as well as, the website.
- A stand with an offering box will be just inside the sanctuary doors for you to give your offering.
- We will not be passing an offering plate.
- For those not able to attend, you can mail your offering as you have been doing for the past 3 months or
- You can give through our newly developed giving portal on our website, when it is up and functioning.
- Hand sanitizer will be provided at entry to Sanctuary and at entrance to the bathrooms.
- We ask that bathrooms be used for emergencies only.
- Only the handicap bathroom in the foyer and the bathroom in the mother’s nursing room will be open.
- All other bathrooms will be closed.
- Only the Foyer and Sanctuary will be open. All other areas of the church will not be accessible.
- The Winnebago County Health Department recommends “Eliminate communal gathering in advance of or following services (no coffee or doughnuts).”
In keeping with that recommendation, we will not be providing coffee and refreshments for awhile.
Also, in keeping with that recommendation, we will suspend our welcome time and handshaking that we
are accustomed to have at the beginning of our worship service.
We do encourage fellowship as you sit in your pew and as you congregate outside in the parking lot.
Please let us respect each other’s handling of this situation.
Let us put into practice 1 Corinthians 8:8-9 “But masks commendeth us not to God: for neither, if we wear a mask, are we the better; neither, if we don’t wear a mask, are we the worse. But take heed lest by any means this liberty of your’s become a stumblingblock...
Some will come right back to an "in-person" worship service, while some will delay their return and continue to worship with us on our website. Let us be patient with one another. Let us love one another.
“Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth.”
You will notice that we have been making some updates in our facilities.
We apologize for the minor incompleteness in the foyer.
We trust you will appreciate the changes we are making to welcome you back, and to minister to those who are yet unable to come back. I am looking forward to seeing you once again in person.
Pastor Bodwell
Church Library Now OpenOur Church Library is now open by appointment only.
Please call the office to make arrangements. We are not accepting any book donations at this time. |
To God be the Glory!Giving for the first quarter has been reported.
We finished the first quarter only $54 under budget. This despite the fact we were unable to physically meet during the final 2 weeks of March. Thank you for your faithfulness in giving. |