As Summer turns to Fall, the question on many minds is “when will we worship indoors”? Bishop Skirving’s current pastoral directive calls for us to follow Governor Cooper’s Executive Order concerning mass gatherings. That current limit is 25. While faith-based gatherings are exempt from that standard, we are still asked and encouraged to abide by that number for the health and safety of the community. Our freedom in Christ doesn’t mean we run roughshod over rules and guidelines meant to care for our neighbors. The current E.O. by Gov. Cooper is set to expire on October 2. Bishop Skirving has indicated that he will provide further guidance at or before that time. We are making preliminary plans for worship in the Harrison Center, and possibly small groups in the Chapel. We will not be able to act on plans for the Harrison Center until the numbers for indoor gatherings is increased. Last Sunday we had over 150 people on the lawn between the three services. You can do the math on how many services we’d have to offer if the number remains at 25. We will announce plans for worship opportunities in the Chapel the first week of October.
We all long for a sense of normalcy, but we must also be cognizant of our call to care for the vulnerable in our midst. I look forward to announcing more plans soon.
In Christ,