Dear Friends,

I’ve drafted this letter many times in my head – and now, finally, I actually get to put the words on paper and send them to you… After 68 weeks (and 72 services!) of virtual worship, the staff and the church board invite you to return to the sanctuary, in person, for our first-ever hybrid service on Sunday, July 4. Woo-hoo! 

We’ve consulted with sound and camera experts. We’ve run rehearsals with volunteers. We’ve measured and counted off and taped. We’ve thought long and hard about the gifts of online worship – the comments! people ❤-ing our prayer requests! sharing the link with friends, inviting them to join as it’s happening! – and are considering how we can build on that kind of communal sharing in a hybrid setting. (Yes, we will continue to live-stream the service each week for those who choose to join in virtually.) We know we’ve still got a lot to learn, and are committed to continuing to adapt and change as we go… but we’re ready to open our doors again. 

The Worship & Community Engagement Committee, the staff, and the Church Board all spent a lot of time talking through how to honor our commitments both to an all-inclusive welcome and to the safety of each person in our congregation. Here’s where we landed: Everyone is welcome. Everyone is asked to wear a mask.

We know, just through conversation, that a large percentage of our congregation is vaccinated. We applaud this, and encourage those who aren’t yet to become so. But we won’t be asking to see vaccination cards, and we won’t be taking RSVPs, and we know that there are a number of reasons why people might not be/get vaccinated. Additionally, our youngest members haven’t yet had the opportunity to receive the vaccine. And all of these people – the oldest and the youngest, those who were first in line for the vaccine and those who haven’t gotten or can’t get it – all of these people are part of our community; when we regather, we want it to be as safe as possible for everyone.

We know that those who are vaccinated pose very little risk to others; we also know the risk is not zero. And it is a central commitment of our faith to care for the most vulnerable among us. So during this time of transition, if a small inconvenience like wearing a mask can help increase everyone’s level of physical safety and psychological comfort, that’s the side we’re going to err on. As age limits for vaccines continue to drop, we look forward to the time we can see each other’s full faces again. 🙂

Those with speaking or singing roles will not be masked during the service, but there will be a good amount of space between them as they lead and the rest of the congregation.

So, a few guidelines/instructions for those returning in person:

• Church will begin at 10am. (As always, we’ll have a prelude that begins a few minutes before the hour and ends a few minutes after.) Please arrive early enough to let an usher help you to a seat before that time. We’re asking everyone to enter through the Washington Street doors.
• Please wear a mask. If you’ve already thrown yours out in celebration, or if you just happen to forget on a particular morning, the ushers will have one for you. Please keep your mask on while in the building.
• We won’t yet be reintroducing a fellowship time before or after service indoors. Please head to the courtyard if you’d like to chat. Masks are not required in the courtyard/outdoors.
• At this time, Grace Space activity bags will be available for kids to take and use during worship, but the space itself will be closed. We’re asking families to sit together.
• Our greeting time, our receiving of the offering, and our celebration of communion will be a little different than usual. Thanks for your flexibility with elements like this that need to be tweaked for the time being.
• Sunday school classes are working on alternative/hybrid setups as well. Expect to hear more about that soon.

It’s been a long run, friends. We’ve missed hearing each other’s voices, seeing each other’s faces. And we’ve loved sharing in worship with you in new ways. We give thanks for this creative, compassionate, innovative, flexible community, for your willingness to learn and to wait and to keep forefront the good of the whole. Whether you choose to remain at home or to come to the sanctuary, we look forward to worshipping with you again soon, and we give thanks for the ways God’s Spirit continues to draw us together.

Yours,
the FBC Board & Staff
Dave Ferry, Dave Larmouth, Marilyn Crouser, Barbara Burr, Wayne Beckwith, Georgine Benner, Steve Howard, Myra Huff, Tai James, Janet Langenwalter, Barbara Nelson, JoAnnSims, Ron Richter, Donna Weed, Jesse Cromer, Sean P. Williams & Erika Marksbury