As of Saturday, March 14th, this post is no longer our most recent Coronavirus communication. Click here to see our March 14th Virtual Service announcement.
Original March 13th Announcement…
Church family! Maybe you’ve been wondering, So what’s the plan? How are we at Cornerstone going to respond to Covid-19 (aka. Coronavirus)? After a flurry of emails and phone calls among myself and our Elders and Deacons our current plan (as of Friday, March 14th) is to still have worship this coming Sunday but to cancel our prayer time and Christian Education hour before the church service. We are also cancelling childcare during the service (nursery and preschool) to free up our volunteers to make the best decision they can for themselves. A few guidelines for our church service gathering:
- Please no handshaking (friendly waves welcome).
- We encourage “social distancing” as much as possible.
- Please try to leave some space between your family group and others when choosing seating in the sanctuary.
- Wash hands frequently (soap + 20 seconds under water).
- Bring your own hand sanitizer (we’ve ordered some but there’s a long wait).
- Greeters will open main doors to cut down on hands touching handles.
- We won’t be passing the offering bags during the service.
- We will have a wooden box in the back of the sanctuary for your donations.
- No bulletins; so check out our Website Calendar.
- For other recommendations read here.
We will have some sanitizing wipes out and ready to use. Please feel free to wipe down surfaces you’ve touched or you think need an extra pass. Also, if you are sick, are immune compromised, or have any other medical challenges that could make you more at risk, please stay home.
If you are just concerned, please feel free to stay home. We don’t want anyone to come to church out of guilt. Thankfully, the Lord has providentially gifted us with LiveStreaming to Facebook for the past several years, so we feel extra prepared to worship together from our homes if needed.
Most importantly, we want to respond wisely but without fear. We hope and pray our response shows both our faith in God’s sovereign care but also practical wisdom on how to gather safely. If you need some extra encouragement, remember:
- No one can snatch you out of our Heavenly Father’s hand. (John 10:28-29)
- You can cast all your anxiety on Jesus because he cares for you. (1 Peter 5:7)
- Be anxious for nothing (including Covid-19), pray, thank God for your blessings, and focus on good things. (Philippians 4:6-8)
Our ultimate hope is in Jesus Christ. No matter what happens we are secure in him and do not need to function out of fear. Instead, let’s function in faith and wisdom. Please know, our plans may change at any time, but currently we hope to worship together this coming Sunday at Cornerstone. See you there.
In Christ, Pastor Jonathan Romig