It has been 22 weekends now since we have had a “normal” church service inside our facility. Can you believe it? I would have never dreamed that we would be doing things this way. I realize there are many opinions and strong feelings about whether we gather or not, and how we should do this. Politics can easily get involved. Opinions fly in all directions. The madness of school closures is frustrating. These are confusing times, for sure.
We have, as church leadership, been pretty conservative and slow to come back together in this way. In the middle of the madness and confusing messages, I want us to take advantage of these unique times and learn about…
- The sovereignty of God. God is fully aware of our situation, is not surprised, and has something to teach us.
- Our calling, job and mission as a church in the midst of confusion.
That said, I want to invite us all to consider something a little different for the next three or four weekends. We are going to learn about the three front doors to LifeWay Church. We’ve always thought of church as having one front door. We are very familiar with this one front door. And it is frustrating that the one door has appeared to be closed and locked for the last 22 weeks. So we offer you three new front doors:
Door 1: Join a Small group
Join a small group you are comfortable with, and stream the Sunday service together with this group. There are some important study and reflection questions to follow-up with at the end of our teaching time. Some of us are already doing this. If you want to find out about hosting or joining a small group, please contact Alvin Lin.
Door 2: Join our outdoor gathering
Join our outdoor gathering as we stream the service live from LifeWay.
This coming Sunday, August 23, at 10 a.m., we invite those who are comfortable doing so to attend the outdoor worship service on our church property. (This is the same service that will be live streamed to anyone choosing Door 1 or Door 3.)
Protocol for Meeting at the Property
I know there are variety of opinions about the protocol of gatherings these days. No matter how you personally feel, please be cautious and respectful by following these guidelines.
- Registration is required! Please RSVP here BEFORE you arrive on Sunday.
- Wear facial masks while walking around and when singing (ages 5 and up).
- Please bring your own camp chairs (some plastic chairs will also be available) and sit with your family while maintaining social distancing from others.
- The church building will be closed and no childcare will be offered, so your children will need to remain with you.
- You will be able to access worship lyrics from your phone or device by scanning a QR code on display as you arrive on Sunday. Make sure to download a code reader app before Sunday morning!
- If you have a fever, cough, or other symptoms—or generally don’t feel well—please do not attend!
Door 3: Join In From Home
View the live streamed service from your home or any location. If you are not comfortable gathering in groups, that is 100% okay. The entire service will continue to be streamed online just like it has been.
No matter what, I will see you Sunday morning as you enter through one of the three front doors to the LifeWay Church gathering.
