Growing in Faith Since 1841
Our community loves its history, and we're proud to have been a part of that heritage since 1841 and earlier! In that time our church has witnessed many things, but the most significant witness is that the Lord has been with us through all the trying times in our lives. Join us as we worship the timeless Lord and rejoice in his love.
In-Person Worship - An Update (February 3, 2021)
We have been watching the Mercer County incidence rate, as I’m sure many of you have been doing. Several weeks back, that rate was 115+. Over the past two weeks, that rate has dropped to 35.2 as of yesterday. This number is the numbers of cases of COVID-19 per 100,000 persons. Now, our county doesn’t have 100,000 residents—but there’s a formula that allows this kind of computation, so that people can see how they stand in relation to others.
Our rate is lower than the state’s rate as a whole, which is good. The boundary between RED (which is what we are now) and ORANGE (which is where we are headed) is at 25 cases per 100,000. So, we are headed in the right direction, and are moving toward in-person worship.
Here's the plan. Sunday March 7, if the numbers keep moving in the right direction, will be our next in-person worship service. Since things are still a bit unclear, we will be planning them one at a time, with the intention of getting to an every-other week schedule. The service will be offered with the following constraints:
- Everyone needs to wear a mask.
- Seating will be marked for social distancing.
- The service will be limited to 45-40 minutes, to accommodate the discomfort of masking.
- There will be no choir, and no congregational singing.
- Entrances and exits will be marked to control traffic flow.
(These are the same constraints as the ones we were using last summer and fall when we were planning for in-person events.)
Here’s the concern we have. Super Bowl Sunday is one of the top three holidays where people in the US gather in groups and celebrate. The other two—Thanksgiving and Christmas/New Year’s eve—were followed by large spikes in cases and hospitalizations. IF THIS HAPPENS WITH THE SUPER BOWL WEEKEND, we will simply “drop back and punt”—we’ll postpone a week or two until the surge clears.
Another concern has to do with the rising prevalence of COVID-19 variants, or mutations. There have been several of these that have increased the virus’ ability to be infectious, and a couple of them have been found in Kentucky. If those variants spread and cause a new surge in cases and hospitalizations, we will also postpone.
Your Lead Team’s primary concern is the safety of our congregation and of our community. This is why we have set guidelines (such as no in person worship when the county is under a RED alert) and why we continue to meet nearly every week.
So, plan for March 7, at 11 AM—and let’s pray that the trends toward a safer environment continue.
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