Centennial Family,
I wanted y'all to know about the Session's decision of July 5th for the reentry into physical gathering to worship at the 11am hour.
So y'all can be in the know on this process, the Session made the decision for two reasons:
First, because of our location and size, the Session felt it to be too early to safely gather in early June. As we considered dates later on, it seemed prudent to move into July.
Second, and more importantly, the Session is walking the line in seeking to care for all the flock. This should be unsurprising to hear, but there is a group ready and waiting to get back into physically gathering. At the same time, there is also a group unwilling and not ready to do so. The Session was unwilling to create a divide in the congregation by meeting too early or too late; therefore, they voted on the July date. This allows for the technical hardware to be installed for us to live stream the 11am worship service, but it also allows those "ready to go" to have a relatively soon "go date." In the whole process, the thought was "no sheep left behind." Whether you need to stay home or need to gather, the Session is seeking to facilitate care and opportunity for you.
Here are two things for y'all to remember in the coming weeks:
Flexibility. The July 5th "go date" is the strong desire of the Session, but it doesn't mean we'll meet it. Health information, technical difficulties, and a myriad amount of other things could arise that hinders this date. Will you commit to be flexible, that we might have the best reentry possible when the time comes?
Humility. We must all remind ourselves of the humility befitting a follower of Jesus Christ. Even if we don't agree, in humility we can buy in to the Session's decision, support the decision, and seek to help in any way we can. I don't think y'all are going to exhibit a lack of humility, but it can be easy to forget about the vast complexities of this decision (on the spiritual side!). Dear Christian, remind yourself of the humility we've been given, and may we seek God's glory at Centennial!
Lastly, keep praying! This is big stuff for our congregation! God is moving in our midst (I am seeing it), so keep on this path of spiritual growth and praise to God that we are on. There will be much more detailed information on this in the coming weeks (instructions, procedure, children, safety, etc.). We will be attempting to get this information out through all possible venues (email, facebook group, website, and Postscripts). Of course, if you have questions now, feel free to call, text, or email me. Likewise, reach out to your elders. I know they would love to talk to you about how we came to this decision. Blessings today, and pray, pray, pray,
Jeremiah