We are not yet ready to reopen for "regular" in-person church services
That is the short, matter-of-fact message.
Although I acknowledge our Governor's excitement about businesses reopening, we are simply not ready at Sunrise Chapel, in my opinion.
Here's the longer version - the way I see it right now:
1. Most of our members and friends are in the at-risk health group of people over age 65, some with underlying health challenges. If you are in this group, I strongly encourage you to continue participating through our livestream and Zoom options. (And see my note below about this week's improvements with the sound system.)
2. We are not yet ready and equipped with a system of specialized cleaning, especially while people are in the buildings (most notably the bathrooms).
3. Personally, I am not ready to transition from providing services primarily via livestreaming to focusing primarily on an in-person congregation. I would rather do at least one more livestream-only service and take next week to evaluate what to do for the Memorial Day Sunday.
4. It has been suggested that we have an outdoor in-person church service early in the morning, perhaps under temporary shade structures. While that is a very nice idea, it's already getting pretty hot even by 8 am. AND I would still want to offer the regular livestream service so as not to exclude a significant number of people who can't or won't attend an outdoor service. With all the
extra attention to detail that is required of the livestream service, I'm simply not ready to offer two services on a Sunday.
Please, please do let me know whatever you think. It's hard to run a church under these weird circumstances, especially when it's hard to mobilize volunteers. I'm doing the best I can, and I don't want to put any volunteers or visitors in any unsafe, uncomfortable positions. I appreciate your help and patience!
