Dear Grace Valley Family
The council met this morning to discuss our response as a church to the Coronavirus pandemic. We want to be practical, and wise. We want to respond out of love, out of a desire to worship God as a church, but also be diligent in protecting those who are most vulnerable to this disease.
In an effort to try and balance all of these concerns here is the plan for tomorrow at Grace Valley. We will still have our regular 10:00 worship service as well as our 9:00 Sunday School, however, the Sunday School hour will take place in the sanctuary. We feel it is better to not do more mixing of people in small confined spaces with many surfaces. Our desire in the Sunday School hour will be to take some time to process all of this together, to share our concerns and to hear yours, and most of all to pray. In times like this, the most powerful thing we can do is pray!
With all of that said, here are some additional precautions that we are taking.
Our greeters will not be shaking hands as you enter the church• We will not have coffee service
We will have doors propped open as much as possible.
• We will continue to sanitize the toys in the children’s areas
• We strongly recommend that everyone limit physical contact (handshakes, hugs, etc.)
• We will not be passing the offering plates during the services. Instead – the deacons will be holding the collection plates at the exits at the end of the services. If you wish to avoid the offering plates altogether, we do have direct debit options available to you. Please contact a deacon if you need help with this.
We had previously planned a celebration in response to the capital campaign, and cake was already here, so we will still have that, but precautions are being made so that there need not be any cross contamination.
We do ask the following of You:
please stay home if you are sick, feel unsafe going out in public, or are older and want to err on the side of caution. The CDC is recommending people older than 60 stay home for a few weeks.
• If you are sick or do not feel comfortable attending the Sunday services– we should have a livestream happening on facebook. You can find this at https://www.facebook.com/GraceValleyCRC
Obviously, things have been rapidly changing this week, and things could continue to change. The council is committed to serving our church and the kingdom through this. We will continue to evaluate things as often as need be, and do our best to lead well through very uncertain times. We are exploring alternative ways to worship together with technology in homes and small groups. We will also be exploring ways that we can be the body of Christ to our members and the greater community. Please let us know if you or someone you know has a need that we may be able to help with.
Please also feel free to reach out to Pastor Eric or the council if you have questions or concerns. We are available, and we are happy to talk to you.
Lastly, Paul’s words to the Philippians-
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
In Him
The Grace Valley Council