HOLY COMMUNION AND WORSHIP DURING COVID LOCKDOWN
MOVING FORWARD AS COVID RESTRICTIONS EASE:
A group from your Ministry Team met with me this week to plan for our approach forward as restrictions are scheduled to ease. I believe we have successfully found a good balance between ongoing functionality as local faith communities of Jesus’ disciples, taking our duty of care to each other during this pandemic and beyond with all due diligence, and meeting the requirements of the federal and territory governments. Not an easy task, but one which The Lord has blessed us with in attaining a workable outcome.
Worship will continue online on Zoom throughout October | Sundays 9:30am
We have decided to continue our 9:30am Zoom worship gatherings on Sundays for now. This is in keeping with the approach that many other churches are taking for the time being.
We are introducing short Holy Communion gatherings at the Worship Centre | Sundays 11:30am
While the worship service itself will be on Zoom, we are introducing a short, in-person Holy Communion gathering as a brief extension of the online worship service. We expect to offer this starting Sunday 17 October if the current projections for eased restrictions eventuate unaltered.
How Holy Communion gatherings will work
Holy Communion gatherings will be at 11:30am on Sundays and numbers will be capped according to applicable restrictions. Initially, this is projected to be capped at 25 people, allowing for 22 attendees, plus Door Steward, plus Communion Assistant, plus Pastor. You will be able to opt-in through a simple online registration like the one we used in last year’s lockdown. Those unable to register in this way can phone Jacqui who will be managing registrations, or myself.
Home Holy Communion visits
We encourage you to attend a Holy Communion gathering at the Worship Centre if possible. However, the current availability of a Holy Communion visit in your home still stands, and will continue to apply where those among our community are unable to attend in person at the Worship Centre.
And remember, we confidently declare that “Nothing in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:39).
From Pastor Paul
For the Return-to-Worship Planning Group
