6/4 - Weekly Update & Letter from the Elders
Follow-Up Letter from the Elders on Regathering
June 3, 2020
Subject: CTR Regathering Plan
Good morning (afternoon) church!
As you might imagine, things behind the scenes have been in turbo mode since the announcement of new guidance around church regathering. Our Regathering Strategy Team of Jae Choi, Andrew Marsteller, Robin Einerson, Andy Knaggs, David Havener, Kristen Caldwell, and Johnny Caldwell have been pouring through the litany of details necessary to create a plan for regathering. They have also been having conversations with many of you around your thoughts and concerns related to coming back together.
The team’s charge from the Elders was to develop a flexible plan that is focused on creating a safe environment for regathering as a body; fostering a climate of caring for one another; and, honoring God through our Christian witness to the greater Spokane community.
Along with confirming and coordinating staff and volunteers necessary to facilitate worship in a safe and organized way, significant work for live-streaming the worship service to multiple locations, including the comfort of your own homes, is underway. An online reservation system is another significant endeavor the team is working to finalize. These two pieces of the puzzle are necessary for regathering and we are very close to completion.
The initial step to regathering limits 50 worshipers inside a facility or 100 outside on church property. This is in addition to all staff and volunteers necessary to facilitate the service. When we regather, we will have 50 people in the sanctuary and 50 people in the Youth Building (warehouse). With staff and volunteers, we could see upwards of 100-130 back in fellowship and worship on any given Sunday. Praise God!
There will be more details communicated through Carey’s weekly update videos so be sure to tune into those messages. In the meantime, here is a thumbnail of important things for you to know:
There will be a reservation system on the church website that you will need to use to ensure you are accommodated and we can appropriately manage to the designed size of attendance.
We will be on our Summer schedule; therefore, worship will be at 9:30 with no Sunday School and no Children’s Church.
Initially, there will be no Nursery provided.
We will follow CDC health protocols which call for face coverings, at least initially, and physical distancing. We ask that you provide your own face covering of your choice.
Building access will be limited due to the challenge of sanitizing before and after services and there will be one entrance into the sanctuary (main door) and one entrance into the warehouse (east side entrance).
While there are many more details that will be shared in the near future, hopefully you get a sense that we are moving with purpose and intention toward regathering in a manner that positions us to fully engage as a body. If you have any questions or input, please contact any of the Elders.
These are challenging yet exciting times! It is our desire that we as a church move though this season, not allowing the divisions of the world to infect us, but as a unified, reconciling community, and as such, a witness to the world.
We look forward to being together again soon! Please be on the lookout for future updates. They may be coming to you in turbo mode!!
Yours in Christ,
The Elders of Christ the Redeemer