God be with you, dear friends and family of Hope,
We pray this finds you well and weathering these trying days with the grace and power of our real and present God. A team consisting of Council members Dave Mason, Judy Muniz, Dave and Julie Osen, and Rick Haegele,
Parish Nurses Leighann Heling and Bryan Carlson, Church and Angels of Hope cleaners Michelle Burhite and Heather Vang, and Hope staff members Gail Thiel, Kim Thompson, Kim Ronsman, Hannah Zahrte, and Pastor
Baye was commissioned by Council to plan for the reopening of our Church building for in-person worship and ministry. We have been seeking the input of members through conversations and a survey. We have been
seeking insight into reopening from the churches around us. And we’ve been paying attention to the statistics regarding the current state of the pandemic in our area. We pray for God’s grace and blessing as we put forth
the following plan for moving back into the sanctuary.
Dates for returning to the Sanctuary: June 17-21.
This week was chosen for a few reasons…
- It allows us time to plan, communicate to the congregation, and recruit and train the volunteers (ushers, elders, greeters, altar guild, cleaners between services, etc.) necessary to conduct worship in a way
that glorifies God and promotes the safety of those gathered. - It allows us time to create a means by which people can register for services and prepare to worship in a way that may be different for a time but which will still allow us to receive and rejoice in God’s gifts.
- In addition to the above reasons, which nearly all churches in our area are navigating, the team also chose these dates because they fall after the due date of Baby Baye #5. We thought it wise to seek to eliminate the confusion of choosing an opening date for which Pastor Baye might be absent due to the birth of their son (guest pastors, generally in the more “vulnerable” age group, are difficult to schedule presently).
In the days to come, we will communicate further about what you can expect and how you might be able to help us reopen. We thank you for your patience. We know that these days have been hard. Many of you have been eagerly waiting to return to the sanctuary – others of you may feel that the return is too soon. We pray that God will grant us grace to bear with one another in love.
In the meanwhile, we want to let you know of an additional opportunity to gather for worship. Beginning this Sunday, May 31, we invite you to join your Hope family in the parking lot at 8:00 or 10:27am for Drive-In Worship. This opportunity is offered in addition to the online version of worship, which will continue. We are grateful to now have the equipment needed to gather in this way, and we pray it will be a blessing for your families as we count down the days to being in the sanctuary. In the event that the Bayes go into labor on one of these weekends, we will seek to communicate any changes to this schedule as quickly as possible.
Thank you again for your ongoing prayers for our work together and your love for one another. Though we haven’t been “in church,” by God’s grace we remain the Church, Christ’s body. We look forward to being together in the building soon!
Christ’s peace and joy,
Hope’s Reopening Task Force