January 8th, 2021
Generations Family,
The elders met last night (Jan. 7th) to pray and discuss the best way to serve our church in these challenging times. As you are probably aware, we are experiencing record high Coronavirus numbers in Southern CA. Last Sunday we had our lowest outdoor attendance yet due to concerns over the Coronavirus. Many of you remain home for the sake of your health, or for the health of others, and we thank you for your loving sacrifice for one another.
We decided to proactively discontinue our outdoor worship for the next couple weeks. We will then re-evaluate the situation and make a decision as to whether or not to resume gathering. Two key factors motivated the decision: the health care system in our counties are being overrun with Coronavirus, and churches are experiencing outbreaks at their in-person gatherings. We also want to care for the health-workers who are working tirelessly right now, and are far from the finish line.
Our commitment to you:
- We are going to diligently watch the virus condition locally, with a specific emphasis on the trends in outbreaks and healthcare capacity.
- We will bring back Generations in-person gatherings (worship, Community Groups, youth groups, etc.) as quickly as is safely possible. We don’t want to remain limited to online or at distance any longer than necessary.
- We deeply desire to do the right thing for everyone, even when uncomfortable or unpopular. Please know we love you and want what is best for us all.
We have first hand accounts of local churches with outdoor services like ours experiencing outbreaks at their church. Last night elders at a church we partner with met to close their in-person gatherings due to an outbreak in their church (everyone on their staff tested positive last week except one person!). We want to prevent Generations from being the next church to experience that. We would regret not acting.
In December the Supreme Court decided that states or counties cannot prohibit gathering for worship gatherings, leaving our church leadership the responsibility of discerning when and how we limit ourselves. With prayer we ask that you join us in being overly cautious for the good of our community and beyond. If you have any questions please ask.
Humbly,
Generations Family Church Elders
