Dear Central Family,

This may all sound familiar. It should! It was previously sent out by Pastor Joanna. We want to make sure we are clearly and thoroughly communicating what will be happening in regards to future livestreaming and in-person worship services. There is a lot of information here. Even if you feel like you have seen it before, please read carefully to make sure you have not missed any important details.

Much of the information in this email (minus names of those invited to attend) can be found on our website at
www.centralfreemethodist.org/opening-up
We have also created an easily shareable 1 page summary to help us easily remember what in-person service will look like for July. You can find that below.

We will continue to livestream our service every Sunday morning at 11:00 a.m. and the content will stay online after that time. No one should feel any pressure to attend in-person gatherings until you are ready. Please take your time and know that you are a loved and valued member of our family whether you are with us online or in person. Livestreams can be found on our YouTube channel here: Central YouTube. Subscribe to be notified when we post a video or go live.

Also, if you are not feeling well for any reason, please stay home and join us online.

You're invited to in-person service!

Every person (who wants to) is invited to attend a service once in July. Below is a list of dates and those invited each Sunday.

If you have been sheltering with someone and would like to sit with them, please enter the sanctuary together to be seated together. 

If you'd like to be moved to a different day, you can request a day and we will let you know if that will work. We cannot promise you anything but your assigned day. 

If we have missed a name, please let us know so that we can invite them as well. 

If you'd like to come additional Sundays, sign up to volunteer! We need ushers, greeters, and sanitizers. 

Did you RSVP?

If you have not yet done so, please RSVP by replying to this special invitation with
{your name} and
{yes + number of people} OR {no}.

Please find your name below and let us know if you are coming and who will be coming with you. If you are not listed, please reply and let us know that we missed you -- we want to invite you!

What to Expect
Expect Different

It is important for you to understand that as we begin service in-person, it will be different than it has been before. Our goal is to reduce the number of places or things that multiple people might touch and create space so that germs cannot spread.

• We will wear masks. Please bring your own if you have one. We will also have some available at the door. 
• We will all enter through the accessible South entrance.
• We will wait in line to be ushered in one family group at a time. 
• Please follow physical distancing guidelines and stay 6 feet apart.
• Stay together if you came together. Please do not leave your seat if possible.
• We request that you use the bathroom before you come and after you get home to limit use in the building. If you must use a restroom, please use the North platform doors to ender the lobby and then re-enter through the South entrance.
• Follow the signs. Please do not wander in the church. Follow ushers' instructions.
• We will be ushered out after the service through the South and West doors much like at a wedding. Please be patient and wait until an usher releases you.
• A box for offerings is just inside the sanctuary. No offering plates will be passed. Feel free to continue giving online or by mail.
• We are not opening any in-person Sunday School classes at this time.
• We will not have a separate KidCentral space. Nursing mothers' room and family room will also not be open. Children of all ages will be in service with us. (Some of us are just older kids at heart anyway!) We will have an activity pack (Service SWAG!) each week for children to use during service and take home with them.
• Greet others with a "hello" not a hug or handshake. Maintain 6 feet of distance.
• Food and drinks will not be available. (Remember also that we have new flooring!)
• The church will be cleaned and sanitized after service.
• No bulletins will be handed out. We will continue email communication. 
• We will wait to participate in Communion until at least September.

Expect God

One of the greatest blessings of my life has been learning that God meets me in a variety of different ways. God first spoke to me in the quiet of my bedroom as I read a scripture. I have felt the presence of the Holy Spirit pour over my body while in my Dining Room holding a screaming baby. I have experience a deep peace entering as a stranger into a liturgical Presbyterian church as they carried a large candle and Bible down the center aisle. I have been overwhelmed by the greatness of God while reading a book simply describing the character of God. I have danced with the Spirit's joy in a Pentecostal church as the only white person in the room. God has met me at a homeless shelter where I had to yell to be heard because there was no microphone. God has met me as I stood alone in our sanctuary crying out to God in grief.

I fully believe that God can meet us wearing masks. I fully believe that God can meet us while we sit quietly and listen to someone else sing. I fully believe that God can meet us in the eyes of a child who turns around to look at the stranger behind her. I invite you to be praying that God would meet you in a new way in the coming weeks. Expect different. Expect God.

God goes before us.

​Pastor Joanna DeWolf

For Quick Reference:

Still have questions?
Reply to this email or find us on Facebook and send us a message. We want to help everyone understand.