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Dear South Church,
On Thursday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued new recommendations for people at "higher risk for more serious COVID-19 illness." We believe it both wise and pastoral to make sure that you not only know them, but also know your options in light of them as it relates to worship.
According to the CDC, "older adults and people who have severe chronic medical conditions like heart, lung or kidney disease seem to be at higher risk for more serious COVID-19 illness."
Among the five recommendations for higher risk populations, three of them seem pertinent to our community life:
- Stay at home as much as possible.
- When you go out in public, keep away from others who are sick, limit close contact and wash your hands often.
- Avoid crowds.
If you decide to stay home from worship for any reason, we want to remind you that we have a live-stream of worship each and every Sunday. You can access it by visiting: southchurch.com/live. If you have trouble accessing the live-stream, please send a note to Pastor Alex; he'll be happy to help.
And most importantly, we strongly encourage you: If you feel at all sick, stay home. God is with you right where you are. If you let us know, we'll check in on you, too. But coming to church, even if you're signed up to lead in some way, is less important than tending to yourself and not risking getting others sick, too, whether it's the coronavirus, the flu, or just a cold.
While we do not want to fill your inbox with emails or add to any fear you might have, we do want to be good caregivers for one another. For that reason, we anticipate there will be further emails in the coming weeks. We pray that these emails will help you feel better prepared and subsequently less fearful. After all, the most common heavenly reminder in scripture is "do not afraid."
Grace & peace,
Pastors Dana & Alex
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