Coronavirus Response
March 13, 2020
Dear Trinity Church Family,
We’ve been closely tracking the news and updates regarding the coronavirus (COVID-19), both locally and globally. We know this virus is primarily spread through close contact, so we want to assure you that we are continuing to take appropriate precautionary measures to create a safe and healthy environment for those times when we are together on campus for worship and other ministries.
Before we get into the details of our planned response measures, we want to say that we recognize that for many the spread of this virus has caused anxiety and fear. As followers of Christ, we know from God’s Word that He has not given us a spirit of fear (2 Timothy 1:7), and that He can be fully trusted to watch over and care for His Church. We worship the sovereign God of the universe, and know that His perfect love drives out fear (1 John 4:18). Our best response is always to pursue His glory, moving forward in faith, wisdom, and love. We want to love our neighbors well and be wise in living out our mission to glorify God by exalting the Savior, equipping the saints, and extending the kingdom. Our prayer is that all of us will know God’s peace in the midst of these circumstances.
We are continuing to monitor updates and recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as well as from the California Department of Public Health (CDPH). Our response will adjust based on the updates we receive.
As of today (i.e. until we receive information that leads us to decide otherwise), our intention is to continue our normal worship celebrations on Sundays, ensuring (per recent guidelines from our state leadership) that no more than 250 people are gathered in any one room or space. We’ll do this by utilizing adequate meeting spaces we have available in both our Worship and Discipleship Centers.
If you are at all uncomfortable attending worship during this time of concern, or if you are an at-risk person (over 60 years of age, or an individual who has serious chronic medical conditions like heart disease, diabetes, and lung disease), please stay home and worship with us via our Livestream at
https://trinitycc.com-/live-broadcast/
.
For now, in an effort to love one another and our neighbors well, and also to protect those in our church family who may be more susceptible to illness, we plan to take some extra precautions to ensure everyone’s safety, and we ask you to do the same. Here are some of the steps we are planning to take:
GREETING:
When we are together for worship, we recommend you greet each other with smiles and waves instead of handshakes and hugs. We also encourage you to keep in mind what has come to be known as “social distancing.” As mentioned above, our meeting areas will have significantly fewer chairs than normal and will allow us to have more space than usual between worshippers.
OFFERING PLATES:
In lieu of passing our offering plates, we will have our ushers and offering baskets located at the rear of the Worship Center and by the doors.
HOSPITALITY:
You may have noticed that between services for the past several Sundays, in order to protect against the spreading of germs, we are only offering individually wrapped snacks at our hospitality tables. We also want to encourage you to use the hand sanitizer stations (located at the coffee tables) prior to and after you prepare your cup of coffee. You may also want to wash your hands upon arrival and upon returning home.
DOORS:
To minimize the need to touch door handles as you enter our buildings, exterior doors will remain open.
CLEANING:
Our Facilities Team is continuing their daily schedule of deep cleaning high-traffic areas and surfaces, and will be increasing cleaning frequencies of restrooms, classrooms, and surfaces around the TCC facilities.
CHILDREN’S CLASSROOMS:
We will continue to maintain the cleanest possible environments for our children. Our Children’s Ministry Staff and volunteers are committed to wiping down surfaces with sanitizer between services, and are ensuring our children are washing and/or sanitizing their hands prior to snack-time and after visiting the restroom.
ILLNESS:
If you or a member of your family is feeling under the weather or exhibiting any of the known COVID-19 symptoms (cough, fever, shortness of breath), we are asking you to stay home and instead join us digitally for worship via our TrinityCC App or on our website at
https://trinitycc.com/live-broadcast/
. We also encourage you to read through the
CDC RECOMMENDATIONS
to better understand proper prevention measures designed to help avoid and protect against spreading the virus.
If it is determined that we need to cancel or postpone events or gatherings in the future because of the spread of illness in our area, we are prepared to do so. If we find it prudent to take those steps, we will make the necessary accommodations to stay connected with you remotely. In the meantime, we will continue to provide you with necessary updates via email, and we ask that you join us in remaining prayerful for our community and world, specifically for those who are being directly impacted by this virus. Pray for...
• healing for those affected
• protection and peace for those living in anxiety
• wisdom for governmental authorities and agencies
• energy and protection for health care workers
• believers and missionaries in nations where pandemic conditions are already in full force.
These troubling times also represent a real opportunity to share with those around us the hope we have in Christ. Remember that that hope is only in the "Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God" (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).
For now, we look forward to worshipping with you on Sunday!
Trusting our gracious and faithful Lord,
The Elders, Deacons, and Staff
Trinity Community Church
P.S. Our Trinity elders will be meeting again tomorrow morning to pray and discuss plans for corporate worship and other ministries in the weeks to come. Please remember them in prayer.
