Dear Wake Forest Baptist Family:
In these days where news of COVID-19 (coronavirus) is dominating our shared spaces for information, I wanted you to know the precautionary measures your church is taking so that our common gathering and worshiping life together can be both vibrant and vigilant in this unique season. These adaptations and shifts primarily affect worship and our building and emerge upon close monitoring of the websites for the Center for Disease Control (
CDC
) and the North Carolina Department of Heath & Human Services (
NCDHHS
).
We are people of faith, but we are also people of reasoned preparation. To that end, our staff has been evaluating, following CDC recommendations, and setting plans in place before we might need them. Our preparation has focused on two primary levels:
1) Congregational Health
We want to ensure the health of all who enter our building, following the recommendations of public health officials. Part of this is attention to cleanliness, even beyond our healthy norm, both in our congregational and WEE Preschool spaces. Railing, knobs and oft-used spaces are being given extra attention. Our maintenance crew is giving extra time to sanitize all areas following use. Hand sanitizers are being made available. We hope you can smell the cleaner when you enter the building!
Beyond actively encouraging cleanliness, we are also asking that we give one another graceful permission to greet with a smile, a hand placed over the heart, or the bump of an elbow throughout these especially health conscious days.
And above all, we hope those of you who are ill, or those who are in any way compromised in health, will stay at home. We’re also encouraging members who are feeling sick or compromised to watch services by visiting our YouTube channel (messages are typically uploaded no more than a day or two later).
Click here
to watch.
2) Creative Ministry
Finally, as health officials continue to use language of “social distancing” and “avoidance of congregational activities” as means for containment, we are proactively considering how ministry might adapt amidst the possibility of physical distance. Isolation and loneliness are also health risks – in fact, a 2016 study found isolation to be as bad for a person’s health as regular smoking. For this reason, we don’t want to prematurely distance ourselves from one another, so we are continuing all our weekly ministries and programs as normal, hoping that all who are able, and healthy will join us at the church building. However, in the event that any community spread becomes a concern and a period of distancing is advised, we will find ways of attending to our spiritual lives, our pastoral care for one another, and the many connections between us, even as we follow precautions for our physical health.
During our time of worship, we will not pass offering plates, but ushers will be at doors before and after worship to receive your offerings. Staying financially strong through this time is of utmost importance and is an act of faith on our part. For the large number of you who give your tithes and offering online via the website, billpay through your bank, or bank draft, thank you for continuing that practice! (If you would like to set up a recurring contribution or one time online, you may do so by
clicking here
.)
If you are sick or concerned about the risk of gathering, we encourage you to worship with Wake Forest Baptist Church via our YouTube channel.
Click here
to watch.
Our faith urges us not to fear. But it doesn’t teach us to avoid. Part of being non-anxious amidst heightened concern is also being prepared to attend to our responsibilities to our congregation, and especially those most vulnerable. We want to be a church that is prepared to do this in all times, including in this time of awareness. I hope to see you Sunday and at all times feel free to call on me with any pastoral needs. Our theme this year is “Love Does.” Never underestimate the love of the Father and the love of a church family to find strength and confidence for these days.
Brave Journey,
Bill
