We're Back!
It brings us great joy to share that, at a recently called special meeting of the session, the elders of Mount Pleasant Presbyterian Church approved the reopening of our Sanctuary and Fellowship Hall for worship. Because the coronavirus continues to be a very real threat in our community, the session also approved a new Sunday morning schedule that will offer worship opportunities to all of our members, no matter what your risk tolerance may be.

On Sunday, November 29, 2020, we will begin a brand-new liturgical year with the beginning of Advent. On that day, we will also begin the following new schedule for worship:
9 a.m. Live Stream Service
The live-streamed service that we have been celebrating at 10 a.m. will move one hour earlier. This service will continue to include the creative elements that many of you have loved, including beautifully recorded anthems, light-hearted children’s sermons, and the incorporation of photographs and videos from our congregational life. For safety reasons, we expect many of you will continue to worship with us in this manner, and we are grateful to share this sacred time with you and others in our community.
10:30 a.m. In-Person Sanctuary Service
After considerable study of best practices, and with special thanks to the COVID Task Force for their faithful and wise counsel throughout the pandemic, we are thrilled to be able to welcome a congregation back into our worship spaces again. This service, which will also be live-streamed, will be celebrated with the following protocols:
  • The congregation shall be limited to 120 persons (60 in the Sanctuary and 60 in the Fellowship Hall overflow space), and advance reservations shall be required for all in-person congregants through our website; 
  • Masks shall be worn at all times by all congregants age 3 or over; and
  • Ushers shall provide additional, on-site guidance with respect to entrances, exits, restrooms, seating, and other protocols so that proper physical distancing can be maintained. 
While certain elements will need to be adjusted, the pattern of the service will follow the traditional liturgy of our sanctuary worship services. Special instrumental pieces and anthems will bring live music back into our worship experience.
11:30 a.m. Outdoor Porch Service
Many of our families have already been attending our outdoor porch worship services at 8:15 a.m. These services, which are being moved later in the morning to avoid cold and darkness, will continue to offer a safer, outdoor experience for those who still long to see their fellow members face to face. 
This year has been a challenge to say the least, but we are so grateful for the creative connections that have still been made in the body of Christ over the past 8 months. With joy in our hearts, we look forward to a very special Advent homecoming, as the doors of the church are flung wide once again. While we hope that all of you will continue to be safe and cautious in all of your activities, we look forward to seeing you face-to-face very soon.

In Advent hope and light,
Rev. Dr. Peter Bynum
Pastor and Head of Staff
843-884-4612 | Office
843-901-9977 | Pastor on Call