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JUNE
F I R S T B A P T I S T C H U R C H //J E F F E R S O N C I T Y, M O
Beloved FBC family: Oh, how I miss seeing you! I’m beginning to identify with the Apostle Paul when he wrote those letters to churches and told them how much he ached to be with them physically (1 Thessalonians 2:17-20, for example). Though we all long to be together again, the facts tell us we must move slowly and continue to exercise caution. For all our wishing, COVID-19 is not going away quickly. At the heart of our FBC witness is the call to love our neighbors, doing all we can to protect one another from the virus. I imagine the primary question on your mind is this: when will we worship together in person? The answer is still: not yet. While these days involve difficult decisions, and we deeply miss gathering together, we are committed to planning for the long game, not for immediate gratification. We love you and want us all to be healthy in the next 12 to 24 months. After consulting with medical personnel and church leadership, we will implement a reopening phase in June, focused on the church office and small groups of
10 or fewer in adherence to local health recommendations of six-feet physical distancing and disinfecting protocols. You can read more about this phase on page 2 of the Beacon. This will give us time to see how things continue to progress in our community. While we have created some detailed plans to move us forward in the weeks and months ahead, remember all plans are fluid and subject to change if recommendations of local health officials tighten or loosen in response to COVID-19 cases in our area. This is a marathon, friends, but one we will walk and run together. We love you. We will continue to work hard to fulfill our vision to be Christ’s love and hope. I’m so very grateful for the tremendous work of our staff and volunteers during these days, and you can count on this continued faithful commitment throughout this season. God bless and care for you today and each day.
Grace,
Doyle
UPCOMING We have suspended ALL Sunday & Wednesday gatherings/activities in accordance with the CDC recommendation that public gatherings not exceed 10 people in order to slow the spread of COVID-19. Go to fbcjc.org/virus for complete info.