Village Gathering Update | May 2020 & Beyond
Hi church!
This past week, you probably heard the news that Ohio schools will be closed for the remainder of the academic year. This is a big deal in its own right, but it has particular significance for us!
From the beginning of all this, we committed to taking our cues on in-person gatherings from local school districts. Yes, we have and will continue to heed the mandates, guidelines, and best practices passed down by a variety of federal, state, and local leaders and public health officials. But as a matter of practical application for our own weekly gatherings inside The 210, we’ve been looking to what’s deemed safe and wise when it comes to the daily gatherings of adults and kids inside our local schools as a helpful litmus test.
The last day of classes in the Hamilton City School District was scheduled for Wednesday, May 20. In light of the extended school closures, we can expect to continue foregoing Sunday gatherings at The 210 through at least mid-May.
Looking to the Summer
What happens after that? Well, we don’t know! Schools wouldn’t be meeting anyway during the summer, so they wouldn’t be a helpful guide for us then, anyways. And schools don’t yet have a plan for what the fall will look like when classes would regularly be scheduled to resume.
However, here are some things you can expect:
We’ll take it day-by-day, week-by-week, month-by-month. Don’t expect us to make any bold declarations about when things will “go back to normal” too long before they actually do! Some things have changed quickly, other shifts have been gradual, and while this isn’t the church’s first pandemic over the last 2,000 years, the history of how this one plays out is still being written. We’re staying informed and regularly communicating with other pastors and churches, both locally and throughout Acts 29.
The Village probably won’t be the first church to “come back,” and we probably won’t be the last. Fear hasn’t played a role in our decision-making thus far, and it won’t moving forward, either. The future of the church isn’t in the hands of a virus, so there’s no need to rush back. And no matter when we choose to resume gatherings, it’s likely going to entail some sort of risk. We get to be wise, consult others, minimize and mitigate potential hazards, and rest easy that the future of the church is (thankfully!) in Jesus’ hands!
Smaller group gatherings will likely resume before larger ones. Just as the statewide restrictions on gatherings moved from 100 all the way down to a shelter-in-place order, they will likely be released bit-by-bit, as well. We can probably expect to gather in-person with our community groups before we all pile into The 210. This may also mean we’ll do some genuine live-streaming on Sundays as a stepping stone between the pre-recorded videos we’re doing now and a return to our regular ol’ weekly gatherings.
God will continue to work, and the church (you!) will continue to make disciples. Jesus said we would no longer have to worship on a particular mountain or in a certain city, but that we would get to worship wherever we were in spirit and truth (John 4). Although he was on house arrest in Rome, Paul wrote history-altering letters to fellow friends and area churches. Despite the danger that the early church faced, they knew that neither sickness nor the sword could separate them from the love of God (Romans 8). And while we’re stuck inside sheltering, the Spirit blows wherever it wishes, making men and women born again as new creations in Christ even under a quarantine (John 3).
Stay the Course
While devoting ourselves to the apostles’ teaching, the fellowship, and the breaking of bread and prayers (Acts 2) looks a little different now, we still get to stay the same course. Devote yourself to the Scriptures and teaching one another to observe what Jesus commanded. Devote yourself to communing with other Christians, even if that’s virtually. Devote yourself to regular worship in your homes and in a distant - but very real - harmony with your church on Sunday mornings.
That said, I miss you all! Let us know if you have any questions.