It’s
Tuesday, 7 July 2020 in Burns Flat, America and we have had a COVID-19 case
with an undetermined exposure to others in the community.
The town and whatever health agencies will do
their parts. I don’t know if that’s just
a single quarantine or if contact tracing will identify others who might be
infected. As I said, that’s in the hands
of our local officials and perhaps other agencies.
That said,
we have taken immediate action to prepare for the worst-case scenario while the
facts become known.
That’s an official-sounding statement right there. What
does it mean?
This is not
in chronological order, but VBS is cancelled.
It was scheduled too close to the recent COVID event to wait and see
what happened. There are a lot of
logistics in a VBS.
Next, we
will only have the 11 am worship service this Sunday. There will be no First Light, no Sunday school,
and no nursery at the 11 am service.
The doors
will be open, but caution is advised. If
you are sick or think you may have been exposed, this would be a fantastic
Sunday to participate in worship via Facebook Live.
If you are
in one or more of the vulnerable groups, Facebook Live may be the best option
for you, at least at this time.
We are not
in full retreat. We are not acting in
fear. We have taken immediate action and
will assess what develops. The session
meets Sunday evening and will plan a way forward. We could be back to encouraging all to come
the following Sunday or we may be on a more deliberate track as to opening.
Don’t panic
but be proactive in protecting yourself and your families.
The session
will base its decisions on the information available to us by this weekend. Using the sound mind that God gave us will surely
get us on the right track.
This is our
first contact with the contagion. Expect
your session to do some basic OODA loop procedures. Observation, Orientation, Decision, Action—Repeat.
We will do
our best to learn quickly what works and what doesn’t, and adjust accordingly.
To reiterate,
what we have done is essentially an immediate action drill.
We will have
only the 11 am service and no nursery.
If you are sick, stay home. If
you think you may have been in contact with someone that has the contagion, stay
home. If you are in a vulnerable group,
you might just want to stay home.
But if none
of those conditions apply, I’ll see you at the 11 am service.
For God did
not give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind.
We are still
in the sound mind business.
