“Dearest Jesus, at your word we have come again to hear you; let our thoughts and hearts be stirred and in glowing faith be near you as the promises here given draw us wholly up to heaven.” Hymn 520 “Dearest Jesus, at Your Word”
After many months, Calvary is getting set to reopen for Sunday morning worship. Our church council has been working hard to create a plan to open slowly, safely, and well after seven months of on-line only services. The members of the executive team on this project have decided to follow the guidelines put out by Grand Forks Public Health. You can find links to this information on the Calvary website. Grand Forks County is currently at quite an elevated risk, but we’re hopeful that our wait won’t be much longer. Here’s our plan: Sunday, October 25, is Reformation Sunday. We will celebrate and praise God for the many young members formally affirming their baptismal promises. Worship services on this day will be limited only to the small number of guests each confirmand was permitted to invite to keep the ability to social distance.
On Sunday, November 1, if our county has a favorable trend line with regard to the COVID 19 disease, we will begin in-person worship. It will look different, but here is what you can expect. We will worship with 100 people in the Sanctuary at 9:00 a.m. for Traditional worship and have a livestream available of both 9:00 and 10:30 a.m. worship. On the following Sunday, November 8, in addition to on-line worship, we will have up to 150 people in the Fellowship Hall for Contemporary worship. Again, depending on how this pandemic progresses, this back and forth will continue until we think it’s safe enough to have in-person worship at both 9:00 a.m. Traditional and 10:30 a.m. Contemporary services. When the pandemic does indeed subside, a vaccine is widely received and everyone begins to move ahead, we will return to a more normal looking worship schedule. Of course we will practice all appropriate protocols with help from the ushers and the worship leaders at the beginning and end of each service. These protocols include wearing masks, staying at home if you’re feeling sick, sitting physically distanced from people not in your household, taking advantage of our hand sanitizer stations, having no fellowship time before or after the worship service and having no choir or congregational singing. There will be singers leading us from a distance in both worship spaces, and communion will be offered every Sunday as you exit the building. We realize that this decision will not impact a number of our members because of pre-existing conditions or just plain wariness surrounding this pandemic, so our on-line option will remain a constant not only during this pandemic but moving ahead for years to come. To the right is the link for Calvary's plan regarding worship, meetings and activities.
“As we gather at your table, as we listen to your word, help us know, O God, your presence; let our hearts and minds be stirred. Nourish us with sacred story till we claim it as our own; teach us through this holy banquet how to make Love’s victory known.” Hymn 522 “As We Gather at Your Table”Peace,Pastor Kirk
