Hey, Inspire Framily!

Last spring, in the face of the Corona virus outbreak, your leadership team identified three key things that needed to happen as we operate the church in these uncertain times. Inspire Church desires to help people 1) connect with Jesus 2) in a safe environment that 3) feels like home. To that end, we have done our best in this year to offer multiple options for worship, people connection, personal growth and outreach to the Inspire framily and community at large.

Recently, after many months of few cases, the number of Corona cases spiked in our communities, leading us to temporarily suspend on-site corporate worship services. Now, after 3 weeks of shifting to on-line worship services only, the Inspire Church campus opens back up this Sunday, December 13th at 9 and 11:00 a.m. to provide an option for in-person corporate worship and kids ministry in addition to the on-line venue.

Though we have seen a slowing in the number of new Corona cases in this county in the past week, there remains a need for the church framily to be prudent in how we assemble together.

This past Tuesday your church board met to consider how Inspire Church worship should proceed and what safeguards should be put in place as we continue to respond to the uptick. To maintain safety in our time of public worship, your leadership team has given this direction:

· We will keep offering on-line services for those uncomfortable with or unavailable for in-person corporate worship services.

· Continue following the sanitizing and social distancing measures that were begun last summer when the church reopened for public worship.

· We are notifying the church framily and worship attendees:

· That face coverings are required to be worn by congregants in the 9 am worship and kid ministry services (for children 2 years and older).

· That face coverings are recommended for wear by congregants in the 11 am service and kid ministry unless a person is unable to do so.

**(For the purpose of this discussion, face coverings are defined as masks, bandanas, face shields or other devices designed to cover the nose and mouth.)

We recognize that no solution will fit every person, but, we believe this solution offers three solid options for worshiping in this interim surge. In early January the Board will review the current Corona virus situation to determine any adjustments necessary to these guidelines.

How then, should we respond? The Bible speaks to these kinds of dilemmas. The Apostle Paul, in writing to the church in Philippi, encouraged them, and us, to: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus…” (Philippians 2)

We encourage you, as we take these next steps, to join with us as we seek to live like Christ in a world full of chaos, bringing people to Him, making one another feel at home and doing so as safely as possible.

Thank you for your commitment to Christ and His Church,

The Inspire Leadership Team