December 10, 2021 Response to the Current Health Crisis
Dear Dayspringers,
In light of the recent uptick in positive Covid cases in our area, we wanted to take a moment to provide you with an update on Dayspring’s response. This is a difficult time to navigate, as we seek to strike the balance between protecting everyone’s physical health, while at the same time recognizing the need for fellowship and community, which are more important now than perhaps ever before.
As Pastors and Elders came together to discuss this issue, two key points emerged that we believe will help to address both needs:
First, we are asking that anyone who shows symptoms and/or tests positive for Covid-19 within 48 hours of attending a church function please take the initiative to alert those you were in close contact with. For these purposes, a contact means that you were within 6 feet of each other for 15 minutes or more. We will NOT be releasing the names of those who test positive, so it is imperative that if you do, you take on this responsibility to notify your contacts. We believe that this is just another facet of our Culture of Honor.
Second, we ask that anyone who tests positive within 48 hours of attending a church function please notify someone within church leadership. Again, this is not to shame or control, and names will not be released. This is simply so that leadership can make informed decisions about how to proceed with Sunday school, the service, and any other activities each week. Having an accurate picture of how Covid is affecting our congregation is the only way we can make wise decisions about how to move forward.
Paul reminds us in Galatians 4:1-3 “to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” Dayspring has always been a place where we bear with one another in love. Let us continue to remain eager to maintain our unity of the Spirit, through the bond of peace.
SUNDAY SCHOOL
Because of teacher shortages, it has been necessary the past two weeks to cancel Sunday school. We are now coming up on another Sunday where it looks as though we will be short on volunteers.
Rather than be scrambling at the last minute each week to see whether or not we will be able to offer Sunday school, we have made the difficult decision to suspend all Sunday school classes, starting this Sunday, December 12th through January 2nd. This is only for a season, and we anticipate that all classes will resume as normal on January 9th.
We recognize that Sunday school is a vital part of our church culture, and an important time of sharing and gathering. With that in mind, we would like to offer an invitation to gather these next few weeks before the service, beginning at 10:00 a.m. Anyone who wishes may join us upstairs in the sanctuary for coffee and fellowship at that time. Our worship services will continue as usual, with prelude music starting at 10:25. We also look forward to our Christmas Eve service on Friday, December 24th at 6:30 p.m.
Thank you for understanding. We hope to see you at 10:00 this week!
Pastors and Elders
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