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We Are Open for Worship and Small Groups

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]The church is now open for all church activities including Sunday Morning worship (8:30 AM and 11:00 AM), small groups, and other activities, as long as they follow the guidelines below.

Due to an executive order by Governor Kemp, we are having to limit the number of people in any part of the facility at one time to just 50 people.  For worship on Sunday mornings we also have an overflow room in the gym.  Thanks to new equipment that has been purchased and installed, we now have the capability of broadcasting what is happening in the sanctuary into the gym in real time as well as online.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]

Parking on the Grounds and Entering the Church (Sunday mornings only)

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• As usual, you may enter the church campus by either of the two entrances: Highway 2 or Country Way Road.
• We are asking members who are comfortable traversing stairs, to park in the west and south parking lots (see graphic 1).
• Those who are not comfortable negotiating stairs, please park in the east and north parking lot (see graphic 1).
• We are asking everyone to enter the church building through the lobby, which means you will enter the church building through one of the two side lobby doors (see red arrows in Graphic 1). These will be the only doors that will be unlocked on Sunday morning.
• The doors to the church will be opened 30 minutes before each service starts. No one will be allowed into the building before that time except the staff and those who are helping with the worship services or cleaning.
• Once in the building you will see the new Welcome Desk in the Lobby where you may pick up a mask if you need one. There are also hand sanitizer stations you may use as you come in either door.
• Once you are in your seat feel free to talk with those around you, but we are asking that you please do not leave the area of the seats you occupy.
• If the sanctuary becomes filled, we will begin seating people in the overflow room (gym).
• People will be grouped by families in the sanctuary and overflow room.

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Graphic 1

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Departing the Church (Sunday mornings only)

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• After the 8:30 AM service, we are asking people to exit the sanctuary and overflow room as quickly as possible so we can prepare them for the next service.

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Preparations We are Doing

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• Each week the church facility we will occupy will be professionally cleaned and disinfected.
• Between each service, we will disinfect the seats in the sanctuary and overflow room.
• We have installed hand sanitizer stations in the lobby for your use as you enter the building.
• We are asking that the church’s bathrooms be used for emergencies only.
• All materials such as hymnals and Bibles have been removed from the seats in the sanctuary and overflow room.
• We will not be handing out any materials, including bulletins at this time. On Friday, we will e-mail out a digital version of the bulletin and Vault to those on our e-mail list. You can print it out and bring if you desire, but please remember to take it with you when you leave.
• We will not be providing a nursery at this time. We ask that all children and youth stay with their families.
• We will no longer have a pass-the-plate offering during the service. Instead we will have boxes at the entrances and exits for people to put their offering in as they enter or depart the sanctuary or overflow room. You can still also give by the following the methods listed on our Giving page.
• For those who will feel uncomfortable attending in person, we have installed new equipment in the sanctuary which will allow us to stream the 11:00 AM worship service on Varnell UMC’s YouTube channel and Facebook group going forward.  Click on one of the following links to access those sites:

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What We are Asking of Those Who Attend

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• We are asking you to practice social distancing while you are on the church’s campus: remain at least 6 feet apart between families. This means no physical contact with people other than family members while you are in the facility (hugging, shaking hands, etc.).
• We are asking those who are most vulnerable to stay home and worship with us online.
• If you are sick, feel sick in any way, or been exposed to someone with COVID-19, we ask that you stay home and worship with us online.
• Since singing is the most dangerous activity we could do in church (aerosols created by singing are not stopped by a mask or face shields and project up to 16 ft away), we will not be having congregational singing during our worship times. We will have a soloist or small group sing the songs for us and the words will be displayed on the screens, but we ask the congregation refrain from singing and even humming.
• Because it has been strongly urged by both medical persons and conference leaders (including our North Georgia Conference Bishop Sue Haupert-Johnson), we are asking that everyone who attend our services wear masks while they are in the building. We are asking the congregants to bring their own masks to wear, but will have some available at the Welcome Desk for those who forget. This is not a requirement for people to attend worship, but we strongly encourage you to do this.

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A Word from the Pastor

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Just as this last year has been, I know this time going forward will still be a little difficult for everyone involved. This has been a big change from what we are used to doing (over previous years). It is not how we have had to act when we came to church in the past and having to social distance ourselves from others while we are in God’s house is going to seem foreign and will be difficult.

Maybe you are still of the belief it is ridiculous to even think about what we are asking attendees to do like wearing a mask, not singing, not touching people, and staying six feet away from everyone at all times. Maybe, you believe these precautions are just a needless overreaction. But here is the thing: even if it turns out you are right, can you not sacrifice your ideal for a short season, out of love for others who feel that the precautions are needed? Even if you personally think it is crazy, or it is showing a lack of trust in God for someone to stay home even after the church is open again on Sunday morning, can you not heed Paul’s wisdom in Romans 14:13, which says, “Let us therefore no longer pass judgment on one another, but resolve instead never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of another”? Or maybe we can hear Paul’s words to the church in Corinth: “But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak” (8:9).

The struggle is, the world around us, including Satan who is actively participating, is steering everyone to believe they have the right views. This “we are right and they are wrong” attitude is something that has been spreading across this world for a while, but seems to be gaining momentum in recent years in our nation, our state, the communities we live in, and unfortunately even in our churches. The fact is, the world could use a bit more humility, and the church should lead the way. I pray that as we move forward, we can model humility by acknowledging that everything is not as obvious as “we” think it is, and we are all just trying to do the best we can in this situation.

I know some you may be feeling like these rules and guidelines are going to restrict you or put a damper on your ability to worship God. If you approach this time with that attitude, I can tell you with 100% certainty, you will not experience true worship, regardless of what we do. Worship is not about the way we do things. It is not contingent on whether we have the right music or can even join in singing the hymns. It is not regulated by what we say or what we pray or what we hear. It is not even based on where we are doing the worship. True worship is something much, much deeper. It is a matter of the heart. It is a matter of the soul. Worship is about responding to all that God has done for us and for who He is. Everything we have done in the past (the worship order, the music, the liturgy, the sermon, etc.) has been done in order to help people focus their hearts, minds, and souls on worshiping God. Just because we have to do things differently than we have done them in the past does not mean we are not worshiping our Heavenly Father. So, I urge you to approach this time, to come to the church’s campus with the right attitude, and I promise you, you can experience true worship.

My hope is that we will all exhibit patience during this time. I hope you will be patient with a timeline that may be slower than you would prefer it to be. Please be patient with a reopening process that will most likely have a few hiccups. Be patient with me, the staff, and the other leaders of Varnell UMC who are feeling some extreme pressures because of this complex situation. And, be patient with each other as we begin to figure out this new normal. Those who are “dying” to resume our in person gatherings should be patient with those who are more reluctant or decide not to come back for a while, and vice versa. As hard as it may be for you to practice patience, remember that in the overall scheme of eternity, this period will be just a blink of the eye.

In closing I would pray that we all follow Paul’s advice to the Ephesians where he says: “I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (4:1-3).

In Christ,
Rev. Chris A Branscomb[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row]