Greetings! The following are the Announcements from Sunday September 13, 2020

1. The family of Bro. Harry Hunt would like to express their appreciation to everyone for their love and support at his passing.

2. Ryan and Rachel Dearborn would like to express their appreciation for the love, prayers and support during the last few months as Ryan has continued to improve. We should continue to remember Ryan in our prayers as he continues his treatment and steps to recovery.

3. Reminder next Sunday morning Bro. Ben Wiegand will be with us to give an update on the leadership surveys as part of the morning service.

4. Reminder to everyone that our fall collection is being held throughout September. 

5. We wish to make everyone aware that our friend Gabrielle Reutter will be announced for baptism this morning in Clarendon Vermont. Her testimony and baptism is planned for Sunday October 4th at Bro. Nathan and Sister Miriam Reutter’s home. All activity will be outside if possible and we are looking into the options and expectations on Covid precautions for any of us who will be there from Connecticut. Updates will be shared as we know them. Please take the time to encourage Gabrielle as you feel moved to do so. 

6. As mentioned previously, the ministers have looked at some ideas and thoughts on our procedures for worship and fellowship as we move into fall, the days shorten and the weather prohibits outside assembly. Here are some of the decisions and plans made at this point:

Holy Communion

We will have 4 Holy Communion Services over a 2-week period. The dates and times of these services will be:

Sunday October 18, and Monday October 19 starting at 7:00PM

Sunday October 25, Monday October 26 starting at 7:00PM

This should provide enough options for all brothers and sisters to participate in 1 service each. Signup will be online starting Monday September 28th.  

Procedures for passing wine and breaking bread will need to be adjusted during the pandemic. We are looking at various options to do this in a meaningful, solemn and safe manner. I would ask for your patience and a positive outlook as we work through this. The focus of sharing the Lord’s supper together is not the specific steps and procedures we use, it is the focus and intent of our hearts on our relationship with Jesus and His Body, the church. Let’s keep that our focus as we prayerfully consider and look forward with joy to sharing Holy Communion together.

A communion exhortation will held on Sunday September 27th

Changes in assembling and dismissal process

We will be opening our fellowship area in Church and the assembly itself to fellowship and visiting before and after services. We will consider eliminating restrictions on restrooms and ushering as well as expecting we will all remain diligent wearing masks and remaining 6’ feet apart when visiting in the back hall or sanctuary.

We will be investigating the desire and opportunity of adding 50 attendees to inside morning services by using the Sunday School assembly.

All these process and procedure modifications are being developed with the committee of brothers and sisters who have worked out the best way for us to assemble to date. We will update you as they finalize those steps on our behalf. 

Monthly General Singings

Beginning the first Saturday of October we will implement a standing General Singing on the first Saturday of each Month. Online signup will be used as they have over the past couple of weeks for general singings. These monthly general singings will be held outside if possible and inside in the sanctuary when needed. We are not requiring separate seating and singing attire is acceptable in the sanctuary for general singings. We believe this is appropriate and acceptable as in the future we will move these monthly singings upstairs to our Sunday school assembly and Lord willing someday to a fellowship hall. Use of the assembly is temporary and we have confidence all of us will show the appropriate respect for our sanctuary. This will also enable families to sit together and our children and friends to assemble in a way that is familiar to them. 

I want to thank each of you who made some suggestions for us to consider and there are other changes and activities we are looking at and will be making available to the congregation as we continue to learn and experience things with the coming fall and winter.