Dear Westheights Community Church family,
Our region recently moved out of the grey-lockdown zone and into the red-control zone. This change brings a lessening of restrictions and may cause some of us to wonder what our plan is for in-person Sunday services. At this point we do not want to rush into meeting and have decided that the earliest that we will meet in-person for Sunday services is June 2021.
Our reason for not rushing to meet in-person is due to continued restrictions on in-person gatherings and the expectation of further “waves” of COVID cases that will need to be navigated that could possibly lead to additional lockdowns.
We recognize that if we are able to meet in June that we will likely be subject to gathering limits and other restrictions. It is our hope that by then the chances of being moved to lockdown will be low and that this can be a stepping-stone towards our ultimate goal of meeting all together with few restrictions.
For the time being, we will continue to offer our Sunday morning services online and will continue with online Kids Ministry, Student Ministry and House Church meetings. When permitted, these groups will be encouraged to facilitate safe, outdoor gatherings.
We recognize that it may take a while for some of us to feel comfortable attending an in-person service. With this in mind, as we anticipate in-person Sunday gatherings we will be experimenting with our online services to include live elements. Regardless of whether you attend the service at home or in person, our plan is that we will be able to enjoy the same service in real time.
In the meantime, the staff and the Board will be engaged in conversations about what our ministries might look like going forward and will be reaching out to you for your feedback.
I continue to be grateful that we are a church that is about helping people find and follow Jesus and I am proud of the ways in which we have pivoted to creatively express who we are. Thank you once again for being supportive of our church ministry and thank you for being engaged.
On behalf of the Church Board,
Pastor Josh Mutter