Dear St. Andrew’s friends and family,
St. Andrew’s is a community that’s always been strongest when we stand together. We believe that this time of uncertainty will allow us to live into that truth and trust God through it all. Our hearts and prayers are with those affected by COVID-19/coronavirus as we continue to pray for a resolution to this. Please remember that you are loved and that our church isn’t simply comprised of what we do on a Sunday morning. We’re a family, and we invite you to join us in creating community in a new way during this season.
Our world is now facing fear and confusion over the impact of the coronavirus outbreak. We believe firmly that our hope is built on Christ who casts out all fear and eliminates confusion, and we feel called to live that out by communicating clearly and minimizing risk to our community. Your health and safety are our highest priority as well as the health and safety of the most vulnerable among us. For this reason, our church staff and Session have been prayerfully following developments in the spread of the coronavirus and want to inform you of the following precautionary measures we are taking for our church in relation to COVID-19.
We want to do our very best to slow the spread of this virus by adhering to safety recommendations made by both our state and local health officials. This primarily includes social distancing, which means cancelling gatherings and making adjustments to how we worship throughout the week.
Governor Newson recently announced new guidelines from the California Department of Public Health to slow the transmission of COVID-19:
“The state’s public health experts have determined that gatherings should be postponed or canceled across the state until at least the end of March. Non-essential gatherings must be limited to no more than 250 people, while smaller events can proceed only if the organizers can implement social distancing of 6 feet per person. Gatherings of individuals who are at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19 should be limited to no more than 10 people, while also following social distancing guidelines.”
Out of our love and concern for our church family and those we serve, here are the shifts we plan to make:
We will be temporarily canceling on-campus worship services on Sunday mornings as well as Sunday school for children. (3/15, 3/22, 3/29)
We will instead work towards ways we can connect remotely for worship and study through online platforms such as the St. Andrew's website, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram for live streaming and online education.
We are currently developing a list of people who may be more vulnerable during this time. If you would like to help someone in need, please email gboysen@sntandrews.org for more information.
In an effort to keep our community informed, we will be posting updates regarding upcoming church services and events on the church’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/sntandrews. We ask that you continue to monitor your email as well for further developments on church activities.
And we encourage you to hold this scripture in your heart: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7)
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact one of us:
Peter Dunn, Pastor – pdunn@sntandrews.org
Bob White, Business Manager – bwhite@sntandrews.org
Keighly Kilsgaard, Children’s Director – kkilsgaard@sntandrews.org
Heather White, Office Administrator – hwhite@sntandrews.org
For updates from the California Health Department, go to: https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/Guidance.aspx
For the full text of the announcement from the Governor’s office, go to: https://www.gov.ca.gov/2020/03/11/california-public-health-experts-mass-gatherings-should-be-postponed-or-canceled-statewide-to-slow-the-spread-of-covid-19/