This is about worshiping in our building again…not “worshiping at St. Luke” again, because St. Luke is not the building located on Washtenaw. “St. Luke” is people like us, who have been worshiping since the pandemic began using a laptop, phone, TV monitor, and other devices. 

Even so, we miss each other, and we’re missing the sacred space where so many moving and life-changing events have taken place. 

Our Elders, Pastor Matt, and I, all who care for the worship life of St. Luke, will be gathering this weekend to discuss how best to return to our building. Please keep us in prayer as we consider the most safe and meaningful ways to begin to use our building again. Here’s a glimpse of what we’ll be considering: 

When we worship in our building again… 

  • We’ll be there because we’ve followed the executive orders of our State, and guidelines provided by the CDC (Center for Disease Control); 
  • We may have to gather in limited numbers, initially, so we’ll continue to celebrate worship online as we welcome the congregation back to the building in stages; 
  • We will celebrate communion using safe-distancing methods which we will create and adapt as necessary so that all are blessed and all are safe; 
  • A plan for safe-distance seating will be enacted; 
  • We’ll invent ways of greeting each other that don’t include shaking hands or hugging people outside your family; 
  • We will know how our adults, youth, and children can gather in ways that cause us to feel confident; 
  • Our time of offering will not feature the passing of a plate hand-to-hand. We’ll use a variety of methods, all of which will be meaningful and worshipful; 
  • A thorough system of cleaning our facility – door handles, seating areas, table surfaces and so forth – will be in place. 

This is not a complete list of all the Elders, Pastor Matt, and I will be thinking through. If you have something important in mind about worshiping in our building again, please share it with me at jsproul@stlukeaa.org or connect with any one of our Elders (find their names, faces, and contact info at our website) or Pastor Matt. Our goal is to design and lead worship that is Christ-centered, true to the Word, and…safe. 

“See” you online this Sunday!
Pastor John