Re-Entry Update - August 5, 2020

But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere.
2 Corinthians 2:14

I love that word “always” that Paul used in verse 14. We don’t have to wonder what God is doing. We can trust that in every circumstance He is “always” doing the same thing. He is always leading us in a victory parade and spreading the beautiful fragrance of the Gospel through His church. He is doing that always. Even in a Global Pandemic and even in the middle of pain and division in our society. God is going to lead; it is what He always does. It is exciting to see how God is unfolding His purposes as He leads us through the 4 Phases of Re-entry.

Phase 1 - The Scattered Church
Phase 2 - Open Sky Worship
Phase 3 - A City on The Hill
Phase 4 - The New Normal

As we have listened to the governor’s changes in restrictions last week, we have some important dates for you to put on your calendar.

August 25 - Open Sky Worship Night
August 20 - Backyard Bash

The Highlights are these:
For indoor gatherings, churches can gather in a building in groups of no more than 50, as long social distance in maintained of 6’ apart, face coverings are worn and proper cleaning protocols are in place.
For outdoor gatherings, churches are exempt from the limit and can exceed the normal outdoor capacity of 100 people who will still need to maintain social distance of 6’ apart.

Phase 1 - The Scattered Church : The Importance of Scattering Together
We don’t want to privatize the big church gathering and miss this unique season. So let's stay on course with what God is wanting to teach us in our Phase 1 plan of scattering TOGETHER. I am hearing lots of stories of people making plans and being creative in how they are getting together. Especially in light of the recent cry of pain and injustice in our communities, it is now an important time for the church to prioritize the incarnation model of Jesus. He became like one of us and moved into our neighborhood. We are praying for a million little moments of grace and mercy across South Jersey that are going to have long term multigenerational impact.

Phase 2 - Open Sky Worship: United in Praise and Joined in Prayer.
We are inviting Churches across Vineland and the surrounding area to come together to grow in their unity around the good news of the Gospel of Jesus. Regardless of ethnic and cultural background, the church will stand united in the praise of our God and will join together in prayer for our city.

On August 25, from 6:30-8:30, at Giampietro Park at the Corner of Lincoln and Landis Ave in Vineland. There is limited seating on benches, and we will practice social distancing. You can bring a picnic blanket or lawn chair to spread out across the park. You can even stay in your car as it will be broadcast on the radio for those that are close by. Please lend your voice to join the churches of Vineland in praise to our God and in prayer for our communities.

What do you need to do:
1. Open Sky Worship Night starts at 6:30, so arrive early to find your spot
2. Come prepared with a lawn chair or blanket
3. Come prepared to practice social distancing and bring your mask
4. Come prepared to praise our God and pray for our city

Phase 3 - A City on The Hill: We are coming together to worship God together!
On July 12th, we started multiple service options depending on the numbers of people who are ready to come back to public gatherings. The services at Living Faith currently accommodates three services with up to 100 seats each service We will maintain a strong online presence and broadcast the services online for those who cannot or do not wish to return to public gatherings.

Our soft launch was held at 9am on June 28 at Living Faith. People entering the building will be expected to wear masks and maintain safe social distancing.

More on our plans

the Full PLan As of May 27th

Phases of Re-Entry: Initial ideas- assuming restrictions start to loosen

As I sit here today, scientists are busy trying to calculate if they can launch. The latest estimated time is 4:33pm. They have been tracking the weather pattern of a tropical storm that has already disrupted the original time line. If the launch is postponed, SpaceX and NASA can try again on Saturday and Sunday, with a 60 percent chance of being able to begin the mission on those days. You can imagine all the data they are looking at and the way that they are scrambling to assess the time to launch. The conditions need to be right for the rocket they have so carefully engineered to have a successful launch.

Our plan in chart form

Don’t have time to read the full plan and the comments surrounding it? We’ve placed it in a easy to read chart that you can access or download here.