Mid-Week Meet-Up: Checking in about COVID

Hi First Presbyterian,

It’s time for our Mid-Week Meet-Up. The situation with COVID-19 in Monroe County has been improving over recent weeks, and I’m sure many of you are wondering about what that means for in-person church activities. I want to take this opportunity to remind you about the protocols Session adopted back in November in relation to opening the church building. Here are those protocols:

  • In-person worship will be suspended if Monroe County reaches either 15/100K daily new cases OR a 3% positivity rate. In the event this happens, in-person worship may resume after these numbers reduce to less than 14/100K daily new cases and less than a 3% positivity rate.

  • The building closes to church groups and programs (Sunday School, Confirmation, LOGOS, yoga, etc.) if Monroe County reaches either 20/100K daily new cases OR a 5% positivity rate. In the event this happens, the building will re-open to these groups/programs after these numbers reduce to less than 18/100K daily new cases and less than a 5% positivity rate.

As of yesterday, Monroe County was at 27.6/100K daily new cases and a positivity rate of 6.4%. Considering that over a month ago the daily new cases number was closer to 80/100K, the County is heading in the right direction and we’re getting closer to the point where we can begin to open up the building to programming again.

In the meantime, I encourage you to continue to worship with us over live-stream every Sunday at 10:00 am and to participate in the many virtual gatherings we do during the week, whether it’s Bible study, prayer group, Sunday School, youth group, game night, and many more. I encourage you to wait with hope and trust in God’s abiding love, like the apostle Paul who experienced many trials in his ministry yet never gave up. As he once wrote: “But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed” (2 Cor. 4:7-9). Despite these challenges, God’s promise endures, which gives us reason to hope.

Peace to you,
Pastor Neff