Grace Church Monterey Bay
Church • 50 members • 20 followers
About this group
Church
group
50
members
20
followers
We existing to glorify God by magnifying the Lord Jesus Christ, ministering to His Church, and multiplying His disciples
FollowGCMB to Meet on site this Sunday, 5/31/2020
New Sunday Morning Requirements
6/20/2020
Good Morning GCMB family
As many of you may have heard, this past Thursday, Governor Gavin Newsom made a new directive regarding the use of face coverings in public places as part of the shelter in place order. In essence, the new directive is a statewide requirement that anytime someone is inside a public space or waiting to enter a public space, they are required to wear a face covering of some kind. This is similar to what Monterey County has had is place and had begun to relax, however the State order obviously supersedes the County order and is a little more restrictive that Monterey County was originally. One of the changes in the State order is that the requirement includes children down to the age of 3. There are also some stipulations regarding physical distancing that affect the need for face coverings, however, put into the context of our Sunday morning gathering, they essentially do not apply. For the full directive, here is a link to the California Department of Public Health page
So what does this mean for us for this and subsequent Sundays? Fortunately, the new order does not affect our ability to meet in general. The current shelter in place directives and suggestions have not been changed by this order. So we will be meeting as we have been. However, in compliance with the State directive, we will be requiring the use of face coverings inside the Church buildings. We still do recommend that physical distancing be followed a best as possible, and we will continue to use a spaced seating arrangement in the sanctuary as indicated with our posted signage. Additionally, the numerous hand sanitizer dispensers are still available around the foyer and sanctuary and we recommend their frequent use.
We will have two obvious exceptions to the face covering requirement, and that will be those up front during the service. Some time back, the Worship team re-oriented the stage so that the musicians are at least 6 feet apart, if they are not part of a family unit, so they will not be wearing masks while singing/playing. And obviously, when someone is addressing the congregation from the pulpit, they will not be wearing a mask during that time.
We will continue to be refraining from passing the offering plate during the worship service as handling money is always one of the highest transmission points of any virus every year. To that end, just want to remind everyone that our online giving options are always available (for details see the website at www.gracemonteryby.org/giving) and the offering drop box is also available to use in the sanctuary. In that same vein, we will postpone communion again for an amount of time that is yet to be determined.
A couple changes for what we will do to accommodate for this Sunday. We will be setting up some manner of outdoor speakers to carry the sound outside. This is two fold. First it is for those parents who have needed to have their kids outside to minimize distractions in the sanctuary to be able to still hear the service, and second for those who would like to be on campus for service but may be of the higher risk category and would prefer to participate from their car. The method and manner of how that is going to come together is still being worked out, but there will be outside sound for coming Sunday. And to that end we make one accommodation request, for those who will be inside the sanctuary for service, we ask that you park at the further ends of the parking lot and leave the spaces directly in front of the foyer doors available for those who may stay in their car. This most likely the primary focus of where the sound system will be aimed, but again that is still a little in a gotta-figure-it-out mode. Additionally, we will have some chairs available for people to sit outside as well, though our sidewalk space is not particularly accommodating to that, but they will be available.
Lastly, the Elders continue to covet your prayers as we wade through this murky mud puddle. Pray that we are wise in our decision making as information continues to be confusing at times and sometimes down right contradictory. Please continue to pray for our government and health officials for the same reason. They need wisdom as they look at what is before them and make policy and plans that affect us all. Also, continue to pray for those who have been directly affected either by themselves or family who have contracted the coronavirus and for those who have been negatively affected by the economic ramifications of the differing directives from government officials. Through all of this, we remember that we do serve a sovereign God, who is not surprised or taken aback by this virus outbreak. It is part of His eternal plan, and at some point and in some way we may not see now or really ever, He will receive glory. We pray that this will strengthen the Church and strengthen our church. We pray that this causes us to trust Him more, rely on Him more and strengthen our faith in Him more. May our confidence in our God be a beacon of hope to a world that is still reeling in panic and distress.