Nanticoke PM Church is happy to announce that starting May 9 we will be hosting in-person gatherings again!
Join us on Sunday Mornings, but before you do, please review our safety precautions.
Don’t feel comfortable coming in-person yet? You can still call in! Get call in information here.
Our area has been hard hit. Here in Luzerne County, the outbreak is worse than it is in Pittsburgh and the surrounding areas there. The majority of public things are closed indefinitely as we wait under an indefinite stay-at-home order. I have spent hours praying, researching, developing, and crafting a COVID-19 Response Plan for our church.
The data shows that there’s a very small chance of death from COVID-19, but the data also shows that large gatherings over 25-50 people significantly increase the risk of infection. Initially, none of us had any idea how severe that this would become, but now that we know what is possible, we must take wise precautions. Beyond that, if even one COVID-positive person was present in a Sunday Gathering, our entire church would be forced oto quarantine for two weeks, potentially jeopardizing many people’s ability to work and provide for their families.
We don’t want our Sunday Gatherings to facilitate a setback in our community. Many of our people work in local small businesses, some working in nursing homes, and a large number of our people live in apartment buildings, high-rises, and housing units with many elderly, disabled, and immune-compromised neighbors. We wouldn’t want to risk people catching something here and risk taking it back to entire communities or local workforces.
Church is not an event you attend; it’s a community you engage in. Although we cannot gather as the church, we can scatter and be the church in this season. While we love our Sundays together, our Sunday Gatherings are not designed for safe social distancing.
It would be really hard to have a Gathering if we are required to wear masks, sit according to social distance, require no physical contact, shut down all kid’s contact, and possibly do temperature checks or health screenings at the door.
It is impossible to predict how all this will progress. It could get better, it could get worse. We don’t want to be presumptuous or premature in our actions. Otherwise, it will be frustrating and confusing for everyone. We cannot move from nothing to everything quickly with two gatherings and ministries (like men’s bible study, etc.) starting up in full swing, right off the bat.
I have been carefully watching communications from the Pennsylvania Secretary of Health to understand what health officials are advising. Our state is approaching things with a county-by- county, color-coded system.
• Red requires a stay-at-home order.
• Yellow requires strict social distancing and no gatherings above 25 people.
• Green eases most restrictions while still monitoring public health.
• Health officials have stated that those first three weeks (after a change in color) will determine whether restrictions can stay lifted or whether they will have to be tightened again.
When our county is under a stay-at-home order, all Gatherings, Community Gatherings, Bible Studies, etc. will be online.
When our county moves to yellow, we will consider Small Group get togethers that are healthy, able, and willing to meet in-person. This would include men’s bible group, counseling at the church, and possibly a Sunday morning service < 25 people, spread out in the church, wearing face masks, using proper cleaning and disinfecting procedures, and temperature screening. (Also, this yellow designation is probationary for 3 weeks and will be carefully monitored by health officials, and if statistics begin to trend back up, the designation will go back to red)
When our county moves to green, we will work to get the majority of our meetings back together, while providing online options for our vulnerable people. Safe and smart social distancing procedures will be used.
Once we’ve reestablished a strong foundation of community with smaller get togethers, we will look to reopen public Sunday gatherings and get together without any restrictions.
With the rapidly changing pace of information, we will continue to regularly reevaluate. All of this is written in pencil, not in pen.
We miss people and we miss gatherings as much as you do. We have ultimately sought to answer two foundational questions: Is it worth the risk? What if we’re wrong? If we move too slowly in this process, we lose very little by effectively operating as a mobilized, scattered church. If we move too quickly to resume gatherings, we could lose people and the overall health of our church and community.
Titus 3:1-2 - “Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people.”
• We need to obey our governing officials. Whether they’re right or wrong in the way they are handling this crisis, for better or worse... We are called to submit.
• Be sure to process your disagreements and frustrations through this lens: “speak evil of no one, avoid quarreling, be gentle, and show perfect courtesy toward all people”.
Ephesians 4:3 - “Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.”
• We need to make every effort to pursue unity and have grace for each other.
• We are a very diverse group of people that are processing this through many different perspectives & experiences:
• Some are passionate about physical health, and are concerned about more people getting sick & dying.
• Some are passionate about mental health, and are concerned about depression and higher suicide rates from quarantine isolation.
• Some are passionate about economic health, and are concerned about the loss of jobs, companies, and retirement.
• Some are passionate about spiritual health, and are concerned about gathering together as soon as possible.
As we continued to navigate this crisis, we want to continue to communicate & connect with each of you. One of the ways we will do that is in a weekly news update for you on where we’re at and where we’re heading. ( Please subscribe to our mailing list below so we can continue to communicate and connect)
Here are four important updates for this week:
1. Online Gathering
Fight spiritual distance by connecting with us for our Online Gathering, this Sunday at 10am, by calling in on our conference number .......
605-472-5471 Access Code - 939278
and we’d love to have you engage & share it with your friends. Over 40 people tuned in last Sunday, and we’re praying for even more this week!
2. Be Safe & Stay Connected
We want you to be safe, listen to our leaders & the CDC, and stay home as much as possible. Although we cannot be together physically, we want to stay connected through technology. Stay connected to people in your Community, follow along on Social Media, and email us back if you have any questions or needs.
3. Continue Outreach
We want to be a church focused on bringing hope to the broken and discouraged. Although we can’t meet with people in person, we can still reach out with phone calls, notes in mail boxes, prayers, and thoughts for those in need. Reach out to someone in need today, just to let them know we care. See if they need anything.
4. Give Online
Although ministry looks different in this season, we are still working hard to accomplish our mission: Bringing hope in Jesus to a lost and broken world. Your giving empowers us to continue to reach our city, minister to people’s needs, expand our use of technology, and partner with community organizations to make a difference. You can give on line through the GIVE button or mail your contribution to First PM Church of Nanticoke PO Box 138 Nanticoke Pa 18634
We’re praying for each of you and trusting in Jesus for all that he wants to do in us and through us during this season.
Yours In Christ,
Pastor Joe