06 Mar Pastor’s Thoughts about the Coronavirus

First Baptist Church family and friends,

Yesterday our governor held a press conference indicating the first confirmed case of the Coronavirus in our state. So, I thought it would be a good time to touch base about what we are doing thus far as a church in response to this development.

The church staff and I are implementing some common sense steps to help the church during this time. We have added hand sanitizing stations and are ensuring that door handles and elevator buttons are being cleaned on a regular basis. I would also encourage you to wash your hands regularly with soap and water.

If you’ve been in worship recently, you may have noticed that we haven’t been doing the meet and greet portion of the service which included leaving our seats and shaking hands with others. This initially related to my wanting to change the flow of the worship service, but this is also a practical step from a health standpoint.

There’s a good article from Christianity Today about what churches can do to deal with the Coronavirus, and I’ve posted that on my Facebook page as well as the church’s page.

We are a church, not a fortress, so there is always a certain degree of risk when we gather in a public place. In the case of this virus, I want to keep us as informed and as healthy a congregation as possible. Rest assured that I want to do what is best to accomplish this goal.

We are going to pay attention to state and local government leaders and take our cues from them regarding any additional steps that we as a church need to take. In the meantime, I look forward to seeing you this Sunday—and don’t forget that we spring forward to set those clocks ahead an hour!

Dr. Chisholm