The FCUMC leadership team and staff is hopeful that we can resume indoor in-person worship in February of 2021. We will continue to monitor the data very carefully to determine if we can rejoice in the Lord together at that time with appropriate protocols in place. We would love to maximize our allowed capacity at these services through pre-registration, so keep in touch with our various forms of communication as we move forward toward that date.
What this means for now is that after careful consideration, the FCUMC church leadership team has made the difficult decision to suspend indoor in-person worship through January 31, 2021. This team considers many factors in making decisions concerning indoor worship. The core consideration is John Wesley’s directive to Do No Harm.
Local hospital and ICU capacity in the area, active cases in the congregation, and the overall trend of increasing COVID cases in the region are major factors in our decision making. We want to thank you for your continued faithfulness, understanding, and patience as we make decisions that are not easy but are in the best interest of our entire church family.
The good news is that local frontline responders and health care workers, including members of our congregation, are beginning to receive the vaccine! As the COVID-19 vaccine becomes readily available to the public, we will monitor the local numbers and keep you updated with the latest information. Dr. Lisa Piercey, who leads the state’s health department, had said that “it’s critical for Tennesseans right now to refrain from large gatherings and to do basic things like wearing a mask and practice social distancing. Only by changing their behavior right now will Tennesseans be able to stop the ongoing surge.”
We look forward to meeting in person again when that time comes and are considering ways we can worship outdoors, weather permitting. Until then, we will continue to offer live-streamed and recorded services on Sundays and we hope that you will join us for those services. Stay updated with the latest information on this website, in Realm, in our weekly E-Spirit, and on social media. We appreciate your continued support of FCUMC.