Coronavirus Update: 05/08

Greetings FBCJ,
I write this update with great excitement because we are preparing to worship together again. That’s right, the doors of First Baptist Church Jonesboro will be open on May 17th! The past seven weeks have been difficult as we were all quarantined and unable to worship together due to the coronavirus. You have been patient and faithful during this time. I have been blessed to hear how you have been keeping in touch with one another and continuing to love, support, encourage, and pray for both our faith family and the community. We are all grateful for the technological means that the Lord has given us to allow us to stay connected and to hear the preaching of the Word, but those means can never replace the biblical gathering of the local church.
We are thrilled to be able to worship together corporately once again. However, our Sunday gathering will look a little different for a few weeks. We want to be wise and stay committed to our decision to be a part of the solution in fighting against the spread of the coronavirus. Therefore, we will resume our regular activities with caution and care in stages as recommended by our governing officials. Our first step will be resuming our Sunday morning worship service. We are going to do our best to reasonably work within the guidelines that the state is recommending to churches. At this time, the government has asked that our gatherings be limited to 25% of the total seating capacity of our facility. This means that we will need to have two services for several weeks. The service times will be 9am and 11am. We will meet in the Family Life Center. To not exceed 25% capacity, we are asking that you help us by informing the church office of which service you plan to attend. Please call, email, or text the church.
 
In an effort of caution and protecting one another, there will be more distance between chairs and rows. Hand sanitizer and masks will also be made available for anyone needing them. Please note that we are making every effort to abide by state guidelines. We WILL NOT BE POLICING these guidelines, but we do ask that you be mindful of others during these times. We will not be regulating whether or not you shake hands with someone else or if you give someone a hug, but we ask that you be considerate of all people, recognizing that others may be maintaining stricter boundaries of contact than you at this time.
Also, if you have any symptoms of illness, we ask that you stay home until you are feeling better. This is a practical way to love your neighbor.
In the coming weeks we will begin to renew other gatherings such as Sunday School, prayer meetings, and youth and children’s activities. We appreciate your patience as we make this transition slowly. For those who may be unable to attend, we will continue to upload the Sunday singing and preaching online, but it will be made available after the service.
Once again, thank you for your understanding and faithfulness during this difficult and unusual time of transition. We cannot wait to worship with you on May 17th!
I was glad when they said unto me, “Let us go into the house of the Lord.” Psalm 122:1
 
By His grace,
 
Pastor Brian