Let’s be straight: congregational singing is awkward now. If you come to church on Sunday, you’re going to be singing through a mask, surrounded by…empty space. It’s weird. And if you’ve been tuning on online, I’m pretty confident you definitely feel this. Church music piped through your TV just isn’t the same.
We’re in a strange place. And it’s temping to withdraw from the uncomfortable. But you shouldn’t. Here’s why.
How does church happen in a pandemic? This is a question we’ve all been wresting with these past four months. Now that we’re beginning to reopen on a limited basis, changing expectations and practices once more, it’s worth considering the question afresh. How does church happen when we’re sort of reopened?
On May 20th, we released our Village Together plan—a five phase plan to reopen Village safely and wisely. On Friday, May 29, Illinois and Village officially moved in to phase three, permitting groups of 10 or fewer to meet with proper social distancing protocols in place. However, on Thursday, May 28, Governor Pritzker released new guidelines for houses of worship, and explained that these guidelines were not mandatory, but rather recommended as “best practices” for resuming worship services. And so, in light of these two things—moving into phase three and the new guidance for churches—what’s next for Village? Are we ready to go? Or do we continue on with our plan?
As we move into week 11 of this pandemic, now that school is done, stores are still restricted, many activities are cancelled and the summer looming ahead—how can we see this summer as a time of middle ground? A time of refreshment and rest; of creative play and work; a time for family discipleship and ministry? Many of us have the extra time now. How will we use it?
Let’s be straight: congregational singing is awkward now. If you come to church on Sunday, you’re going to be singing through a mask, surrounded by…empty space. It’s weird. And if you’ve been tuning on online, I’m pretty confident you definitely feel this. Church music piped through your TV just isn’t the same.
We’re in a strange place. And it’s temping to withdraw from the uncomfortable. But you shouldn’t. Here’s why.
How does church happen in a pandemic? This is a question we’ve all been wresting with these past four months. Now that we’re beginning to reopen on a limited basis, changing expectations and practices once more, it’s worth considering the question afresh. How does church happen when we’re sort of reopened?
On May 20th, we released our Village Together plan—a five phase plan to reopen Village safely and wisely. On Friday, May 29, Illinois and Village officially moved in to phase three, permitting groups of 10 or fewer to meet with proper social distancing protocols in place. However, on Thursday, May 28, Governor Pritzker released new guidelines for houses of worship, and explained that these guidelines were not mandatory, but rather recommended as “best practices” for resuming worship services. And so, in light of these two things—moving into phase three and the new guidance for churches—what’s next for Village? Are we ready to go? Or do we continue on with our plan?
As we move into week 11 of this pandemic, now that school is done, stores are still restricted, many activities are cancelled and the summer looming ahead—how can we see this summer as a time of middle ground? A time of refreshment and rest; of creative play and work; a time for family discipleship and ministry? Many of us have the extra time now. How will we use it?
As of March 17, Village stopped holding in-person services and programs until further notice. We take these precautions out of a desire to serve and love our neighbors and slow the spread of the coronavirus. We are urging our church to heed the Governor’s executive order to stay at home for the next few weeks, except for essential travel and work.
This does not mean, however, that we are closing down as a church. After all, the church isn’t a building or programs, but a people! We’re still holding services in an online format. We post the sermon and a liturgy for home worship each Saturday night at on our Worship at Home page.
Additionally, we’re staying connected to one another through this time by using Zoom, calling and texting one another, and through social media. If you are not connected to a church community, we’d love to talk with you and help you find hope in this lonely time.
Also, importantly, our Food Pantry is remaining open, as an essential service to the community. We will be open every Friday from 9:30 to noon. For more details, visit our Food Pantry page.
We hope to resume normal operations at Village as soon as possible, but we are committed to slowing the spread of this virus, and will take these measures as long as we believe is wise. You can stay up to date by checking this website or visiting our Facebook page.
