Pandemic Updates

The pandemic has disrupted life for all of us. Life looks a little different around here these days, and we are constantly adapting based on ebb and flow of the pandemic. Here are some of our current weekly offerings during the pandemic. Check out our Facebook page or Instagram for other updates!

August 2022 Updates:

We haven't posted an update in a while, so just wanted to share some general updates about where we are at as a congregation as we continue to navigate the pandemic.
  • As we have moved through the summer season, we have found that there is energy and excitement in the building. People are eager to connect with one another and enjoy spending time together. We see new faces and visitors just about every week, and encourage folks to get to know one another, to the degree that they feel safe doing so. Although we recognize that the pandemic is still ongoing, we have settled into a fairly comfortable rhythm of life at the church in spite of it.
  • MASKS: Some folks wear masks and others don't. If you want to wear a mask because of health concerns or out of caution, you are welcome to, and no one will give you a hard time about it. Our pastor wears a mask when he greets people on Sunday mornings, and we try hard to be very understanding of different opinions and needs for safety. We continue to encourage members and guests to visit the CDC's website to see their county-by-county map of Covid infections and view their most up-to-date recommendations. Please make the best decisions for you and your family, based on the CDC's guidance and your risk tolerance.
  • WORSHIP: We continue to offer both in-person and virtual worship on Sunday mornings. We highly encourage people who are especially anxious or at risk to attend virtually. You can find us on Facebook Live at 11am on Sunday mornings at this link.
  • If you have any symptoms of illness whatsoever, we encourage you to attend virtually, even if it seems like it is just a cold!

Feb. 28, 2022 Updates:

The CDC issued updated guidance on Covid precautions and mask guidance this past Friday. In light of this update, our Re-Opening Committee recommends making masking optional for all church activities at this time. We encourage members and guests to visit the CDC's website to see their county-by-county map and view their most up-to-date recommendations. Please make the best decisions for you and your family, based on the CDC's guidance and your risk tolerance. Please also note the following:
  • We will continue to offer both in-person and virtual worship on Sunday mornings. We highly encourage people who are especially anxious or at risk to attend virtually.
  • We will continue to take reasonable precautions to prevent virus transmission. For example, we frequently prop doors to the sanctuary open to allow greater airflow.
  • If you have any symptoms of illness whatsoever, please attend virtually, even if it seems like it is just a cold!
  • Please be mindful that others may not be as comfortable as you are with relaxing Covid precautions. Our hunch is that many of us will continue to do the "do I shake hands or hug or not?" dance for the foreseeable future. That's okay. Let's continue to show one another grace and kindness in abundance as we continue to navigate this together.
Our congregation has done a remarkable job navigating the pandemic. It has not been easy by a long shot, but we have kept one another safe, and we are very proud of that. We believe that this season of life has offered a profound reminder of what it means to love neighbor as self. Job well done. Let's keep up the good work in caring for one another and keeping one another safe!

Jan. 5, 2022 Updates:

Our Worship Council and Re-Opening Committee members met yesterday to discuss how we respond to the Omicron surge in Covid cases. After much discussion, the following are our recommendations to the church:

  • We will continue to offer both in-person and virtual worship on Sunday mornings. We highly encourage people who are especially anxious or at risk to attend virtually.
  • For those attending in person, we continue to request that you wear a high-quality mask and be mindful of social distancing. Please try to sit at least 6 feet away from others who are not in your immediate family.
  • If you have any symptoms of illness whatsoever, please attend virtually, even if it seems like it is just a cold!
  • We will continue to keep doors open during worship to allow greater airflow through the sanctuary. If you attend in person, please dress for comfort and warmth on cooler days! (If you attend virtually, PJ’s are encouraged! 😄)
  • For the time being, we will limit the number of speakers at the pulpit to decrease risk.
  • Our musicians are planning to limit singing and select shorter hymns.
  • We discourage close mingling in the aisles after worship. We love talking and connecting after worship, but it will be much safer if folks can maintain space or step outside to the portico or front steps of the church to talk.
  • Following the recommendation of the CDC, we continue to encourage vaccinations and booster shots for those who are able to get them.
  • Based on what we are hearing, we have every reason to assume that this omicron surge will be fast but difficult, and will subside in the coming weeks. We will continue to monitor circumstances and adapt as things evolve.
In our conversation we tried hard to find a “middle way” between the two poles of shutting down entirely and just saying “anything goes.” We acknowledge that Covid is here to stay in some form or fashion, and we must adapt accordingly. We recognize that some of us are comfortable meeting in person at this point, and some of us aren’t. We think it is wise to be extra cautious during this Omicron surge, trusting that in the coming weeks and months we will in all likelihood be able to relax some of our precautions.

Thank you for being mindful of these precautions and for your efforts to keep others safe. As always, we are grateful for your prayers, feedback, and support.

November 15, 2021 Updates:

Our Re-Opening Committee has continued to monitor the course of the pandemic, and they met this afternoon and made the following recommendations:

  • Due to the current transmission levels of Covid in our communities (substantial to high), we continue to request that everyone wears a mask in our building for our weekly worship services and other gatherings. Events outdoors, and very small groups of people may elect to remove masks at their discretion. We will continue to watch the metrics and will recommend relaxing mask requirements when our area reaches less than 50 cases per 100,000 in our community (low to moderate).
  • We will continue to use single-serve communion cups for the time being.
  • We will continue to pass the offering plates during worship, and have them available at the exits for offering and visitors cards. If you don’t wish to pass the offering plate, it’s okay to simply offer a quick gesture of “no thanks!” to the ushers when they come by your pew during the offertory!
  • We ask family units to give reasonable space to others for social distancing purposes.
  • Once transmission in our community is moderate to low, we plan to resume our Fellowship Hour (with coffee and snacks) in the Fellowship Lounge between the Sunday School hour and after worship.
  • We are so grateful for the work of our Re-Opening Committee. It has been a tough challenge to steer our local church through this pandemic safely and reasonably, but we are very proud of how our congregation has handled this difficult season of life. We are so grateful for your patience and your partnership in keeping our members, friends, and guests healthy and safe!

Taking the long view: A year ago (Nov. 2020), a very small group of us was meeting on Sunday mornings in the sanctuary to watch our pre-recorded worship videos. We were on the verge of shutting our doors once again due to the holiday surge in Covid cases. Now, in November 2021, we can’t help but look back to see God at work guiding us safely and faithfully through this season of life. We have a wonderful group of folks gathering on Sunday mornings in worship. We are singing together, passing the offering plates, smiling behind masks, and finding creative ways to do life together as a community of faith. We remain unabashedly optimistic about the future, and have every reason to expect that a year from now, we will look back and marvel at how far we have come. May God continue to lead us faithfully together.


September 10, 2021 Updates:
Due to the ongoing Delta variant surge, our reopening committee has the following updates:
  • Our choir is taking an extended break at this time, and we will focus on having special music by soloists or instrumentalists, so that we do not have several choir members sitting close together in the choir loft.
  • We will prop open doors during worship to allow greater airflow through the sanctuary. Fall is a perfect season for this!
  • We continue to recommend that family units sit at least six-feet apart from other families and individuals! Our ushers will encourage people to observe good social distancing protocol on Sunday mornings.
  • Our spiritual formation group discussing Questions Christians Aren't Supposed to Ask has been moved to the South Wing to allow for more distance and ventilation during the Sunday school hour.
  • We continue to be grateful that everyone is doing a great job following our mask requirement! Thank you for doing your part to keep one another safe!

August 18, 2021 Re-Opening Committee Updates:
Our re-opening committee continues to monitor the Covid metrics in our community. As of this week, our current 7-day average for Williamsburg is 200 cases per 100,000 people, 175 cases per 100,000 in James City County, and 123 cases per 100,000 in York County. Local hospital admissions for Covid are up, and among the highest of the pandemic. Because of these rising numbers due to the Delta variant, we recommend the following:
  • We will take a "step backwards" in terms of our reopening status. We are still worshiping in person, and ask that everyone wears a mask while in the sanctuary on Sunday mornings. People who are leading in worship may remove their masks to speak or sing. (If you'd like a break from mask-wearing in worship, let our pastor know, and he'll be glad to schedule you for the call to worship, scripture reading, or sermon one week!) 😄
  • While we are not planning to block off pews at this time, we strongly recommend spacing family units at least 6 feet apart in worship.
  • Following worship, we encourage people not to congregate to talk in the aisles. We know we are a friendly bunch, and it pains us to ask this! If you will, please head outside after the service to catch up with friends and to meet new folks! Our pastor, Art, will try to set a good example by heading directly out to the east courtyard at the conclusion of the Postlude, and he'd love to meet you out there.
  • The coffee and fellowship time immediately before and after the service will not be held in the Fellowship Lounge for the immediate future.
  • At this time, we also recommend that all small groups, Sunday school classes, committees, etc. also wear masks while inside. (Exceptions may be made for very small groups of people meeting, if all are vaccinated.)

July 26, 2021 Re-Opening Committee Updates:
We hope you didn’t throw your masks away, because they are suddenly trendy again! 😷
  • Due to rising cases of Covid in our area and across the country, we are once again requesting that everyone wears a mask in the sanctuary for our weekly worship service. Smaller groups and committees may choose to remove masks for their meetings. We will continue to watch the metrics and will recommend relaxing mask requirements when our area reaches less than 10 cases per 100,000 in our community.
  • We will continue to use single-serve communion cups for the time being.
  • We will continue to pass the offering plate during worship, and have them available at the exits for offering and visitors cards. If you don’t wish to pass the offering plate, it’s okay to simply offer a quick gesture of “no thanks!” to the ushers when they come by your pew during the offertory!
  • We ask family units to give reasonable space to others for social distancing purposes.
  • We will continue to offer our Fellowship Hour (with coffee and snacks) in the Fellowship Lounge between the Sunday School hour and after worship, but ask people to be careful and cautious about sharing germs.
We are sorry that we have to take this “step back” in our re-opening process, but feel it best for the time being in order to keep our members, friends, and guests safe! Thank you for your cooperation and support as we navigate this strange season together!

June 8, 2021 Updates:
  • As of June 8th, the metrics in our community show less than 10 cases per 100,000 people in our community. This is very low. That does not mean there is no risk, but because cases are so low, and because vaccines are now widespread, the Re-Opening Committee makes the following recommendations:
    • If you are vaccinated you are no longer required to wear a mask during worship or in other areas of the building.
    • If you have not yet been vaccinated or feel more comfortable wearing a mask please continue to do so. 
  • We anticipate that we may resume passing the offering plates and communion elements (bread and juice) soon. When we do, we will continue to offer the pre-packaged, single-serving communion elements to whomever wishes to use them. We will also make it simple and subtle for you to say "no thanks" if you do not wish to pass anything.
  • We recognize that we continue to be in a strange season, where some folks don't want to wear a mask at all, and others may not feel safe attending or sitting close to someone who isn't wearing a mask. My request (as pastor) is that we all continue to show abundant grace and care for one another as we continue to navigate the pandemic at this stage—just as we have done all along. We know we don't agree on everything: That's okay. To be honest, we even prefer it that way! But we can still model God's love for all of us in the way that we treat one another in this season. Let's not assume that everyone who is attending has the same comfort levels as we do: give ample space to others, ask before hugging, and save the "greet one another with a holy kiss" for family members. 😘 You all have done a marvelous job so far during the pandemic, and we as a community of faith have avoided the worst case scenarios during the pandemic. Let's continue to stay the course, and be diligent in caring for one another and keeping one another safe! God bless each of you. (Art)
  • Finally: we are beyond grateful for the work and wise leadership of our Re-Opening Committee this past year. They have kept us all safe even as they've found creative ways for us to resume worship, fellowship, mission, and discipleship. Thank you!

May 25, 2021 Updates:
  1. For the time being we request that everyone continues to wear a mask in the sanctuary for our weekly worship service. Smaller groups and committees may choose to remove masks for their meetings. We are continuing to watch the metrics and will recommend relaxing mask requirements when our area reaches less than 10 cases per 100,000 in our community.
  2. We are removing the 50 person cap on worship service capacity. Please feel free to invite your friends and neighbors!
  3. Adult Spiritual Formation classes are resuming in person for the summer. We are planning to continue to offer the chance to "Zoom in" for these classes.
  4. We will continue to use single-serve communion cups for the time being.
  5. We are not passing the offering plate during worship, and have them available at the exits for offering and visitors cards.
  6. We have removed ribbons from the pews and arrows from the sanctuary, but ask family units to continue to give reasonable space to others.
  7. We plan to resume our "coffee and snack time" in the Fellowship Lounge between the Sunday School hour and worship starting around 29 August 2021.
(Updated May 25th, 2021)

Worship in person on Sunday mornings!

We are no longer asking people to sign up in advance for Sunday morning worship at 11am. Our services are fully "live" at this point, and we have resumed singing (with masks). We do not have a cap on the number of people who can attend worship as of May 2021, but we are asking people to continue to wear masks in the sanctuary and keep reasonable space between family units.

Online Worship on Facebook and Youtube

We have recently stopped pre-recording worship and have begun to livestream our Sunday morning worship via Facebook. You should be able to watch online even if you do not have a Facebook account! Click here on Sunday mornings at 11am or shortly before to watch.

After Sunday worship, we will post the recorded services here on our Youtube Channel by Tuesday afternoon.
Click here to download the Re-opening plan:
Reopening Plan.pdf
File Size: 784 kb
File Type: pdf
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Current Office Hours at the Church

During the pandemic, Kim Gehr, our office administrator, is at the church most weekdays from 9am until 5pm. Our pastor, Rev. Art Wright, is typically at the church on Sundays, Mondays, and Thursdays, and is working from home Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Our children and families minister, Deb Fisher, is usually at the church on Sundays and Thursdays.

We love having folks come to the church, but given the challenges of the pandemic, sometimes our schedules change! So it's always best to call or email first before coming by to visit! You can email us with the buttons below, or call 757-229-1217 to set up an appointment.

Adult Spiritual Formation (Sundays, 9:30–10:30am in-person and via Zoom)

Click here to find out about our current spiritual formation options! Our summer plan is to offer in-person groups, but we will plan to allow folks to join via Zoom, too, if you feel safest that way.

Children and Youth Programming

Click here to find out about more about our plans for a return for children and youth to our church.

Fourth Sunday Vespers (8–9pm via Zoom)

NOTE: Our weekly "Vespers" is on hiatus for the summer, but we will meet on the fourth Sunday of each month just for a chance to connect!

This is a virtual fellowship and prayer time on Sunday evenings, from 8 to 9pm, June 27th, July 25th, and August 22nd.

Come as you are and stay for however long you are able! It's okay to drop in and drop out depending on your schedule! This is simply a chance for us to connect with one another, catch up, share prayer concerns, and pray together on Sunday evening.

Join us at this Zoom link:
https://zoom.us/j/95163487344

Meeting ID: 951 6348 7344

Brown Bag Bible Study (Tuesdays at Noon via Zoom)

NOTE: We are currently taking a break for the summer!

This is a weekly Bible study on Tuesdays from noon to 1pm. We are currently meeting virtually.

We typically read and discuss that week's Scripture text for the sermon, and sometimes reflect on the previous week's sermon, as well. We'd love for you to join us on your lunch break (bring your lunch... hence "brown bag"!). No preparation needed: just show up and stay as long as you are able!

Join at this Zoom link here.

Zoom Meeting ID: 943 8654 8244

Password: (No password on this meeting)

(Once you click on the link, you will be admitted from the waiting room into our Zoom room.)