Pastor Letter: May 28, 2020
Dear Buck Run Family,
It sure was good to see many of you last Sunday, and I look forward to seeing even more of you this week. It certainly is different worshiping in three services instead of all together in one, but for those of us who are able to get out, it certainly is better than watching from home. There’s nothing like blending our voices together and singing the songs of Zion!
My father used to joke that his favorite verse was, “It came to pass . . . ” He would always add, “It didn’t come to stay; it came to pass.” That’s what I would say about this first step back toward regathering. I am confident that the day will come when we are able to fill our sanctuary and worship together in one service, but I don’t know how long that will be. In the meantime, we are going to figure out ways to gather safely so we can worship, pray, encourage one another, and hear the Word together.
Every week we will reevaluate our methods and tasks to make sure that we are doing the best we can within laws and guidelines. It’s a bit tricky because we sometimes get different recommendations from the state and federal government, and we certainly have many different opinions about requirements found in our membership. I am grateful for the incredible compassion and cooperation exhibited last week by the thoughtful compliance that everyone demonstrated.
In our constant quest to keep people safe but also to worship the Lord as freely as possible, we decided to try something new this week. We will have two services in which masks will be strongly encouraged, and one in which they will be required. If you are not comfortable being around anyone who is not wearing a mask, the 9 am service on Sunday is for you. Everyone except people on the platform will be wearing a mask. In the other two services, at 6 pm Saturday and 11 am Sunday, we will encourage everyone to wear a mask as while entering and exiting, but once seated by our logistics team worshipers may remove the mask during the service. We will still maintain all other precautions including seating at a safe distance from others and thorough cleaning between services. In addition, no one is seated in the same rows in consecutive services.
You can imagine how much thinking, planning, and cleaning go into all of this. Our pastoral team and church staff do a fantastic job of making it happen, but it is worth it! We get to worship Christ together, and I don’t think we will ever take that for granted again (if we ever did). So, if you have not yet done so, please register for one of our services this weekend. Remember, we don’t want you to come until you feel safe and ready to come. No one is judging your commitment to Christ or to Buck Run if you determine it’s best for you to stay home and watch online Sunday at 11 am. That is still a great option for those who are physically vulnerable or simply don’t want to take any chances.
Either way, whether you come this weekend or watch online, I am so glad to be your pastor and grateful that we get to do life together, even though it brings strange and difficult circumstances.
Finally, I want to thank our pastors and staff for all that they have done through this season of challenge. I always knew they were the best, but they left no room for debate about it! I don’t know of any church that has had better communication and continued teaching and discipling through this time as Buck Run has, and I give them all the credit. I owe a special word of gratitude to our deacons as well, because they have been essential to our efforts to stay connected to every member and family. God is so faithful, and His faithfulness is expressed through His people.
I look forward to seeing you this weekend, whether in person or online!
Your grateful pastor,
Bro. Hershael