To the Congregation of Holy Cross,

I lift up my eyes to the hills; from where is my help to come?
My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth. – Psalm 121:1-2

We are writing to inform all members of our Faith family what your leadership team is doing in light if the current Coronavirus (COVID-19) concerns.  First of all, we are praying for our church, community, nation and its leaders as they navigate many difficult decisions.  As the Church of Jesus Christ, this is our unique Spirit-given gift, and we must be diligent in its use.  Please join your prayers regularly to our own.

First, it is very important to understand what the CDC is asking for from each of us:

  • Clean hands frequently and thoroughly for up to 20 sec each time and several times a day
  • Create habits and reminders to avoid hand contact with your face
  • Cover your mouth, preferably into your elbow area, when coughing or sneezing
  • Avoid touching too many objects that others have touched
  • Increase ventilation in your home

Holy Cross has taken the following measures which could increase as we become aware of means and methods for us to assist:

  • More thorough cleaning practices throughout the building including cleaning of all pews with disinfectant.
  • Disinfecting all common door handles inside and out on a daily basis.
  • Removing all objects including hymnals from the pews and only keeping the hand sanitizer in place.  These smaller bottles will be refilled as necessary.
  • We will be keeping the interior doors open during Sunday services between the sanctuary, fellowship hall, hallway and bathrooms so you don’t have to use the door handles.
  • We have cancelled any outside groups from using the facility for a minimum of 30 days.
  • Daycare policies have been reviewed and the daycare is coordinating cleaning measures with us.
  • We are asking Pastor Brett and Michael to discontinue greeting each member upon departure with hugs or handshakes for the time being.

We are fully engaged to the best of our abilities and knowledge to take these and other precautionary steps as needed. We are learning together with information provided from reliable sources and using an abundance of proactive measures.

While it is certainly not our intent to offend any individual, we do ask for the following consideration. Any member that has allergies, a cough or is generally not feeling well please consider listening to Pastor’s podcast of the service posted every Tuesday in lieu of attending. Also, at the discretion of each individual, we caution families with young children, expectant mothers, people with underlying health conditions, and senior members to use your own judgement.

Your leadership team is obviously disappointed by the circumstances that occasion these painful choices, but we want to do our part to help stop the spread of this virus quickly so that we may soon resume normal activity.

To further prepare, the council by a unanimous vote this past Wednesday evening has authorized up to $2,500 for additional technology. This simply speeds up the timeline on an already-planned upgrade that will allow Pastor Brett and Deacon Michael to live-stream our services in the near future so that when you cannot attend worship, you may watch it at home or on vacatio from your smart phone, personal computer, or smart television, including music.

We again encourage you to follow the recommended precautions to help see us through to the other side of this pandemic. Please remember that our hope and trust is in Him and we should not live in fear.

Most importantly, at times like this, let us remember that our only lasting security lies in the Lord:  He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” … “Because he loves me,” says the LORD, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.”
– Psalm 91 
To demonstrate calmness and trust in something higher than mere earthly safety to our neighbors is an act of Christian witness and a sign of Christian faith.  We can, should, and must demonstrate this attitude to help quell in some small way the dangerous hysteria that this real but manageable challenge is creating in our country and world.

May Christ bless us ALL,

Pastor Brett, Deacon Michael and Church Council