We are now over six months from the start of the pandemic shut down and I want to bring you up to date on where we are.

• March 22, 2020: We began not having in-person worship or Bible study for nine weeks.
• May 24, 2020: We began in-person worship but without small group meetings.
• July 6 -9, 2020: We conducted a dressed down version of Vacation Bible School.

Those good experiences encouraged us to again open small groups to in-person meeting in August. We now have only a very few groups who are not meeting in-person. All of the adult groups continue to have ZOOM capability as well as meeting in-person.

We have deliberately attempted to bring all of our previous activities back in measured steps. So far, we have opened safely, and I am thankful that we have no evidence of church spread Covid-19.

We are also thankful for the relatively few members of our congregation who have contracted the virus.

This is where we are attendance wise for the last two weeks:

• 72.5% of Worship Service attendance compared to last year’s same weekend attendance.
• 78% of Bible Study/small groups compared to last year’s same weekend attendance (this includes ZOOM attendees).

We are thankful to have most of our regular ministries and programs meeting. Some of these are meeting at 100% of last year’s attendance, including the Tuesday Men’s Breakfast, and the Wednesday Morning Women’s Bible Study. Our Student ministry (youth) attendance is almost at 100% for weekend Bible study as well as Sunday and Wednesday nights.

For all of this, I am grateful to God for His blessings. I am also thankful for your prayers and faithfulness in attending, giving, and ministering in the name of Christ.

-Dr. Waylon Bailey