Dear Church Family,

Here’s the bottom line:   No Sunday School this Sunday but we WILL meet for Worship at our regular time of 10:40 (with the precautions I’ve listed below)

Now here’s why:  Out of concern for the care of our congregation and to help prevent the potential spread of the Corona virus among us, the elders have decided it is best for us to cancel Sunday School this Sunday.  The main reason comes down to the fact that our small Sunday School rooms could lead to the potential spread of the virus, especially in our very full children’s classes.  With that in mind, those classes will not meet this Sunday.  We will continue to evaluate this situation and let you know about the following Sundays as soon as we can.   We are doing everything we can to read up on this virus and the precautions we will need to take to keep everyone safe.  (See below for more details)
However, we WILL still meet for worship at our regular time of 10:40, but with the following precautions:
1. Don’t panic.  (God is sovereign even over viruses and there are presently very few confirmed cases in MO)
2. Wash your hands regularly. (That just makes sense at all times)
3. If you think you are sick, please stay home and watch the service on live stream *. (Out of love for your neighbors).
4. If you are concerned that you are at risk and should not take the chance on being exposed, please stay home and watch the service on live stream*. (That’s just wisdom.  We’d love to see you here, but prefer that you are safe)
5. For now,  let’s not shake hands or, if you do, please use plenty of hand sanitizer!  (Fist bumps, foot bumps and bowing to one another is cool, though!)
6. We are taking special cleaning precautions, especially in our children’s areas.
7. Let’s all check on elderly friends and members to see if they need anyone to run errands for them or go to the store.  (Those who are older and at risk should not spend time in public or crowded places right now.)
You can find our Livestream on our Youtube Channel here or by going to
(If you can’t come, I do strongly encourage you to tune in as we begin our study in the Gospel of John!  Wow, is it powerful!)
* Some additional thoughts: 
1. While it’s always best to be in fellowship with the church in person when at all possible, there are times when watching by live stream makes sense.  If you think you might be sick or at risk, that’s probably your best option until this present concern has ended.   The elders are keeping up with the news and giving prayerful thought to the best way to protect our congregation and guests.  We’ll keep you updated if the situation calls for additional precautions.
2. Are we over reacting by canceling Sunday School when there are only a couple of cases in Missouri?   We don’t think so, but we are being extra cautious. The history and spread of this virus indicates that, while there are only a few known cases now, there could potentially be many who are sick but don’t know it yet. This virus can take as long as 2 weeks to show symptoms once someone is infected. And yet all that time they can be spreading it. That’s why it has spread so far so fast.   Also, while healthy children are not normally at risk for dying from this virus, they can be the ones who spread it to others (vectors).   Since most children are not good at taking the precautions listed above, we thought it best to not hold children’s classes until we know more.
So, hopefully we’ll see you Sunday for worship as we come together and celebrate  a “No handshake Sunday”
In His mercy,
Pastor Scott