The past several weeks have been difficult for our nation, and even our entire world. COVID-19, the Coronavirus, has brought us to our knees and complete disrupted our lives in almost every single area. And finally, it seems like it may be time to start opening things back up. To that end, here is our proposed plan for Parkview.

We heard it from every avenue: the Center for Disease Control, the federal government, the state government, our own county health officials and city leaders. Stay home. Close down anything that isn’t essential. Stop the spread. Flatten the curve.

As a church, such restrictions are extremely difficult. The church is designed to be in community, not isolation. And we have been apart for almost two full months. That has been hard.

Now, with Missouri’s governor opening things back up, albeit slowly, and our own local authorities doing the same, we have a plan for how we will reestablish our physical services, with a strong eye towards the safety and security of everyone.

In doing so, our leaders have weighed three equally important truths: the call from God to meet together (Hebrews 10:25), the requirements given in Scripture to obey our government (Romans 13:1-7, 1 Peter 2:13-17), and the safety and security of those people under our watch (1 Peter 5:2).

To that end, we have developed a plan for reopening and meeting together as the body of Christ. Our target date is this Sunday, May 24th. But in order to make sure our services are as safe as possible for those who are at a higher risk, or for those who are more worried about the state of the pandemic at this time, we are taking every possible precaution and safety step that we can, and we are asking a few things from our church as well to help us out.

What We Will Be Doing:

Parkview will host three service opportunities: 8:30, 9:40, and 10:50. These services will be abbreviated a bit to help prevent the spread of disease and germs. Because singing can project particles further than expected, we will have some worship videos playing on the screen as people enter instead of our normal congregational singing. These songs can be used as an opportunity to prepare our hearts for worship. After a welcome and announcements, we will move directly into the message. Communion and a time of prayer will close out the service. Individually packaged communion supplies will be available upon entering the auditorium, and an offering basket will be available at the exit.

Sunday School classes, Children’s Worship and Nursery services will not be available. Social distancing is more difficult to maintain in these settings. These opportunities will be opened back up as safety and health become more apparent.

Certain rows will be roped off for social distancing measures. We are asking those who attend to not remove these boundaries, and only sit in open rows. Be sure to maintain six feet from other families in the same row. At the end of each service, ushers will dismiss row by row to help maintain distance as well.

What We Are Asking You To Do:

For those who plan to attend Parkview this weekend, and for the next few weeks, we ask you to please make sure that you are healthy. If you have a cough or fever, or if you feel sick in any way, please stay at home. It would be better to wait another week or two instead of taking a risk. We now have the equipment needed to live stream our services to our YouTube channel. Our tech team is working hard to make sure it is up and running in time for the 24th. You can also find past sermon series, along with sermon notes and discussion questions on our website. 

If you feel more comfortable wearing a mask, please do so. We will have several handmade masks available for anyone who desires one.

Use hand sanitizer or gloves in order to prevent the spread of germs. We will have hand sanitizer available in the lobby. Other simple precautions can be taken as well, such as washing up before leaving the restroom.

Please do not touch door handles, hymnals, bulletin or handouts, and communion supplies. Doors will be opened for you, and other items will be handed to you by volunteers wearing appropriate safety apparel.

Please do not shake hands or hug one another. We realize that this may be hard for some, but contact should be limited between people.

Please RSVP by email or by phone to let us know which service slot you will attend. This helps us ensure that we are conforming to the proper amount of people for our building size. We will be striving to keep our numbers in the lowered occupancy range per service based on Missouri State and Pettis County Health Department recommendations. Your help in knowing what to expect in each time slot is appreciated.

After the service, please exit the building quickly, in order to give us time to disinfect the worship area, and to allow the next group to enter.

We are looking forward to getting back together, and we know you are as well! As we do so though, our primary concern is that you stay safe and healthy, both physically and spiritually. We are doing everything we can to ensure the best possible opportunity as we resume our services. Your cooperation, along with your continued prayers, are very much appreciated.

For those of you who do not attend Parkview, I simply hope these guidelines might be helpful for your own church as you take steps to begin meeting together again, whenever that may be. My prayers are with you, and I ask for your prayers for our church and leadership as we strive to lead our church wisely and safely.

Question: Has your church reopened yet? If so, what other safety measure did you implement? If not, do you have a target date set yet? You can leave a comment by clicking here.