Reopening Letter

June 5, 2020

Dear Church Family:

I wanted to write and let you know that you are constantly on my mind, in my heart, and a part of my prayers. These have truly been difficult days in a number of ways, but God is faithful, even in what I have called the spring of our discontent. He will continue to be faithful, for he can be nothing else but faithful and loving to you and I. On Sunday, June 14, we will have worship in our sanctuaries! See you at Crossroads at 9:00! See you at Perryville at 10:30! Praise the Lord! This does come with some guidelines.

1. If you do not feel well, if you have tested positive for the coronavirus, if you have been exposed to someone who has the coronavirus, if you are simply not comfortable being in a group of people at this time, STAY HOME. I understand, and no one will criticize you for doing so. Your health and safety is very important to all of us.

2. Sanitizer will be available at the entrance, and the building will be sanitized every week. I will be asking for volunteers to sanitize at Crossroads; the custodian will handle that at Perryville. Masks are not required, but feel free to bring and wear one is you choose.

3. There will be no physical contact. We will not be able to shake hands or exchange hugs in our meet and greet time, and I will not be able to shake hands with you before or after the service.

4. Doors and windows will be open if possible to allow for better movement of air.

5. It is very important that we practice social distancing, staying six feet apart whenever possible. To do so, families who live with each other or see each other on a regular basis should sit in the same row or rows with each other. This will free up more room for others who need to distance from you.

6. Until further notice, there will be no bulletins or other papers distributed, nor will hymnals or Bibles be available in the pews. There will be music and soloists, but congregational singing at this time is discouraged.

7. Children’s Sunday school will be offered at Crossroads, but it is your choice when it comes to your child taking part. The children will be taken outside when possible to allow for greater distancing. I will continue to offer a children’s sermon, but will not call the children up to sit along the altar.

8. I am working on offering Communion in July in a safe and sanitary way.

9. Tithes and offerings will not be receiving by passing the plates. The offering plates will be located at the back of the sanctuary for you to place your donations when entering or leaving the sanctuary.

10. When leaving the sanctuary at the end of the service, you will asked to leave by rows, starting at the back of the church, in order to minimize contact as much as possible.

11. Weather permitting, we will continue to position speakers facing the parking lot at Crossroads so you can drive in and participate from your car if you choose to do so.

12. I repeat, if you do not feel well, if you have tested positive for the coronavirus, if you have been exposed to someone who has the coronavirus, if you are simply not comfortable being in a group of people at this time, STAY HOME. I understand, and no one will criticize you for doing so. Your health and safety is very important to all of us.

IF YOU ARE NOT READY TO COME BACK:

The Sunday morning service on Facebook Live at 10:30 will continue. Search for my page (Kevin Barron) and we will go live from there. In addition, our Thursday Bible study at 2:15 PM is available on Facebook Live. Both services are available as well by conference call. To call in, dial (425) 436-6338. When requested, enter the access code 313736, followed by #. Try to call in a couple of minutes ahead of time. During the Sunday worship service, you will not be heard. During the Bible study, you are able to participate in the discussion and to share prayer requests. For the fullest experience, bring up the Bible study on Facebook, mute the sound there, and call in. I realize we are on different levels when it comes to technology. If you are not on Facebook, perhaps someone else in your home is and would be willing to bring up the service and Bible study for you. All services and Bible studies are being archived on Youtube (search for Perryville Missouri UMC).

All of the giving options will still be available so we can continue to support the church with which God has blessed us. Options include depositing directly to the account for your church at Regions Bank in Perryville or mailing your check to the church office (314 West North Street, Perryville, MO 63775) and it will be deposited in the appropriate account from there. We also have online giving. Here are two ways to do that:

1. Go to https://crossroads-mo-umc.faithlifesites.com/give (for Crossroads) or to https://perryville-mo-umc.faithlifesites.com/give (for Perryville) and follow the directions you find there.

2. Text Give with the amount (e.g. Give 100) to (573) 227-8101 (for Crossroads) or (573) 227-3252 (for Perryville) and follow the directions you are given. The websites you will see there is still under construction, but the giving component will work for you.

Please continue to remember our church, our people, and Carol and I in your prayers. I do not know what the future holds, but I choose to trust God for that future. I pray you will do the same.

Yours in Christ,

Kevin D. Barron