Dear partners and friends,
I shared with you last week that we had been served a cease-and-desist letter on July 2, which we were to comply with by July 3. We chose to continue through July 4 with our conference because we had fulfilled every health department requirement except the limit of 175 people. We took all necessary precautions and felt that it was our First Amendment right to freely exercise our faith and peaceably assemble, especially in light of the way protests and riots have been allowed and encouraged with no CDC compliance. The conference and July 4th show were a huge success! Many lives were changed, and people were greatly encouraged!
We have been working together with county officials to come to a mutual agreement. On Thursday, July 9, we tentatively reached agreement on a way to let a youth conference use our facilities on July 10-11, and then I learned that two of our employees have tested positive for the COVID-19 virus, and a couple of others have some possible symptoms. This put things in a different light.
I still believe we have the right to assemble, but I also have an obligation to staff and those who attend to make reasonable efforts to ensure they are safe. I'm not willing to wait until all risk is removed. I'm aware that is exactly what many are advocating, but there is much more at stake than just people getting sick. People are suffering emotionally, financially, and in many other ways. Christianity is a body ministry, and whether or not the government deems us essential, God does, and He instructed us not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together. We will not relinquish our constitutional right to meet in person and minister to each other.
But I felt like I can't intentionally put staff who have tested positive in a position to transmit the virus to others. If these two employees are the extent of the infection, then we can replace them while they recover and expand our safety efforts. But they worked with many other staff, and we just don't know the extent of the infection.
For that reason, I made the decision to contact the county health officials for help in determining how extensive this is. We are going to encourage our conference staff to get tested and remain offsite until further notice. Because we won't have test results back in time for the youth conference this weekend, I thought it was prudent to put the conference on hold. It was a very hard decision for me, but I felt like it was the right thing to do. The organizers of the conference were able to find another location for the event, so I'm happy about that.
So, this is just to update you on where we are in this process. If the infections are limited to just a couple of people, we will isolate them and continue on with added precautions. If the situation is worse, we will have to cross that bridge when we get there. This situation is changing by the hour. It's premature to say what will happen, but I wanted to let you know where we are at this moment.
I really covet your prayers on this. I just "happened" to be reading 2 Samuel 6 on Tuesday, which talks about David bringing the ark up to the tent he pitched for it in Jerusalem. His first attempt to do that wasn't good. His second attempt worked. Although we have a much better covenant and won't experience God's punishment as David did, there is a reminder here to always seek God's wisdom in everything we do. Thank you for keeping us in your prayers.
We will keep you informed.
Thanks,
P.S. Our Helpline is now open twenty-four hours a day, Monday through Friday (MT). If you want a prayer minister to stand in agreement with you for any need, please call 719-635-1111.
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