COVID-19 Update
01.07.21 Update
Dear Northwest Community Church Family,
Happy New Year and welcome to 2021! We remain thankful for God’s faithfulness in 2020 and are excited to see what He has in store for us this upcoming year.
Like some of you, I was surprised to see that as of January 6, 2021, an Arizona news article reported that Arizona has the highest rate of COVID-19 cases in the world. Close contacts within the medical community confirmed that hospitals are functioning at capacity or near capacity levels. Consistent with that significant increase of COVID-19 cases within our state and city, we have seen a noted increase of cases within our church family.
Our elders are taking this seriously. In an effort to minimize interaction and unnecessary exposure, and after much prayerful discussion, we concluded that for the remainder of the month of January, we are canceling ALL in-person, on-campus church events except the corporate worship services. We will provide childcare for those two services for babies through four-year-olds. We plan to restart the canceled events in February, but will re-evaluate our situation near the end of January.
We understand that this virus is contagious. We also believe that the corporate worship services of God’s church are essential for God’s people. While there is risk associated with interaction of any kind outside of your home, we decided not to cancel corporate worship services, but to instead allow you to decide whether or not to participate.
Regarding attendance at a corporate worship service:
Please, if you or someone in your household have recently been sick or in close contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19, we ask that you NOT COME to the campus on Sunday. If you are someone who would be considered in the “at risk” category or who has a compromised immune system or are still uncomfortable attending, please consider staying home and live streaming one of our Sunday services (9:00 AM and 10:45 AM).
Regarding the wearing of a mask at church:
We recommend that you do what you think is best for your own health and comfort and the welfare of others. When you come to church, you’ll notice that some people wear a mask, but many don’t. Whether or not you wear a mask is completely up to your own preference. We will continue to provide masks in the church foyer for those who want one but do not have one. We will also continue to encourage frequent hand washing and/or the use of hand sanitizer.
No matter how challenging life becomes, our God supplies us with His peace, if we trust Him. In Psalm 4:8, David encourages us with God’s provision:
“In peace I will both lie down and sleep, For Thou alone, O LORD, dost make me to dwell in safety.”
If you have any needs, physical or spiritual, please let us know so that we can care for you. We love you in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Pastor Scott Christmas,
On Behalf of the Elders of Northwest