Update 6-15-2020
New Hope Family,
Praise be to God… we can be together once again!
As we begin reopening in-person ministries, our goal is to do so in the most responsible, safety conscious manner we can. This process will evolve over time, and our approach will be updated in light of changing conditions in our state. Over these past three months, we have all developed a great deal of adaptability in dealing with the threat of this virus and the rapid social changes it has caused. This adaptability will serve us well now, as we navigate the process of reopening!
Our current guidelines for worship, office hours, and group meetings are outlined below.
Worship
After three weeks of parking lot worship, we will resume our regular summer worship schedule on Sunday, June 21. Here are the details we need to keep in mind:
- The 8:00 am service will take place outside in the memorial garden (weather permitting).
- Please bring your own lawn chair, if you are able (if you can’t bring one, a chair will be provided)
- We will set up in the lawn area around the garden, observing social distancing of 6 feet minimum between family units
- Since research is indicating that wearing face masks is the single most important thing we can do to insure one another’s safety, masks are required for everyone. (if you do not have a mask, one will be provided for you)
- The 9:45 am service will take place in the sanctuary
- Pews will be marked for seating of family units at least 6 feet apart, to insure social distancing
- Face masks are required for everyone
- Handshakes and hugs should be avoided
- There will be no greeters and no printed bulletins
- There will not be a greeting line or coffee hour after service
- Those feeling ill should stay home (the sermon will be recorded and posted online)
Office Hours
Limited church office hours will resume on Tuesday, June 16, using these procedures:
- The church office will be open Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday each week, from 9:00 am to 12:00 noon.
- Social distancing of at least 6 feet must be observed
- Face masks are required for everyone entering the building
- Conversations with Dawn or Pastor Carman should take place from their doorways, rather than in their offices
Group Meetings
At this time, groups may meet in the church with these provisions for social distancing and safety:
- Meetings will take place in the fellowship hall to allow for maximum spacing
- Social distancing of at least 6 feet must be observed
- Everyone must wear a face mask while in the building
- No food can be served
I want to thank you all for the many ways you have been supportive of one another throughout these last months when we could not be together in person… and I encourage us all to focus now, not on the limitations we still face, but instead on the joy of being able to gather in person once again!
Please contact me or the church office with any questions you have, and may God grant us peace, hope, and joy.
Blessings,
Pastor Carman
Update 5-26-2020
Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
This is an unprecedented time in the life of the church, as we continue to deal with the Coronavirus pandemic, and seek safe and responsible ways to reopen our ministries. New Hope’s leadership has engaged in prayerful discussion around this, incorporating the Michigan Conference guidelines for local church reopening and Governor Whitmer’s executive orders into our process, and this is where we are:
- Our building will remain closed until at least June 12, based on the most recent Executive Order from Governor Whitmer.
- That Order relaxes the limitation on gatherings, however, so we can make the first step toward reopening Sunday morning worship. We will begin Sunday parking lot services at the church on Sunday, May 31.
- Service will be at our regular time of 9:45am.
- Each family will remain in their own vehicle for the service.
- Please note that church restrooms will not be available.
For those who feel safer remaining at home at this time, every effort will be made to record the service and post it online.
I am very happy for the opportunity to gather this Sunday to celebrate both Easter and Pentecost, although our first priority must always be the safety of our people. To that end, we will continue coordinating our reopening timetable with the Governor’s executive orders in the coming weeks.
This will be a first time for me, and perhaps most of us, to be part of a service in the parking lot. So, let’s be ready to go with the flow should we experience technical issues. Also, please forward this information to folks you know who might not have email access. I look forward to seeing you Sunday!
Blessings,
Pastor Carman
Update 5-9-2020
Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
In accordance with Governor Whitmer's Stay at Home order extension, Bishop Bard has continued the suspension of all Michigan United Methodist gatherings, including worship, until May 28, 2020. New Hope UMC will continue to offer online worship each week, and we will continue to care for each other by phone, email, insant messaging, and social media. We are thankful for the lives we save by staying home, even as we pray for strength and patience during this unprecedented time.
Update 4-25-2020
Friends in Christ,
In accordance with Governor Whitmer's Stay at Home order extension, Bishop Bard has continued the suspension of Michigan United Methodist gatherings, including worship, until May 15, 2020. New Hope UMC will continue to offer online worship each week, and we will continue to care for each other by phone, email, insant messaging, and social media. We continue to be thankful for the lives we save by staying home, even as we pray for strength and patience during this unprecedented time.
Update 4-10-2020
New Hope Family,
The stay at home order has been extended through the end of April. Let us keep all those whose lives have been devastated by this disease in prayer. Let us stay strong in our commitment to help save lives by staying home. And let us pray that by May this disease will be controlled enough that we will be able to resume worship and other gatherings.
Blessings,
Pastor Carman
Update 3-26-2020
Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
I pray that you all are safe and well, and finding hope and peace through our Lord Jesus Christ. I know many of us have been wondering what impact the coronavirus pandemic will have on our Holy Week and Easter worship. The numbers both of those infected with the disease and those whose lives have been lost to it continue to rise, both worldwide and in the US. In response, our governor here in Michigan has issued an executive “Stay Home, Stay Safe, Save Lives” order, prohibiting gatherings and requiring people to stay at home, with few exceptions, until April 13.
Our Michigan Area Bishop, David Bard, provided clarification yesterday that this means United Methodist churches in Michigan will not gather for worship during Holy Week or on Easter Sunday.
That does not mean, however, that we will not celebrate Easter. There will continue to be online worship videos, for this Sunday, and Palm Sunday, and Good Friday, And Easter. Beyond that, when the time comes that we can gather again in worship, we will celebrate the risen Lord on that Sunday, in our sanctuary, as Easter Sunday.
Below is an excerpt from Bishop Bard’s letter, affirming that very thing.
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Carman
From Bishop David Bard:
The coronavirus pandemic has arrived during the church season of Lent, a time for spiritual introspection, a time when we remember Elijah’s forty-day sojourn at the end of which he encountered God in the sound of sheer silence, a time when we remember Jesus’ forty days in the wilderness where he encountered wild beasts and angels. This can feel like wilderness time, and our God is a God who brings the wilderness to blossom. Our God is the God whose raising of Jesus we celebrate at the end of Lent. Easter is coming. Even if Lent is extended, Easter is coming. Whatever day we come together again, no matter when, it will be Easter. I will declare it to be Easter Sunday, and Easter is coming.
Thank you. Be well. Know God is with you.
David Alan Bard
Michigan Area Bishop
Original Posting
Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
As part of our United Methodist response to the COVID 19 pandemic, New Hope UMC will be suspending all meetings, studies, programs, meals and worship for the remainder of the month of March.
Just because we cannot gather face to face, however, does not mean that we won't continue to care for one another. In this section of our website, you will find resources to help keep us connected during this time. This page is where you will find updates on the disease and our response to it. The other pages in this section will provide connection information, worship resources, Bible study resources for those in the Revival class, and helpful links to other sites. I hope these resources will be helpful for us as we navigate this unprecedented time, even as I pray for each one of us in the days ahead.
Blessings,
Pastor Carman
Update 2-23-2020
Michigan’s Governor has issued a new executive order requiring Michigan residents and most businesses to stay in their homes. Impact for Michigan United Methodist churches is addressed by Bishop David Bard in today’s letter. Bishop Bard’s full letter can be found on the Michigan Conference web site. Basically, this order means our church building is closed, our worship will continue to be in the form of videos each week, and our staff will be working from home.
While our church building will be closed, we are still the body of Christ. This means:
- We can communicate with each other by email and phone and text (the church answering machine, email, and regular mail will be checked frequently)
- I will have a worship video for us each week
- We can (and really need to) send our regular offerings by mail or electronically
- The central resource for us will be this web site.
My prayers are with us all during this time, and I encourage all of us to be in prayer for each other, for those impacted by this disease, and for all those working in our health care systems. And always remember, our future is in God’s hands, and God is good, all the time.
Blessings,
Pastor Carman
