Dear Central Baptist Family,
The pastoral staff would like to express a grateful “thank you” to the church families of CBC. I have been so encouraged and blessed to see how you have responded during this crisis to care for each other and and our community. I know there are countless stories of our church members sacrificing for, serving, and blessing the city of Owasso and surrounding communities. I am proud to be your pastor, and I look forward with great anticipation to coming back together.
As we move into the month of May, we have created a Reopening Team that has been praying and meeting to draw up what we call CBC’s Reopening Strategy. This team consists of our pastoral staff, key church leaders, deacon leadership, business leaders, and members of our church who are medical professionals. Also, we have made available a survey for church members to gauge our congregation’s level of readiness for reopening our campus. Thank you for responding to
this survey. Your insights have been so valuable to us.
The following are our main concerns that are being prayed over and addressed:
- How do we maintain the purpose and mission of CBC during and after this crisis?
- When will we reopen our church facility? Will it be a single date or a more lengthy process?
- What will services and ministries look like in light of social distancing, cleaning procedures, and the health of “at-risk” individuals?
- How will we communicate effectively to the church body and beyond?
I know there may be some frustration by church members that we have not opened our church doors yet. On the other hand, there may be many of you who are nervous that we are even considering coming back together. I want you to know that our Reopening Team is listening to you and making decisions that are best for ALL of our congregation. This is a great opportunity for ALL of us at Central Baptist to come together, with one heart, as a family. With that being said, here is CBC’s REOPENING STRATEGY that will continually be updated in the weeks ahead:
MINISTRIES:
- Worship: We will continue to worship online during the month of May with the hopes for modified, on-campus worship services resuming around Phase 3 of the Governor’s Open Up and Recover Safely Plan. This is a tentative plan that may change.
- Sunday School and Bible Studies: Classes will continue to meet online.
- Nursery: When we do come back for on-campus worship, the nursery will remain closed.
- Kids Ministry: All on-campus activities are still cancelled. VBS and Kids Camp are on hold as we wait for updates from regional partners and camp personnel.
- Youth Ministry: All on-campus activities are still cancelled. Youth Camp is tentatively rescheduled for July 27-31.
- Grand Central Kids: The spring semester has been cancelled. We are still planning to resume Sept. 8 as normal.
- Cleaning and Sanitation: We are stocking up on cleaning and sanitation products and working through procedures for creating the cleanest and safest on-campus environment.
PLANNING PRINCIPLES: -
A Process: Reopening of the church facility will be a process and not be a one time event.
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Short vs. Long-Term Plans: The church will rely on short-term plans while looking to the future. The nature of the COVID-19 virus and the government’s ongoing guidelines make it very difficult to announce long-range plans.
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Wisdom and Leadership: CBC is continually looking to government recommendations, the advice of medical personnel, and other local churches for wisdom on how to proceed. Our pastoral staff and Reopening Team will continue to monitor the government’s ongoing reopening plan as decisions for CBC are being made.
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Communication: When a date has been selected to begin reopening, church leadership will communicate to the congregation 7-10 days ahead of time.
Thank you church for your continued prayers and patience as we navigate these uncharted waters together. I am encouraged to know that God is in control, none of this has caught him by surprise, and we can trust him as we move forward. Let’s pray for revival and healing for our congregation, community, and country.
To God be the Glory,
Dr. Clayton Chisum, the pastoral staff, and CBC’s Reopening Team