Thoughts on Reopening

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September 24, 2020

In this video, Pastor Scott discusses the possibility of a partial return to in-person worship at the Artisan building. We would love your thoughts—and we also want to know how you are doing right now. Please click here to complete the survey.

You can watch the announcement video below, or read the transcript.

Hello, Artisan family. I sure do miss you! This past Sunday was the 27th consecutive week without in-person worship in our sanctuary. That means it has been half a calendar year since we stopped holding public worship. I absolutely believe we made the right decision. But wow, has it ever been tough. I don’t need to tell you.

The coronavirus pandemic is not over. We have to keep being vigilant and careful, especially by wearing masks and following social distancing guidelines when we’re out and about. These measures have been shown time and time again to make a huge difference in controlling the spread of this disease. Don’t get complacent!

And yet, our state’s response has been one of the most effective in the country, and of the ten most populous counties in New York, our county has the lowest infection rate per capita. As businesses and restaurants have begun to reopen, we have not seen any dangerous spikes in the infection rates in our region. We are all hopeful that the opening of schools this month will not cause a dangerous spike either. The leadership at Artisan is going to be watching this very closely.

With all this in mind, the Leadership Team has begun to consider what it might look like to hold some form of worship service again in the Artisan building. Whatever form this may take, we will also continue to hold services on zoom for those who are unable or uncomfortable meeting in person. As we plan, we are eager to hear from you! We have prepared a survey so that you can let us know about your preferences, plans, hopes, and concerns regarding in person church activities. The survey also has some questions that are just about how you’re doing in this season. I’m asking every person who considers Artisan their home church to take this survey so we have as complete a picture of our community’s needs as possible. We will carefully consider the results of this survey alongside the data from the Monroe County DOH in the coming weeks as we make any decisions about public worship. So please go to artisanchurch.com/survey or check our social media pages or our website to find the link.

Thank you for your ongoing support, for your prayers, and for continuing to make Artisan a vibrant faith community where even during a pandemic, we continue to live out our mission: to encounter God, embrace people, and engage culture—in the way of Jesus.