Sunday October 25, 2020
As we continue through this season of unknowns and upturned rhythms, we’d like to let you know what our current plan is as it relates to gathering again in person for weekend services.
Today marks 33 weekends of online services. We greatly miss seeing all of your faces and standing side by side as the church family, but this challenging season has also brought along some unique and unexpected blessings.
- We’ve seen Riv Communities spring up as people gather with friends and neighbors.
- Students from out of town have been able to stay connected with their Life Groups as they meet digitally.
- Meaningful conversations have been had that otherwise wouldn’t have happened.
- People across the state, country, and world are connecting as the Riv family through our online weekend services.
Yet, we can’t wait to join together again in worship, face to face and shoulder to shoulder!
Restarting Services
We are currently targeting the weekend of January 9&10, 2021 to introduce in-person gatherings for weekend services. As that’s just a little over two months away, we have some clear answers for you right now, but there are also some more questions we’ll answer as we get closer to opening. Here’s what we can answer right now:
Things will look different at our venues. Here are some of the things you can expect:
- Masks will be required by everyone attending a service
- There will be limited space in our auditoriums
- Services will be family-style, so no RivKids will be offered at first
- We’re in need of volunteers to carry out all our services safely and smoothly
- Registration will be necessary in order to attend a service
- We’ll have regular cleaning rhythms during the week and weekends
Online Service
When we reopen for in-person services, we will also be continuing to provide our service online. As part of the Riv fam, you can continue joining online weekly whether by yourself, with your family, your Life Group, Riv Community, or neighbors.
Everyone has their own response and comfort with gathering in groups (both large and small), so we want to continue to allow you to engage with our church in the way that works best for you. If you’re looking for community right now, be sure to check out our Life Groups, Riv Communities, and other events happening.
Since March, we’ve been making every tough decision with lots of prayer, seeking the wisest and safest steps for our church family. We will continue to operate within that framework as we move forward, evaluating our situation on an ongoing basis. Please continue in prayer for both our church family and church leaders as we all are impacted greatly by the weight of this season and all it’s brought us through.
As we get closer to our reopen date, we’ll communicate more details with you to let you plan and prepare.
– Riverview Church Leadership