Restoration Family,
Over the past few weeks, it has been so refreshing, so encouraging, and just so good to worship together in our new location at Mercy Road church! We are grateful for how God has provided opportunities to gather together and to worship together in what remains a trying time for our nation and for our world.
In recent weeks, our stamina and our endurance have both been tested in new ways as reports of increased Covid cases have been making headlines on both the local and national level. Also in the headlines have been the reports of contentious and heated meetings between legitimately concerned parents, and equally concerned school boards—both of whom are concerned for the safety and wellbeing of their children or students.
Because the demographics and geographic locations of Restoration’s families are so diverse, another question has arisen recently as to which policies — school district, state, CDC, or otherwise — Restoration is following regarding mask use for its children, students, and families.
This is not an easy question to answer. Some districts and schools are all masks, all the time… Others are some masks, some of the time, largely depending upon rates of Covid transmission, etc… Yet other schools, like my own, have been entirely mask-free going all the way back to April.
So in an attempt to provide a response to the questions already raised—and to provide some clarity for those who have lingering questions—Restoration’s Leadership Team is providing this update in an effort to bring some clarity regarding our current recommendations regarding masks for those participating in our worship services, our children’s ministry, our youth ministry, and other ministries of the church.
As we considered how we are moving forward with Covid protocols this year, the following factors were all considered as we made decisions on a Leadership Team level.
- What is best for moving the mission of Restoration forward?
- What is best for our church community — physically, socially, emotionally, and spiritually?
- What will keep students, families, and volunteers as healthy and safe as practically possible?
- What mitigates liability and risk for Restoration?
- What are we required by law to follow?
By answering those five questions, I believe the Leadership Team has come up with a good plan for what we know now, today. Having prayerfully and carefully considered many possibilities over the past few months, our current guidance is as follows:
- Restoration will continue to do what is best for the advancement of our mission of “joining with Jesus in restoring communities through the multiplication of Christ-centered followers, leaders, ministries and churches”
- We recognize that there will be differences of opinion in how we restore communities and multiply Christ-centered followers in the current health situation, and seek to understand and honor one another in those differences
- We are no longer under emergency powers and are no longer living in a world of mandates as we knew them just a short time ago. An increasingly common message from our government- and school district leaders is to find ways to take personal responsibility for one’s own health and safety.
- Masks have unfortunately become an incredibly powerful political tool to divide people. As a Leadership Team, it is part of our responsibility to protect our church; this includes protecting the church from division. I do not believe that we should allow masks to divide the church. This is a response I am passionate about on both the personal level and the church leadership level.
To be sure, Restoration continues its strong commitment to helping families in crisis or who have been impacted by Covid. Several examples that come to mind include the following:
- Restoration and its worshipers continue to provide food and donations to families at Westview Elementary school.
- We are also planning to bless the teachers and staff at Westview this Christmas season with a small gift.
- We supported families at Westview through the initial months of the pandemic with over three thousand dollars of grocery gift cards and car repairs.
- We are committed to praying for our families, our health care workers, our teachers, and our leaders; we encourage all of us to join in those prayers.
- We welcome your ongoing ideas on how to best serve our own families and our communities. Please continue bringing your ideas to the Leadership Team regarding how to accomplish this as a church body, while you continue to seek ways to serve your friends and neighbors on a personal level.
So what does this mean on a practical level?
- Because Restoration’s families represent such a wide variety of school districts and geography, we do not envision a scenario in which we will strictly adhere to any one district’s mask policy. Doing so allows the Leadership Team to utilize many districts for their ideas, but does not bind us to any one of them as we function as a church fully capable of making the best decision for our church community.
- Restoration will support and respect the children and families who choose to wear masks at this time. Restoration will also support and respect the children and families who choose not to wear masks at this time. As a leadership team and as representatives of the Body of Christ, we set the high expectation of honoring one another’s decisions and affirming personal responsibility in either scenario.
The deepest cry of our hearts is that we could find a way to live with unity of heart and purpose, even when unity of thought is not feasible. Thank you for partnering with us in striving for unity of heart and purpose! To God be the glory, great things He is doing!
Chris Davis
for the Leadership Team