COVID-19 Recovery Update & January 30th In-Person Worship Service Update

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With the start of the new year, I am hopeful that we will turn the corner on this pandemic sometime this year. As more and more of our people are able to receive the vaccine, I pray that we will be able to meet in person for worship gatherings more and more. I have been so thankful for being able to have the two in-person services at the end of 2020 – for those who were able, the ability to worship together six feet apart, see each other without having to look at a screen, and to be able to fellowship together without any delay or lag.

Many of you may be asking why we are continuing to follow our recovery roadmap during this time when the situation in Houston is so dire. There are a few reasons I’d like to share on why we have decided to continue pressing onward with our in-person services:

1. Preparation: Our recovery roadmap is primarily to help prepare our teams that are involved with the weekly worship service for an eventual in-person service. Once the situation improves and vaccines distributed, our hope and desire is for us as a body to return as soon as possible for we have been suffering the effects of not being able to be together corporately for far too long, whether we realize it or not. For that to happen, our coworker teams need to be ready to receive you and to lead us into worship so we are taking these services as opportunities to train and equip our teams on many of our upgrades as we anticipate continuing to minister to those who are joining us online.

2. Protection: We have taken extensive efforts to minimize the risks of in-person gatherings through facility upgrades, seating restrictions, and protocols in order to welcome you back together. While we will never be able to completely eliminate all risks, the benefits of in-person worship gatherings: the ability to see and hear each other and the intangible effects of being in each other’s presence far outweigh the long-term effects of a screen-based gathering. There are certainly reasons for continuing online gatherings – the ability to reach and minister those who are far from us, the flexibility of time, and the ease of use, which is why we plan to continue our online ministries going forward. However, this was always meant to be a temporary accommodation since we were created for corporate, bodily, fellowship.

3. Progression: Continuing to take forward steps towards the goal of returning to weekly in-person services both keeps our eyes on what’s ahead as well as challenges us to continue to rely on the Lord’s provision and protection as we navigate the uncertainty that lies ahead. We will never know what challenges and barriers will come tomorrow but we are certain that the Lord wants us to entrust all of those things to Him as long as we continue to grow in faith that He will lead the way. We believe we are being reasonable with our plan, not overly safe and not overly risky. Pray for us as we continue to seek the Lord’s wisdom in this.

While these are our plans, we continue to seek wisdom from the Lord and from our leaders. With the unanticipated flooding incident in our sanctuary, after much consideration and discussion, we have decided to cancel our next in-person service that was going to be held on Saturday, January 30 in the chapel. Due to the smaller capacity of the space and its location on the 2nd floor, we would not be able to properly enforce our COVID-19 precautions in the chapel. Therefore, we have postponed our indoor in-person services until the sanctuary has been restored.

We will continue to pray for and monitor the status of COVID-19 in greater Houston and take any necessary steps to ensure an environment that is conducive to a sincere worship of our Lord.

If you have any questions, please visit our In Person Service FAQ’s on the right or you are welcome to email questions@whcchome.org and we will get back to you in a timely manner. Let us continue to pray for our church, our city, and our world as we await the Lord’s return!

With the joy of Christ,
Pastor Nathan

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Due to the ongoing repairs in the sanctuary from a burst water pipe, our capacity in the chapel is reduced to a limit of 56 in-person attendees. We will continue to pray for and monitor the status of COVID-19 in greater Houston and take any necessary steps to ensure an environment that is conducive to a sincere worship of our Lord.

If you have any questions, please visit our In Person Service FAQ’s on the right or you are welcome to email questions@whcchome.org and we will get back to you in a timely manner.

Let us continue to pray for our church, our city, and our world as we await the Lord’s return!

With the joy of Christ,
Pastor Nathan

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What steps have you taken to ensure the facility is safe for in-person worship?

While our building has been closed, we have been making several upgrades to our facility to reduce the risk of disease transmission in order to welcome you back! We have:

  • Upgraded our HVAC units to include UV light disinfection and MERV-13 filters
  • Converted all of our faucets, soap dispensers, and paper towel dispensers to touchless units
  • Installed additional touchless hand sanitizers around our facility
  • Installed sneeze guards at critical locations where social distancing is not possible
  • Set up temperature check points upon entry
  • Set up a single flow of traffic with designated entry and exit doors to minimize cross traffic flow
  • Rearranged our sanctuary seating to allow for more aisles to access seats
  • Activated an online seating reservation system with social distancing rules to allow worshippers to select their seats before they come to worship

Are there any restrictions on who can attend?

We know that many are eager to return and attend. We miss you as well! However, since we are still living through a pandemic, we are encouraging the following groups of people to prayerfully consider not attending the in-person service at this time, and to join our online services on Sunday morning if you:

  • Are experiencing any flu-like symptoms, e.g. fever, cough, shortness of breath
  • Have been in close contact to a confirmed case of COVID-19 within the past two weeks of the service date
  • Are immunocompromised
  • Are over the age of 65 years of age

How can I prepare to attend the in-person service?

As you prayerfully consider and prepare to attend the in-person service, we kindly ask that you:

Before Service

  • Select your seats through our TouchPoint reservation system
  • Read our Health Screening Questions and check the box to inform us that you have read the questions
  • After registration is complete, please expect a confirmation email containing the special service QRC and your seat number. Please save this email or print and bring it to WHCC on the day of the service. Max attendance is set at 100 so we encourage you to register early!
  • Check your email inbox two days before the service for a reminder with a welcome message, your ticket and seat info, and our health screening questions for you to self-administer before coming to church. If you meet any of the conditions listed, we kindly request that you do not attend.
  • Coming to Service
  • Park in the back parking lot. The back entrance will be the only entrance available for the in-person service
  • Wear a mask upon entering the back entrance doors
  • Maintain social distancing of six feet while waiting in lines
  • Scan your QRC at the check-in table
  • Submit to a temperature check
  • Put on the wristband signifying you have passed the check-in points
  • Follow the directional arrows on the floor to enter the sanctuary

During Service

  • Wear a mask the entire time you and your family are in the sanctuary

After Service

  • Follow the directional arrows on the floor to exit the church building back into the back parking lot
  • We appreciate your prayers and cooperation as we take steps forward in restarting our in-person services! If you have any questions, please email questions@whcchome.org and we will get back to you in a timely manner

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