Spring 2021: The Latest for Worship & Community at Third

 

SPRING UPDATE FOR LIFE AT THIRD

Since we last updated you in March, pandemic metrics have continued to look favorable, with vaccinations increasing and cases reaching what looks to be (hopefully!) a plateau. This is good news! With the Governor’s latest directive, effective on April 1, we wanted to reach back out with our plans for the coming months. 

  • We are continuing with our current schedule for the foreseeable future with our two services at 9:00 and 11:00 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall. After a year of constant change, our volunteer and staff teams have found manageable rhythms for weekly worship that we want to continue to build on. We are hopeful as more people become vaccinated and we reach closer to herd immunity, we will be welcoming more people to worship with us! 

  • Although we will not be returning to weekly outdoor worship, we will be hosting special monthly outdoor sacrament services one Sunday afternoon a month, from April through June. At these shorter services, we will offer communion, worship, and an opportunity for baptism for several of the many babies born in the past year! These services will be open for all and will take place in our parking lot. The dates for these services will be: 

    • April 18

    • May 16

    • June 13

More info to come! Stay tuned.

  • Parish Groups have begun to re-gather in person! While we are grateful that technology enabled us to continue meeting during the cold months, as we move into this new season our priority is reconnecting in person with one another as much as we can. Our groups are finding creative ways to meet safely in person outside; please get in touch with your Parish Area Leaders to find out what’s happening near you. 

  • Also, starting this weekend, April 11, we will officially be offering childcare to children 2 years old and younger. This begins a phased reopening for our nursery and childcare rooms, with the goal being childcare available for all kids kindergarten and younger by the fall. 

  • We are excited that as restrictions lift and the weather warms up, we will be able to meet outside together more frequently on Forest Avenue and at the Pump Road property. Already, our family ministry has a fun family meetup in the parking lot scheduled for just a week from now. More to come! 

We are so grateful that we have been able to be together in many ways recently. From full Easter services to family ministry drive-thru’s and Club 56 events, our people are finding their way out of the uncertainty of the past year, and into community and worship with their brothers and sisters. We hope this joy of reconnection continues in the months to come!

 
Becca Payne