Hello Friends,

I want to update you on the timing of when we will be able to gather for worship again in KirkWood’s sanctuary. I know that we are all missing one another, and with the transition that KirkWood is going through, many are very anxious to resume community worship activities. These are still very uncertain times, and the uncertainty brings a fair amount of anxiety. I want to encourage you with something the Bible says in 1 Peter 5, “cast your anxieties upon the Lord for He cares for you.” Even though we cannot be together in worship right now, God is still watching over us and caring for us.

I also want to assure you that KirkWood’s Session and Session Committees are working diligently to resume worship in the sanctuary as soon as practical. As you are probably aware, the Virginia State Government is now allowing faith communities to hold in person worship. Those guidelines can be found at this link: https://www.governor.virginia.gov/media/governorvirginiagov/governor-of-virginia/pdf/Virginia-Forward-Phase-One-Religious-Services-Guidelines.pdf

The strict rules on public gatherings have been relaxed some in recent weeks. However, gathering for worship comes with strenuous guidelines. I am not going to delineate the specifics here. If you would like to read them, they can be found at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/php/faith-based.html.

For the safety and well-being of all KirkWood friends and members, especially the most vulnerable among us, your session is committed to following these guidelines as closely as they can.

This means that there is quite a lot of work that must be done, and it is going to take more time to make sure the risks posed by worshipping together are minimized. We want to make sure that we care for the entire KirkWood family. It also means that many hands will be necessary to accomplish everything that needs to be done to ensure a safe worship environment. It is very likely that a member of KirkWood’s leadership team will ask you to help meet this monumental task in one or more ways. I encourage you to say “yes” when you are asked.

I also want to remind you that if you need assistance of any kind we are still available. You can reach out to me, or any member of the session. You may call KirkWood’s office and leave a voice mail anytime. We want to stay connected and hear from you. We are committed to be a Christian Community, growing together, knowing, loving, and serving Christ to make Him known to all. The more we stay connected, the more we will experience the grace of Jesus Christ helping us through these very trying times.

In Christ,
Charles