7/22/2020

With the new Ohio executive order, masks are required in all public places state-wide, with the exception of someone officiating a religious service. 

This means that anyone attending an in-person service at New Life Church will be required to wear a mask.  If you happen to forget yours, we do have masks available at all of our campuses.

Of course, there are other exceptions under this order.  You can find the exceptions at coronavirus.ohio.gov.

7/12/2020

With the new Ohio executive order, those that are in counties under a Public Health Advisory Level 3 (Red) or Level 4 (Purple) are required to wear masks in all public places, with the exception of someone officiating a religious service. 

This means that if New Life Church is located in a Level 3 or Level 4 county, anyone attending an in-person service will be required to wear a mask.  If you happen to forget yours, we do have masks available at all of our campuses.

Currently, Summit County is under a Level 3 Public Health Advisory.  This means that those attending our Stow Campus will be required to wear a mask.

Of course, there are other exceptions under this order.  You can find the exceptions at coronavirus.ohio.gov.

5/12/2020

New Life Family!

I am writing to you today to give you some great news and a little bit of information about reopening public worship services at New Life. Our elder board and staff have been deliberating and consulting the best wisdom from the Governor’s Office for Faith-Based Initiatives, the recommendations of the Ohio Ministry Network Presbytery, our insurance company, and other church leaders regarding when and how to begin meeting together again.  

I am THRILLED to announce that we will be offering public worship services beginning Sunday, May 31.

(Note: This is a very thorough communication. Thank you for taking the time to read it carefully)

Before I outline what our services will look like, let me help you understand a few things:

1. If you are considered to be more vulnerable to COVID-19, we would encourage you to continue joining our services online.

2. If you are not yet comfortable to re-enter large public gatherings, online worship opportunities will continue for all of our campuses. You should not feel any pressure from us to join in-person until you’re entirely comfortable.

3. We’d ask that you extend us a lot of grace as we traverse the coming season. These are very confusing times that have made re-entry tricky to navigate. We won’t get everything right and we appreciate your patience with us as we attempt to make prudent and safe choices.

4. Our service will not be immediately “back to normal.” You should expect that things will be notably different for a season. We want you to be aware of this so that you’re not frustrated.

5. We know that there are no shortage of perspectives related to how organizations should or should not open up. Again, we ask that you would extend the grace of Jesus to us as we prayerfully take steps to open. In a situation like this, despite our deepest desires and best effort, there is no way for us to construct a plan that makes everyone smile. The best we can do is follow the guidance that we have received. We thank you for your incredibly understanding hearts as we attempt to create an environment for public worship again.

The big question is “What will church look like at first?” Below is an abbreviated summary of what you can expect.

• We will have multiple services at the Aurora and Stow campuses at significantly reduced occupancy. In order to ensure our occupancy doesn’t exceed recommended limits, we’re going to ask that you sign-up for your service time in advance. This will help us to avoid any issues.

• We will not have any New Life Kids ministry. This includes nursery, toddlers, pre-k, and elementary. 

• We ask that you wear a mask to church. The only time a mask will not be worn by a member of our staff will be when they are speaking from a microphone. Otherwise, our entire team will be wearing masks. If you happen to forget yours, we will have them available for you.

• We will have a unique seating arrangement set up in the auditorium. This will enable us to remain physically distanced.

• We will have a one-way traffic flow through the facility to avoid cross traffic in doors and hallways.

• We will be abbreviating the service significantly to reduce the need to use the restroom. Right now, we are planning for a service that will be around 45 minutes (similar to the length of our online services).

• We will not be filling out any connect cards or passing the offering bags. We will have an offering receptacle available for you to give on your way out if you would like to give in person. However, we would encourage you to continue to utilize online giving via newlifechurchonline.com/give. 

• To avoid any congregating in lobbies or other areas that are difficult to physically distance in, we will be structuring our dismissal so that you can be directed outside quickly following the service. Unfortunately, this also means that we will be unable to provide coffee and tea for our services.

• We will be doing a thorough cleaning before and after each service that will be in alignment with the recommendations and protocols outlined by the CDC.

We appreciate your continued prayer as we work carefully and diligently to glorify God and make Him known in this trying time.

In Christ,

Josh Willaford
Lead Pastor
New Life Church