Update: Church Gathering During Lockdown

We will keep meeting!!

The elders of Knysna Baptist Church have decided to open our church for public worship from this Sunday, June 14. Our reasons are:

  • We see a FIGHT: to strengthen faith and worship during a time that works against it.
  • We LOVE meeting in worship, regardless the number of people.
  • There is a special EDIFICATION in worshiping together as One Body
  • COMMUNION and BAPTISM cannot be left undone indefinitely, these are the unique signs Christ gave His disciples
  • We need ACCOUNTABILITY – seeing one another keeps us from drifting away without notice

A threat

We recognise that if you shouldn’t attend, you may feel “on the outside”. In one sense you are, just as anyone who wouldn’t normally attend misses out. But you are by no means on the outside in our hearts. We are together in Spirit. Not even all the elders will be attending. There is no judgement on anyone who shouldn’t come…

We expect that each person will be responsible in their decision to attend or not. The pandemic is real; Covid-19 can cause death. We don’t want to have untimely memorials!

Our goal is to provide as much of the corporate mood as we can online; It looks like we will continue to run parallel physical and online services for a long time.

(Please remember – If you are over 60, or have pre-existing health conditions, the government has advised you to remain home and follow online.
Whatever age you are, if we have reason to think you’re unwell, you will be asked to return home.)

What to expect::

A different kind of service

It will be different in length, items, and singing. The uniqueness of Christianity is that we worship “in Spirit and Truth”. We are not tied to any one form. The only pillars which never change are Scripture reading, Prayer, Singing, Preaching, and the ordinances (communion and baptism). But how we do this and what it looks like is a matter of liberty. We do what makes most sense at the time.

Social Distancing

  • there will be no hugging, shaking hands; no gathering in the foyer; and no tea afterwards
  • the chairs are spaced apart by regulation; including between family members.
  • Though this may feel strange, we are thankful that we can even be in the same room!

What to bring

  • Cloth mask (no shields),
  • Your own Bible,
  • Your own cushion if needed – we are using plastic chairs which are easier to sanitise.

Arrival

We will record your attendance as you arrive, measure your temperature, and ask you questions about your health
If we get close to 50 attendees in the future, we may need to plan some pre-registration.

 

Pray for our Church.

The new setup involves a lot more work; it requires us to have backup people if anyone on the team becomes ill; We believe we can still sustain this. We will get better at it each time, by the grace of God and your grace.

in some ways, this will be like 1st century Christianity: Meeting was not easy; but it was delightful. Being Christian meant their comforts were stripped, but the worship of Christ was greater comfort than anything in the world.
These days are dark, and may get darker yet – this is when the Light shines brightest.