Dear Calvary Chapel Modesto Church Family,

On Monday, May 25^th, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced an initial step in reopening churches in the state. Churches are now free to meet, but attendance must be 25% of the sanctuary’s maximum seating or 100 people, whichever number is less.  Additionally, after 21 days, the state will allow the health departments of individual counties to then set the requirements for church reopening going forward, based upon the specific circumstances of their counties.

This means that Sunday, May 31^st, we are reopening the church for worship services.  This will include both Sunday morning services at 8:30am and 10:45 am, as well as our Sunday evening service at 6:00pm.  You can participate in the services in one of three ways:

1. Continue to stream the services online at home.
2. The first 100 people arriving for the church service who desire to sit in the sanctuary (aged twelve years and older) will be free to do so.  Please note that there will be no seating in our Fellowship Hall at this time.
3. Because outdoor services of any size are allowed with social distancing, we will be transforming our entire church courtyard into a sanctuary as well.  A large outdoor screen will be installed outside each week, as well as supplemental sound speakers and seating.  Additionally, we will be adding three shade structures to complement the large shade structure at the center of the courtyard and our beautiful, mature trees.  Bottled water will also be provided.

Unfortunately, the governor’s order presently does not allow for Children’s Church, so parents and children will need to sit together outside.  We intend upon providing Children’s Church as soon as we are given a green light.

Concerning safety measures associated with Covid-19, it is important to continue to maintain social distancing of six feet and to refrain from handshakes and hugging, both inside and outside the building.  Masks will be required inside the building.  Masks are not required outside, but please bring one with you, as the adult restrooms are inside the building.  I know that masks are a sore spot with a lot of people, so here is a brief explanation for our requiring them inside:

1. Masks are required so that as many people as possible who attend Calvary Chapel Modesto can feel safe in doing so, and confident that attending does not pose an unnecessary health risk to them.
2. Worshiping in song increases the projection of the respiratory droplets tied to the spread of Covid-19.  The masks will take care of that problem and allow us to worship the Lord in song as we so enjoy doing.

It is important to realize that you are wearing a mask, not for your sake, but for the sake of other people.  It keeps your respiratory droplets within your own mask.  This is important because it appears that Covid-19 can be spread by people who are asymptomatic.  They have the disease and don’t know it yet, or they have the disease, are contagious, and may never know they were sick.

Please purchase or make a mask and bring it each week for use in the building, including restrooms.  We will have masks available for people each week, but hope to only use them for visitors or those who have forgotten their mask for some reason.  That way we do not have to be buying them unnecessarily.  Thank you.

In this vein of safety, we will continue in a heightened state concerning our cleaning of surfaces at the church.

Please do not come to church if you are sick.

If you are in a high risk category concerning Covid-19 and are not yet comfortable attending the services personally, though we would love to see you face to face again, we fully support any decision you make regarding attendance.  Please be aware that our pastors and church staff are fully available to you for prayer or counseling on a more individual basis.  Simply call the church office.

Offering boxes will be available in both the sanctuary and the courtyard each week.

During the Sunday services we will open two air-conditioned rooms facing the courtyard to sit in, in the event you or your children begin to wilt a bit and are in need of some air conditioning to recover in.

And finally, pastors will be available for prayer, both inside and outside, after the services.

Thank you so much ahead of time for your patience and grace toward us and everyone else at the church.  We have never been in this place before, and are doing our best to make the best of it.

Please feel free to contact a pastor or the church office about any questions which you might have.

It will be so wonderful to assemble together this Sunday to worship our Lord and to fellowship together.

The Lord bless you and keep you,

Pastor Damian