As previously announced, starting this coming Sunday (9/13), we will reassemble for church. We will meet outdoors in the church parking lot. The following are some comments and instructions.
A Note Regarding the California Wildfires
All of you are aware of the wildfires in California. Diamond Bar is about 25 miles southeast of the Bobcat Fire, and about 50 miles west of the El Dorado Fire. Currently, there are some ashes and smoke in the air. But to give you an idea of the level of smoke and ashes in Diamond Bar, many Diamond Bar residents are still taking walks at the park and going for runs in the neighborhood. At the same, however, many residents are also choosing to stay indoors. This simply goes to show that people have different levels of sensitivity to air quality.
As a church, we want to accommodate these differences. That is why our plan for this Sunday is to move forward with our original plan. Our original plan was to have a hybrid-model outdoor service: (a) we will have canopies and chairs for people to sit outside; (b) we will also have FM radio for anyone who wishes to remain in their cars; (c) as a last resort, the worship service will also be live-streamed.
A Reminder about our Common Vision
As we prepare to gather this Sunday, I would also like to remind you about our common vision: a refilled sanctuary. All of us should continue envisioning the day when we are all reassembled for church. That is our goal right now. We must reassemble for church. Please remember that individual worship is not church, and it has simply been way too long since we have had church.
So then, how can we achieve this goal? What must we do to eventually assemble all of us together? The key is to help all of our members feel safe about gathering. For this reason, it is crucial for all of us to cooperate in the following:
· Please keep a safe distance between other members.
· Please wear a face covering at all times.
· Please refrain from any physical contact.
On this third point, I understand that our church went through a heartbreaking time of grief, and we all naturally wanted to embrace one another. Let me be the first to tell you how thankful I was to be part of a church that is so loving and so ready to comfort one another. I saw us all come together in a spirit of unity for the common purpose encouragement. It was a powerful time to be a part of.
But now it is time to rebuild our corporate worship, and I ask you for that same spirit of unity. Each one of us must do our part to help all of our members feel safe about coming to church and also returning to church. The last thing we want is for someone to come to church, and then not return, because he/she saw that we were not following proper precautions. Therefore, I urge you all to do your part to help keep our outdoor sanctuary a contact-free environment.
I am excited to have church this Sunday. More than you will ever know, I have missed worshiping together with all of you.
Let’s come together in unity and let’s rebuild our corporate worship, one week at a time.
“Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!” (Psalm 133:1)
Pastor Daniel Chin
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the pastoral staff.
Pastor Daniel Chin is the lead pastor of Global Mission Church English Ministry. You can contact him via email here.