Dear FBC Family,

Thank you so much for your continued support and encouragement of the FBC Family! We appreciate the wide participation in our Drive-In Church Services on Sunday mornings at 10:00. The numbers continue to hold strong week after week, a testimony to your faithfulness and desire to physically be in the presence of one another. So far we have been blessed with fabulous weather which helps make these services tolerable, if not enjoyable, for everyone. We believe the work of the Holy Spirit in our midst has not ceased, and that even in this strange time we are being drawn into deeper fellowship with God and faithfulness to Christ.

You probably have heard that the Governor has issued a statement easing requirements and implementing Phase One of the strategic plan to get everything back to “normal.” That phase allows for the reinstatement of in-building worship with certain restrictions. However, after much consideration and research, your church leadership has weighed in on the decision to move more cautiously as we go forward. At least through May 31, we will continue having Drive-In Church Services on Sunday mornings at 10:00. We will not be gathering inside the church facility for worship, Sunday School or Bible Study until further notice.

There are numerous considerations that factor into this decision, including the security of our participants, the safety of our staff, the logistics within the facility, the adequacy of supplies, the limitations of egress points, etc. Until we have established protocols and procedures that are deemed adequate to protect all involved, we will restrict our activities as a congregation to the following:

• Drive-In Worship Services on Sundays, 10:00 a.m.

• Online services found on our website

• Interactive Bible Study via Zoom on Wednesday evenings, 6:00 p.m.

• Various Sunday School classes meeting via Zoom at varying times. (Contact your Sunday School Leader for information about how your class is gathering.)

• Essential committee/team meetings, either electronically or in-person with appropriate social distancing.

We continue to monitor the situation and, in particular, the response of churches in areas where restrictions have been lifted previously. We need to feel comfortable with the premise laid out by the Baptist General Association of Virginia that “this is not about how soon you re-gather; it’s about how safely you re-gather.

We all have an eagerness to return to the splendor of our worship facilities for both services. Indeed they are beautiful and inspiring. But the church with Christ as her Head is not defined by buildings, but by a family of believers. So we urge all in our family to commit to “humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:2-3).

Thank you again for your continued prayers, giving, and support in this unusual season.

Hoping to see you soon,

Pastor Darrell