Tag: Connections (page 1 of 2)

Pizza Night Program Kick-Off Event!

Wednesday, September 15 @ 5:45pm

We are excited for the return of in-person program nights this Wednesday, September 15, 2021. Church will be hosting a pizza dinner from 5:45-6:30pm, prior to the start of programming at 6:30pm.

Everyone is welcome whether you are bringing children to GEMS, Cadets, or Roots OR if you just want to come, grab a piece of pizza and connect with others.

A few things to note:

  • We will be outdoors in the lower parking lot allowing families and people to spread out, run around, and socialize while eating.
  • Please park in the upper parking lot or in the spaces near the garden in the lower lot.
  • What to bring? Lawn chairs or blankets for seating if desired, your own tableware and water bottle.

August 2021 mask update

Dear Members & Friends,

On Wednesday, the Washtenaw County Health Department issued an advisory strongly recommending masking for everyone in indoor, public spaces, regardless of vaccination status. This advisory was issued due to increasing local transmission of COVID-19, now in “substantial” levels as defined in the CDC COVID Data Tracker. In addition, neighboring counties have also reached “substantial” levels of transmission. We plan to follow this advisory from our local health department and request that everyone over the age of 2 wear a mask during worship services and any other indoor meetings at the church.

We will continue to offer additional spaces for families and individuals during worship services in the fellowship hall and Room 24 for those who desire increased physical distancing. At this time, there will not be any capacity limits in the sanctuary.

More information is available in the  Washtenaw County Health Department COVID-19 Advisory,  including an opportunity to order at-home COVID-19 test kits if you are interested.

Together in Christ,
Jill Fenske, Council President
Malo Engel, Shepherding Elder Chair

We are again requesting that everyone over the age of two wear a mask during worship services and any other indoor meetings at the church

Worship moving back indoors beginning July 11

Dear members and friends,

After significant discussion, and in consultation with the Medical Advisory Team, the Shepherding Elders have decided to move Sunday morning worship back indoors starting July 11. Although the 9:30 am worship start time was originally chosen to avoid late-morning heat, Council has decided that worship will remain at 9:30 am throughout the summer. Given current COVID conditions, we will continue to ask unvaccinated people over the age of 2 to mask at all times while in the building.

The Shepherding Elders realize that the move indoors will be a significant relief to some, while for others, it brings new concerns and challenges. In order to make as much room as possible, the service will be streamed to the Fellowship Hall and Room 24. Room 24 will be a fully-masked space. The YouTube stream will, of course, also remain an option.

As always, if you have any thoughts, questions, or concerns, please reach out to your Shepherding Elder or one of the pastors.

-Jill Fenske, Council President

Summer outdoor worship details

Dear Members & Friends–

This week we begin outdoor worship, and we can’t wait! We can’t wait to see more of you, to lift our voices together in worship of the Triune God, and continue to walk in faith together. We wanted to share a few details for those that are able to attend worship in-person this summer:

  • Summer worship time: We’ve moved the time to 9:30 AM to avoid some of the noonday heat as we move through summer. (Note: no sign up needed for outdoor worship) 
  • What to bring:
    • A lawn chair or blanket
    • A water bottle
    • A mask: With singing happening throughout our service and a number of unvaccinated people among us (mostly children), we are recommending masking during the service to continue to show care to the most vulnerable. After the service, please abide by CDC guidelines for outdoor gatherings based on your comfort and vaccination status. The med team and staff will review this policy at the end of June
  • Parking: Worship will be happening in the upper parking lot. Please park in the lower lot and walk up the stairs. There will be limited parking available in the upper lot for those for whom stairs are difficult.
  • Streaming: Our stream will continue for those not able to come in person with links provided in Connections and on our website. Both at-home and in-person participants will be helped by pulling up the weekly liturgy on their phones or tablets, as we will not be projecting lyrics outdoors. Folks at 1717 will also have the option of picking up a paper copy of the liturgy. 
  • Can I help? Yes, moving worship outdoors will take all of us working together! In the coming weeks we’d love to be able to use the gifts of the church to help with the following:
    • Communion servers 
    • Set tear down immediately following worship
    • Coffee helpers: set up, serve, and clean up
  • Weather plan: In the event we need to move worship inside, that decision will be made by 5 PM on Saturday evening and communicated through a special Connections email as well as posted on our church website and social media. If we do go inside, there will be a sign up open to 100 individual spots. 

One more thing: outdoor worship is the perfect opportunity to invite your friends and neighbors. That person you’ve been meaning to ask for years would probably be even more comfortable showing up in an outdoor setting! So let’s make the most of this shift in worship to invite others into the life God is giving us together. 

Together in Christ,
The staff of the Ann Arbor Christian Reformed Church

Annual Congregational Meeting

Sunday, June 20, 2021 @ 10:45 am

Our annual congregational meeting will take place on Sunday, June 20 following morning worship (10:45 AM). The congregational meeting will be held in the sanctuary; additionally, there will also be a streaming option for those who cannot attend in person.

We hope you will join us as we share some of the wonderful things that have been going on in the life of the church over the last 12 months as well as a presentation on the budget. We will also be affirming a new group of shepherding elders and deacons. The shepherding elder nominees are: Kellie Steen, Anita Lautenbach, and Marilyn McLaughlin. The nominees for deacon are: Mark Doorlag and John Bush.

So please mark your calendars, we are looking forward to gathering together with many of you.

On behalf of Council,
Jaime Ventura

Thanksgiving prayers requested

For our Thanksgiving service this year, we plan to collect the prayers of our congregation for the joys and concerns of our community and the world. Please send these prayer requests — petitions and thanksgivings— to Pastor Kristen by Monday, November 23rd. You can write to her at kristen@aacrc.org.

Thanksgiving worship this year will be prerecorded and shared with the congregation prior to Thanksgiving.
No in-person live-stream service on Thanksgiving morning.

Worship re-opening logistics

Hey Friends,

The Shepherding elders are happy to report that, beginning October 4th, we will begin to welcome a limited number of people back to 1717 Broadway for in-person worship. This will be our practice as long as we can continue it. The AACRC Council and pastors are continuing to put the safety of our people first and gain wisdom from our medical professionals. Whether streaming or a return to 1717 Broadway remains your best option, we are committed to living as one body. There is no expectation that you return to in-person worship until your situation allows it. Wherever you find yourself, we are bound together by the Triune God. We know that God covers us all with grace as we work to figure this out, and we appreciate your prayers and patience as we walk this road together.

For Sunday, October 4 (and following Sundays) we will have a limited SIGN UP for those who wish to be present for in-person worship. That number will be capped at 30. The sign up will close at 8pm on Saturday, October 3. If there is a waiting list, those who are on the list will have first priority for the next available Sunday morning worship opportunity. As we begin to welcome people back into the building on Sunday mornings for in-person worship, here are a few policies and procedures you should know:

Before You Arrive: 

  • We encourage those who are in vulnerable populations (elderly, immuno-compromised, those that have traveled in the last two weeks) to stay home. We will see you on the live stream!
  • Check your temperature. If you are running a fever (Temperature 100.4 or greater) or are feeling ill in any way, please stay home and help protect one another. THESE are the symptoms of COVID-19 provided by the CDC.  Please also stay home if you have had close or household contact in the last 14 days with someone who has been diagnosed with COVID-19  (Close contact is being within 6 feet for >15 minutes, excluding those in a healthcare setting wearing proper PPE.)
  • Bring your mask. Masks are required in the building. If you do not have one, we have disposable masks at the site entrance for you. Per CDC guidelines, children under 2 years of age are not required to wear a mask.

When You Arrive: 

  • Please enter the building through the Narthex entrance only, right off the upper parking lot. We will have the doors open for you. Please leave the upper parking lot available for those who may need to navigate our building without the use of stairs.
  • There will be no printed bulletin for the time being. The order of worship will be projected and you are welcome to download the liturgy from the website or print it at home and bring your own copy.
  • We will be color coding the pews in order to make sure that we can maintain social distancing. We will be filling our sanctuary from the center aisle by using the pews marked with green paper. We will have people on hand to make sure you can find a seat.
  • We will removing everything from the pews, including bibles and hymnals. So, if you desire to follow along the sermon with a bible, plan to bring yours from home.

During the Service:

  • Wear your mask.
  • Offering will be taken during our coming forward for communion. There will be a plate at the front of the sanctuary by the communion table.
  • Communion-We will celebrate the sacrament of Holy Communion by coming forward as a family or individuals. We will make sure we keep distance from one another as we come forward with the help of an usher. Each person or family will receive a piece of bread from a pastor or elder and take that bread and individual cup and eat, and drink. They will place their cup in a receptacle. Hand sanitizer will be made available by the receptacle.

Other helpful reminders:

  • In order to help our custodian with sanitation processes, we ask that you please limit your movements to the sanctuary and, if necessary, the upstairs restrooms.
  • There will be no nursery or Children & Worship ministry during this time.
  • There will be no coffee hour during this time.
  • We will have multiple hand sanitizing stations throughout the building.

When you Leave:

  • We will dismiss you from the back of the sanctuary to the front of the sanctuary by row. Please exit the building through the doors in the narthex only.

Please don’t linger for fellowship in the building. If you desire to connect with others, please do so outside, while practicing social distance.

Connections – May 29

Hi friends,
Enjoy these excerpts from our weekly Connections newsletters for May 27 & 29, online in our blog during this pandemic. Subscribe now to receive them in your inbox every week. 
Jen

A Note from the Shepherding Elders

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Connections – May 22

Hi friends,
Enjoy these excerpts from our weekly Connections newsletter for May 22, online in our blog during this pandemic. Subscribe now to receive them in your inbox every week. 
Jen

WORSHIP WITH US

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Connections – May 15

Hi friends,
Enjoy these excerpts from our weekly Connections newsletter for May 15, online in our blog during this pandemic. Subscribe now to receive them in your inbox every week. 
Jen   Continue reading

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