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To the Cornerstone Congregation,
To the Cornerstone Congregation,
Tuesday’s reopening of California will mean changes for us as a church. The purpose of this message is to explain these changes to you.
California’s webpage entitled, Safely Reopening California, announces that the reopening of California’s economy “means no more physical distancing, no capacity limits...and relaxed mask guidance.” Regarding the relaxed mask guidance, this webpage announces that “vaccinated people are able to come together without masks in most circumstances.... People who are unvaccinated must continue to wear a mask indoors in public settings to protect themselves and others.”
To explain how the elders have decided to move forward with this updated guidance from our state, I want to review the six biblical principles we have sought to follow throughout this health crisis:
1) Prayerful Trust in God to direct the decisions of our government leaders
2) Thanksgiving to God for our government leaders
3) Submission and Honor to our government leaders wherever biblically possible
4) Humility born of a recognition that we (elders) are not doctors or medical professionals
5) Love of others, which drives us to consider the spiritual and physical good of our people, which includes the unity of the flock
6) Freedom in the application of health guidelines in order to serve the highest good of our people
We have been blessed by the guidance these principles have provided us over the past year, and we have been equally blessed to observe that following them has not hindered us from returning our church to full function for the glory of Christ.
We think these six principles also serve us well in shaping our response to this week's updated guidance from our state.
Consistent with the first two principles, we will obey God’s Word by continuing to pray with “petitions and thanksgivings” for “all who are in authority,” praying for them as they make decisions on the road ahead, praying also for the salvation of those authorities who have not yet come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:1-4).
Consistent with the principle of submission and honor, we will continue to obey God’s call to honor and submit to our government authorities to the degree that we can do so and still fulfill our biblical mandates as a church (Romans 13:1; 1 Peter 2:17). Even if we must disagree with and disobey our earthly authorities, we will speak our disagreement and seek to act in a way that honors those to whom honor is due (Romans 13:7).
Consistent with the principle of humility, the elders will refrain from any position of advocacy for or against Covid-19 vaccination. We understand that members of Cornerstone are arriving at different decisions regarding vaccination; and we understand that either decision can be reached in good faith. Hence, we will refrain from leadership actions that could be construed as advocacy for either position.
Consistent with the principle of love, the elders believe it would be unwise for us to divide the Cornerstone congregation into “vaccinated” and “unvaccinated,” or to provide guidance that inevitably results in highlighting such a division. Permitting vaccinated attendees to be indoors without a mask, while at the same time requiring unvaccinated attendees to wear a mask, would amount to the elders assuming a position of advocacy for vaccinations. Splitting our guidance in this way would also leave our unvaccinated attendees feeling singled out and punished for decisions they arrived at in good faith. Such guidance from us would also force our members into a position of publicly presenting themselves (by their actions) as vaccinated or unvaccinated. We believe these outcomes would be injurious to the unity of the Cornerstone body.
Hence, in an effort to preserve the maximum good of our congregation, we will follow the principle of freedom and no longer require our attendees to wear masks while attending an indoor church function. Beginning this Sunday, mask-wearing while indoors is optional for all attendees, vaccinated and unvaccinated.
Obviously, this change in policy embodies a trust in you that you will remain home and take advantage of the live stream of our service if you find yourself experiencing Covid-related symptoms. This new policy also allows you the freedom to wear a mask if your conscience or health condition dictates that you do so. Additionally, this policy comes with the expectation that you will show respect for those attendees whose choices differ from yours.
As we have shared before, we are blessed to be in a building that features a high-quality HVAC system boasting an air-change rate of 7.5, which surpasses the recommendation of 5.0 for minimizing the chances of transmitting the coronavirus. As for filtration, our building’s air flow system utilizes two sets of filters, one of which effectively traps micro-size aerosols that may harbor the coronavirus.
We are encouraged to see that the number of Covid-19 cases in Riverside County is remaining quite low (1.5 cases per 100,000 persons, with 1.2% positive-test rate as of June 15), leaving the elders feeling confident that we can implement this change in policy and serve the greatest spiritual good of our people without posing undue risk to their physical health.
As I said to you in our morning service this past Sunday, this has been a most unusual fifteen months for us as a church, yet I cannot think of a better congregation with whom to navigate this long season than you. May God bless you a thousand-fold in return for the blessing you have been throughout these past fifteen months!
Looking forward to the journey ahead,
Milton (on behalf of the Cornerstone Elders)