UPDATE:
September 14 2:00pm
ABC Coronavirus Update
New cases of coronavirus continue to be reported in Washington County. According to the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) website on September 13, the seven-day average for new cases in our county was 8 per day, and the seven-day average death rate was 1 per day. These numbers have increased since July 5, when we re-started our in-person worship option. However, these average daily rates have been fairly stable through August and into September so far. You can consult the VDH website at https://www.vdh.virginia.gov to view and assess the VDH reports.
Some of our members have been tested for the virus, but nearly all results have been negative. The very small number of our members with positive test results have sought appropriate treatment in the hospital or have self-quarantined as recommended by their medical professionals. To our knowledge, no one who has attended an in-person worship service has reported a positive test result.
Our Council of Deacons discussed the status of our current church programming during its monthly meeting last week. The consensus of opinion among our deacons was that we should continue with our programming as it stands. We will continue to offer the option of either in-person worship on Sunday mornings at 11am or live-streaming on FaceBook and Vimeo via our church website. Our four Sunday school ZOOM meetings will continue on Sundays at 9:45am. Our Wednesday Bible study will continue to be posted on FaceBook, and the Adult Choir will continue to meet for preparation/recording on Wednesday evenings at 7pm in the sanctuary. Our Wednesday children’s music program and ZOOM gathering will continue at 6:00pm each Wednesday. We do not plan to add any additional in-person ministries at this time. If you would like more information concerning participation in any of our current programming, please don’t hesitate to call the church office at (276) 628-8126 for more details.
We continue to follow strict protocols for in-person worship, such as one-way in/out, hand sanitizer stations, requiring the use of masks, seating at appropriate social distances, shortened time in worship, no singing, hand-shaking, or passing of offering plates. We continue to thoroughly sanitize the sanctuary after every service and the Wednesday choir meeting. We believe that our church offers a safer experience for gathering in-person than most local stores and restaurants. We continue to ask that if you do not feel well or have potentially been exposed to the virus that you not attend worship in-person but join us online. Each person and family must make their own decision concerning when they feel safe returning to in-person worship. We pray that in-person participation will increase as the threat from the virus deceases. Until then, we must be vigilant and work together to ensure that our in-person gatherings remain safe.
As you lift your prayers, please remember those who have the virus and also the families of those who died from it. Pray for our medical professionals and researchers as they seek a vaccine and cure. Pray for those who have lost jobs or experienced decreased work time due to the virus. Pray that God will heal our land not only physically but also spiritually. We all look forward to the day, hopefully soon, when we can once again gather together in person to praise and worship our loving and healing Lord.
June 17, 10:00AM
RE-ENTRY DATE FOR SUNDAY MORNING WORSHIP SERVICES
Our Council of Deacons appointed a Re-Entry Team several weeks ago to examine the best time and way for us to resume in-person attendance of worship and other services/activities of our church. Over the last several weeks, the Re-Entry Team has engaged in online seminars, monitored guidelines from our Virginia Commonwealth and local governmental authorities, reviewed best practices from the CDC and Virginia Department of Health regarding gathering in a safe way, and listened to you through a congregational survey. After a significant amount of prayer and upon hearing the report of the Re-Entry Team, the consensus of our Council of Deacons is that we begin in-person worship at ABC on Sunday, July 5 at 11:00 am.
We encourage you to make the best choice for your family and situation as you consider attending in person or continuing to worship via live-stream at https://www.abingdonbaptist.org/live-stream/.
ABINGDON BAPTIST CHURCH LIVE-STREAM
Since Sunday, March 15, we have been grateful for the ability to worship together online. We encourage you to continue to attend online if you or a family member does not feel well or if you are just not ready to attend church in-person. We appreciate and give thanks for our church staff, instrumentalists, singers, media team, and other leaders and participants who provide a high quality live-streaming worship service each week. Know that you are part of the Abingdon Baptist Church family no matter whether you choose to attend in-person or online.
Abingdon Baptist Church Live-Stream is also a great option if you want to invite a friend to join you. You can join us every Sunday at 11:00am ET directly via our church website at https://www.abingdonbaptist.org/live-stream/ to experience worship, teaching, and the community of your church family. Our worship service also streams on Facebook, Vimeo, and YouTube.
You can also join in on ZOOM Bible study groups on Sunday mornings at 9:45am ET by following one of the links provided at https://www.abingdonbaptist.org/zoom-connections/. There are also links at that location for ZOOM KidZ with Miss Carrie on Wednesday evenings at 6:30pm, and Sanctuary Choir at 7:00pm on Wednesdays. Even if you begin to attend worship in-person, please continue to be engaged in these online offerings during the week.
LET’S WORK TOGETHER TO STAY HEALTHY
What We Are Doing:
How You Can Help:
o Am I or anyone in my household showing any symptoms of illness including cough, difficulty breathing, fever, chills, muscle pain, sore throat, and new loss of taste or smell?
o Have I had a fever of 100.4F or higher in the past 14 days?
o Have I had prolonged exposure to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19?
o Is there any medical reason why I believe I should not be around others for their safety or my own safety?
If you answer yes to any of the above questions, we strongly encourage you to attend Abingdon Baptist Church Live-Stream worship instead of in-person worship.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Pastor Bill
UPDATE:
May 15, 10:00AM
We Are Open – Our church building may be closed for in-person attendance of worship services and other activities, but our church has been and remains open, alive, and well. From the outset of the current crisis on March 15, we have found new ways for the church, the people of God, to gather via live-streaming worship, ZOOM Bible study classes, and other events.
Friends, the church is not a place but a people. In this time, we have been called to gather as the people of God in new ways. For many of us these new ways of gathering have required difficult adjustments, but they have also opened new avenues of ministry and reaching out beyond the boundaries of our building. We are reaching more people with the gospel and Spirit-led worship each week in these new ways than we did in the past. This is to the glory of God as He helps us make lemonade with the lemons of life. However, it is still important to most of us to gather in-person for worship and other activities.
Our Deacon Board has wisely appointed a team to study the timing and means of our re-entry into our church building for in-person gatherings of the church. This Re-Entry Team is comprised of myself, Parke, Tony Roberts, Mike Overstreet, John Berry, and Steve Lowe. We have been meeting to review our options and to formulate recommendations for the Deacon Board to consider. We will make our first report at the next Deacon Board meeting on June 11. Understand that your staff and leadership look forward to the regathering of the church in our building once again in the near future. However, please also understand that we will move forward with our re-entry plans with prudence, patience, and great care and concern for the health and safety of all of our members and our community.
Until we are able to gather again in-person, thank you for your continued support as you participate in live-streaming worship on Sunday and other ZOOM and FaceBook activities throughout the week. The church office continues to be open Monday through Thursday 9:00am - 5:00pm and Friday 9:00am - 12:00pm. Trina will be in the office if you need to drop something off. Please call before stopping by. Our pastors will be in and out of the office. Voicemail messages left on the church office phone (276-628-8126) for me (ext. 32) or Parke (ext. 24) will be immediately forwarded to our cell phones. We appreciate your continued financial support as you give your tithes and offerings to enable our shared kingdom work. Check out our online giving options on our church website.
Be safe and healthy, and let us know how we can better serve you. We have a sure and present hope in the resurrected Christ who lives in us, His church, and works through us to the glory of God.
Pastor Bill
UPDATE:
March 21, 12:00PM
The church office will be open Monday through Thursday 9:00 - 5:00 and Friday 9:00-12:00. Trina will be in the office if you need to drop something off. Our pastors will be in and out of the office. Voicemail messages (276-628-8126) for our pastors will be immediately forwarded to their cell phones. Please refrain from stopping by the office to visit. We all must do our part to reduce the spread of the virus. Give us a call. We enjoy talking with you.
UPDATE:
March 17, 10:00AM
All Scheduled services and activities at the church are cancelled until further notice due to required coronavirus precautions. The church office will not be keeping regular hours. Our staff is telecommuting. Voicemail messages (276-628-8126) for our pastors will be immediately forwarded to their cell phones.
UPDATE:
March 13, 10:00PM
After further consideration and consultation with expert resources, it is the determination of our Abingdon Baptist Church leadership team that we take the following additional actions in support of mitigating the effects of COVID-19 on our church and community:
March 13
Church family,
By this time, you have most likely received much communication concerning the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. In this communication, we want to share ways to mitigate its impact on both you and our community of faith. Below are some measures we can take together to maintain good health and safety for us all during this uncertain time.
Things you can do to maintain your good health and that of others:
Things your church is doing to maintain good health for us all:
Impacts to our community gatherings:
With love and faith in God to see us through this crisis,
Your Abingdon Baptist Church staff and deacon board
UPDATE:
May 23 10:00AM
Our church building may be closed for in-person attendance of worship services and other activities, but our church has been and remains open, alive, and well. From the outset of the current crisis on March 15, we have found new ways for the church, the people of God, to gather via live-streaming worship, ZOOM Bible study classes, and other events.
Friends, the church is not a place but a people. In this time, we have been called to gather as the people of God in new ways. For many of us these new ways of gathering have required difficult adjustments, but they have also opened new avenues of ministry and reaching out beyond the boundaries of our building. We are reaching more people with the gospel and Spirit-led worship each week in these new ways than we did in the past. This is to the glory of God as He helps us make lemonade with the lemons of life. However, it is still important to most of us to gather in-person for worship and other activities.
Our Deacon Board has wisely appointed a team to study the timing and means of our re-entry into our church building for in-person gatherings of the church. This Re-Entry Team is comprised of myself, Parke, Tony Roberts, Mike Overstreet, John Berry, and Steve Lowe. We have been meeting to review our options and to formulate recommendations for the Deacon Board to consider. We will make our first report at the next Deacon Board meeting on June 11. Understand that your staff and leadership look forward to the regathering of the church in our building once again in the near future. However, please also understand that we will move forward with our re-entry plans with prudence, patience, and great care and concern for the health and safety of all of our members and our community.
Until we are able to gather again in-person, thank you for your continued support as you participate in live-streaming worship on Sunday and other ZOOM and FaceBook activities throughout the week. The church office continues to be open Monday through Thursday 9:00am - 5:00pm and Friday 9:00am - 12:00pm. Trina will be in the office if you need to drop something off. Please call before stopping by. Our pastors will be in and out of the office. Voicemail messages left on the church office phone (276-628-8126) for me (ext. 32) or Parke (ext. 24) will be immediately forwarded to our cell phones. We appreciate your continued financial support as you give your tithes and offerings to enable our shared kingdom work. Check out our online giving options on our church website.
Be safe and healthy, and let us know how we can better serve you. We have a sure and present hope in the resurrected Christ who lives in us, His church, and works through us to the glory of God.
UPDATE:
May 6, 3:00PM
There is a lot of talk these days about reopening our state for business and other activities. I know that many of you are wondering about the possibility of reopening our church facilities and restarting our in-person participation in worship services and other activities. At this time, your church staff is discussing options for reopening with our deacon board, other church leaders, and also with local community leaders. In addition, we are consulting with national level sources and resources for their input. Options for reopening will be a major topic of discussion at our ZOOM deacon’s meeting next week. We hope to share with you more details related to our reopening after that meeting. However, whatever we do will be done with prudence, patience, and great care and concern for the health and safety of all of our members and our community.
Until we are able to meet again in-person, thank you for your continued support of Abingdon Baptist Church as you participate in live-streaming worship on Sunday and other ZOOM and FaceBook activities throughout the week. We also appreciate your continued financial support as you give your tithes and offerings to enable our shared kingdom work. Check out our online giving options at https://www.abingdonbaptist.org/giving/.
The church office continues to be open Monday through Thursday 9:00am - 5:00pm and Friday 9:00am - 12:00pm. Trina will be in the office if you need to drop something off. Our pastors will be in and out of the office. Voicemail messages left on the church office phone (276-628-8126) for me (ext. 32) or Parke (ext. 24) will be immediately forwarded to our cell phones. Please continue to refrain from stopping by the office just to visit. Instead, give us a phone call, facetime us, or drop us an e-mail. We are here and available to you. We all must continue to do our part to reduce the spread of the virus. Be safe and healthy, and let us know how we can better serve you. We have a sure and present hope in the resurrected Christ who lives in us and works through us to the glory of God.
Pastor Bill
UPDATE:
March 21, 12:00PM
The church office will be open Monday through Thursday 9:00 - 5:00 and Friday 9:00-12:00. Trina will be in the office if you need to drop something off. Our pastors will be in and out of the office. Voicemail messages (276-628-8126) for our pastors will be immediately forwarded to their cell phones. Please refrain from stopping by the office to visit. We all must do our part to reduce the spread of the virus. Give us a call. We enjoy talking with you.
UPDATE:
March 17, 10:00AM
All Scheduled services and activities at the church are cancelled until further notice due to required coronavirus precautions. The church office will not be keeping regular hours. Our staff is telecommuting. Voicemail messages (276-628-8126) for our pastors will be immediately forwarded to their cell phones.
UPDATE:
March 13, 10:00PM
After further consideration and consultation with expert resources, it is the determination of our Abingdon Baptist Church leadership team that we take the following additional actions in support of mitigating the effects of COVID-19 on our church and community:
March 13
Church family,
By this time, you have most likely received much communication concerning the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. In this communication, we want to share ways to mitigate its impact on both you and our community of faith. Below are some measures we can take together to maintain good health and safety for us all during this uncertain time.
Things you can do to maintain your good health and that of others:
Things your church is doing to maintain good health for us all:
Impacts to our community gatherings:
With love and faith in God to see us through this crisis,
Your Abingdon Baptist Church staff and deacon board