Grace Family,

  I hope this message finds you covered in the assurance of the abundant love and endless grace of The Good Shepherd. Undoubtedly the continued uncertainty of the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) has resulted in anxiety, fear, and a need to be cautiously optimistic. Likewise, in times such as these, it is imperative that we be ever mindful of His protection and provision.

  God continues to do amazing things in and through the people of Grace, and we will not allow COVID-19 to stop us from faithfully living to make Jesus visible. However, we will be good stewards in the midst of adversity. Therefore, I wanted to provide you with some information about how we plan to proceed because we are keenly aware that much is happening in our city and in the world around us.

  The coronavirus has prompted us to be in prayer for the communities and nations throughout the world that have been directly impacted by it. We are praying for God to heal those who are sick, to protect those who are at risk of contracting the virus, and to pour out His wisdom on the doctors, nurses and medical professionals who are tirelessly caring for those afflicted.

  It's important to note that a big part of loving our neighbors, which Jesus commands us to do, is to care for the vulnerable among us. And with COVID-19, it is the vulnerable who are most at risk. As individuals and as a community, let us consider ways we can care for them well in the coming days and weeks.

  We want to ease your concerns by sharing the steps we have taken during this time to safeguard and protect our congregation and staff. While most of these measures are diligently taken by the church on a routine and consistent basis, rest assured that the following actions will be in place until further notice:

• We will greet our guests with a friendly wave, warm smile, or elbow bump instead of a handshake.
• Similarly, we will temporarily suspend the “Meet and Greet” portion of our worship services, but we encourage you to continue to greet each other with warm words and smiles.
• We have ordered special individual communion sets for the Palm Sunday and Maundy Thursday worship services, as an option if appropriate.
• We have placed additional hand sanitizer bottles and stations across our campus.
• We have implemented additional sanitization measures in nursery and children’s ministry areas, including more frequently wiping down all surfaces such as play areas and toys.
• We will continue additional cleanings across all of our locations, and our custodial staff will use sanitizer to wipe down shared and frequently touched surfaces before and after each service.
• As added precautions, we will wipe down the Sanctuary and Chapel pews between services, and we have decided to temporarily suspend serving our complimentary cookies in The Connection Center as well as communal snacks in our Student and Adult classes on Sunday mornings.

We also recommend the following to keep your family healthy during this time:

• Please stay home if you or anyone in your family are not feeling well. If you have had a fever in the past 24 hours, even if medicine reduced it, please care for yourself at home. Our Facebook Live stream allows you to share in our Sunday services. You can click HERE to access our Grace Facebook page.
• Follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s guidelines for preventative measures to keep your family healthy.

  Our pastors, staff and ministry leaders have implemented the above measures and will continue to monitor what additional steps may need to be taken in the future. We are also working in tandem with Grace School to ensure consistent communication with all families who call Grace home.

  We will continue to follow guidance from local and national authorities on appropriate next steps and necessary precautions our church should take. We appreciate your partnership in order to maintain the health and safety of our Grace family, and any new information will be communicated promptly to you.

We love you and are praying for you!

Blessings,

The Rev. Dr. Trey H. Little
Senior Pastor
Grace Presbyterian Church
10221 Ella Lee Lane at Sam Houston Tollway
Houston, Texas 77042
Office: 713-267-5017
www.gpch.org

Living to make Jesus Visible