Greetings,

I pray that this communication finds each of you well and in good spirits. I wanted to inform you of where stand in our current COVID response as a Church. On 9/26 I met with the Deacons and Elders to discuss the current hazards of having in person services. After our discussion, it was unanimous that we return to in-person gatherings. This will however be with some guidelines for us to follow.

Beginning on Sunday 10/10, we will return to our 10:00 AM service time (there will be no afternoon service at this time.) This will include nursery and children services. On the following Wednesday 10/13, we will begin having in-person Discipleship Meetings as well. During these gatherings, we want to encourage the use of masks. We will return to vacating certain pews and trying to sit in family units. We will provide masks, and hand sanitizer will be stationed throughout the building.

For those that do not feel comfortable returning, we want to continue to offer to you and your family our livestream services on Facebook and through our streaming site: https://pgbc.freeonlinechurch.com/ We also want to extend our thanks for your understanding as well as your prayers during the time of building closures. The recent uptick of COVID in our community has affected our congregation, either personally or through close friends and loved ones - from minor symptoms to even death. We also want to continue to remember our ministry partners throughout the community in prayer.

As we come back to in-person service, I would like to remind everyone of the importance of your service to the church as volunteers. We couldn’t do all of the things we do if it weren’t for you, God’s servants in any capacity. With that said, I want to challenge you to pray about your involvement with our church in some manner. Just imagine if we didn’t have the volunteers in our youth department. The reality is that we wouldn’t have those services. Or the van drivers, those that keep the grounds, those that serve as ushers, or the audio/video team....... So, I want to extend a challenge - for you to consider where you will be an extended hand in the ministries of PGBC. If you would like to assist with the youth on Wednesdays or Sunday nights, please reach out to Miss Jamie Arnold. If you feel led to start a small group study, start a Sunday School class for a specific age group, I assure you we could use you. For all other capacities, just reach out to me. Together, we will find the fit that works for you and our ministries.

In conclusion I want to say I love you all and Brandi and I are grateful to be leading our congregation at PGBC. I am reminded of the Helen Keller quote: "Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much." We are excited as we think of what we can all do together, following God’s will and becoming open to His provision in filling the needs of the church. Thank you for the calls and concerns on behalf of myself and all congregation members that have been sick or suffered loss during these tines. May God bless you and keep you all.

In Christ’s service,

Pastor Jeffrey A. Barnard

912-237-0873

pastor@pinegrovereidsville.com