March 6, 2020
Dear Sanctuary Family,
Given recent recommendations from the King County Department of Health aimed at slowing the spread of COVID-19, we are cancelling our Sunday-morning gatherings at Taproot – tentatively through the end of March. Many of your places of work have made similar decisions, and the strong advice from the King County Department of Health encourages the “canceling or postponing of large gatherings (such as those with more than 50 people).”
We are a church that is “rooted in Christ, for the flourishing of our neighbor.” And though it seems a strange thing to cancel church – ultimately it is the love of our neighbor, and our desire for their health and flourishing that leads our council to make this decision. We hope and pray that this outbreak will subside quickly, and that we will resume our weekly gatherings as soon as possible. Here’s what you can expect from your council:
- We will be regularly monitoring the Department of Health’s recommendations, and communicating our plans to you all via email and on our website.
- We will be reaching out with alternative ways to worship, learn, pray, and otherwise encounter our living God who is sovereign over all. Even though we can’t gather together on Sunday mornings, we can still worship with our families and friends.
- For those of you who feel isolated by this decision, and the general turn of events in Seattle – your pastors are only a phone call away (Mark – 206-919-4053, Summer – 206-478-7520), and your elders are only an email away. If you have any questions, if you need someone to go shopping for you, or if you just want to talk and connect, reach out to us – we’re here to serve.
Other ministries and events:
- PATH Preschool will continue to meet – again following the recommendations of the Department of Health for schools (and following the lead of the Seattle Public Schools). We are giving every surface some extra cleaning, but for now PATH remains open.
- Community Groups are meeting (or cancelling) at the discretion of the leaders of those groups.
- Women’s soup night, which had been scheduled for Wednesday March 11th, has been postponed.
- Discerning Our Charism – our initial prayer retreat with Renewal Ministries Northwest which had been scheduled for Saturday, March 14th, has been postponed. As soon as we can update you on its rescheduled date, we will do so.
Our council has wrestled with this decision, as we do not want to be people who respond to life’s challenges out of fear, yet we also desire to be good citizens, and loving neighbors (we are not the first Christians to wrestle with this tension). Pray for us. We will pray for you. And let us all wash our hands like never before.
In the hope of Christ,
The Council of Sanctuary
