Church Re-Opening Update #15 教會重啟更新

Dear Church Family,

The MBCLA Staff and Re-Opening Core Team recently decided to postpone in-person worship service until 2021. We want to thank you for your patience and understanding. We were hopeful to return sooner but the persistently high number of cases in Los Angeles County prompted us to reassess our timeframe for return.

By way of explanation, here are three primary reasons for this decision:

  1. Safety – Were we to offer in-person worship service, we know that many members would return. Out of an abundance of caution, and the weight of responsibility for the spiritual and physical health of our members, we believe postponing in-person worship service is necessary to keep you safe.
  2. Love of Neighbors – We have a charge to seek our city’s good, the welfare of the place in which we are located. We want to demonstrate by our actions that we love our neighbors, that we only want their good, and that we will consider their spiritual and physical health as well. We believe postponing in-person worship service is necessary for our positive presence and effective witness in the community.
  3. Proactive Planning – The possibility of a near in-person return offered the alluring hope of normality. But the reality is that we have no control over the daily new cases of COVID-19 or other complicating factors (e.g. seasonal flu). We believe postponing in-person worship service is necessary to shift our focus to our online ministries and distanced interaction. Rather than wonder week-to-week if we will return, we can be proactive in our waiting to reorient ourselves toward our mission and more fully develop our present ministries to shepherd and support you.

Please understand that we have come to this difficult decision in an effort to glorify God through the stewardship of what He has provided. We understand that this will be a disappointment to some and we pray that you will thoughtfully consider the reasons for this decision, so that it may be our decision together as church.

Preparations for in-person return continue. We continue to monitor the health condition of the county with the hope that the spread of COVID-19 will abate. And we join together with you to make the most of our opportunities at this moment in history.

各位親愛的弟兄姊妹們,教會的教牧同工以及教會重啟核心小組近日共同決議,將教會重啟實體崇拜日期延至2021年。教會對弟兄姊妹們的耐心和諒解深表感謝。雖然我們一直期盼能在短期內重啟教會,然而洛杉磯郡的確診率持續居高不下,促使我們必須重新思考重啟的時間範圍。

這項決定是基於下列三項主要考量:

  1. 安全:我們相信一旦教會重啟,定有許多會友在第一時間回來教會參加實體崇拜。教會以十二萬分的小心謹慎,背負著維護弟兄姊妹們屬靈及身體健康的責任,因此我們深信必須將教會重啟實體敬拜的時間表延後來保護大家的安全。
  2. 愛鄰舍:我們同時也肩負著為教會所在社區求益處,促進當地居民的福利和健康安樂的責任。我們願意以行動來活出我們愛鄰舍的生活目標,讓他們看出我們只求他們的益處,我們也重視,維護他們的屬靈及身體的健康。我們相信為了教會在社區裏維持正面的形象以及有效的見證,我們別無選擇,必須延後重啟及舉行實體面對面的崇拜。
  3. 積極的策劃:教會如在近期即將重啟,固然可帶來接近恢復常態的希望。然而,事實上每天新增COVID-19確診人數,以及其他如流感等變素,都不在我們掌控之中。我們深信,當我們決定延後重啟的同時,我們可以將注意力集中於線上的各項事工,以及遠距離的肢體交通,關懷。如此一來,我們可以免於時時分心於是否下週將是教會重啟的時刻,而能在這段等待的時期,專心重新聚焦於教會的使命與異象,致力於發展目前的事工,能夠更有效率地牧養,關顧弟兄姊妹們的需要。

親愛的弟兄姐妹們,相信您們會了解,教會所作這個不容易的決定是為了藉著神所賜給我們管家的職份來榮耀神。我們了解這項決定會令我們中間有些會友失望,我們請求也祈願在您們仔細思考上列因素之後,會同意而使之這延後重啟的決定成為我們共同的決定。

對於面對面重啟的所有相關預備工作,我們將不鬆懈,會繼續努力。我們也將持續關切洛杉磯郡的公共衛生情況,期盼COVID-19確診人數日漸減低。我們祈願與弟兄姊妹們同心在此歷史時刻,把握契機,竭誠為主。