Re-Opening Task Force June 15 2021

Dear Christ Lutheran Church family,

​We give thanks to God for all of you who have been helpful, patient, cooperative, and mindful of the needs of each other and our wider community throughout the very burdensome disruptions of the last fifteen months. With the widespread availability of highly effective vaccines, a slow but sustained drop in local cases, and Dallas County officially lowering the COVID risk level, our community has reached the end of the need for emergency measures. In the future, we believe that we can safely rely on the mutual care, sensible caution, and respect this congregation has shown throughout the pandemic.

Starting this week, we are changing our pandemic policies. We are requesting unvaccinated people to wear masks indoors for the safety of those who have not been or cannot be vaccinated, and we are inviting vaccinated people to continue wearing masks if they wish. We will rely on each other’s honesty and mutual concern to minimize the chances of transmission to vulnerable people in our congregation.

For now, our process for distributing Communion will not change. We plan to return to our pre-pandemic practice of Communion on or before September 12, when Sunday School begins for the fall.

The Christ Lutheran Preschool precautions will remain in effect and be altered by the preschool board as local guidance and circumstances allow.

The end of pandemic rules does not mean the pandemic itself is over. Outbreaks driven by highly infectious variants in communities with low rates of vaccination are still possible, especially in the fall and winter. And in much of the world, the virus still spreads (and mutates) unabated, giving us as Christians in the United States the duty to pray and advocate for a just and equitable distribution of vaccines and other life-saving supplies to countries in severe need. As long as the virus is spreading, it can mutate and potentially return to places where it is now in retreat. We are obligated to continue prioritizing the “least of these who are members of my family,” as Jesus says in the story of the Last Judgment.

Even so, we look forward with gratitude to a period of return and renewal in our worship, our fellowship, and our witness to the world outside our doors. Your faithfulness during this long and demanding season has been a blessing to each other and to everyone who has continued to be touched by the ministries of this church.

Yours in Christ,

​​The Re-Opening Task Force