Update from the Elders 11/20/2020
As Elders, we recognize that the number of Covid cases have reached critical levels. Several of our members have been affected. One of our members is currently in ICU, which has already reached full capacity. We want each of our members to act responsibly toward themselves and others and continue to use best safe practices. If you are concerned or at risk, the Elders ask that you participate in our services on-line only. If you feel sick or suspect that you may have been exposed to any illness, we ask that you stay home.
There will be no services this Wednesday night as previously planned. Sunday morning classes are cancelled for the next 2 weeks. We will continue to monitor the situation. We will still offer our regularly scheduled Sunday morning service in person and on-line at 10:00am. Wednesday night services will resume on December 2nd.
We do not want Westgate to be shut down, therefore we ask that all participants use masks and practice social distancing. While we are very concerned with the physical health of our flock, our primary concern is the spiritual well-being of the congregation. We believe in community and the power of prayer. Please be in prayer for our members who are affected by this disease. Please pray that God will heal our land and strengthen the body of Christ. May God bless you, your families, and the Westgate congregation.
Update from the Elders 7/3/2020
The eldership would like you to know that, given the Governors new declaration that, we will still be having church in person on Sunday.
While the governor had not required masks for worship he has recommended it. We agree and if you are comfortable in attending, we recommend that you come to worship this Sunday with a mask on.
If you do not feel comfortable in attending service, please take part in our worship time by watching online.
Dear Westgate Family,
We may not remember the spring of 2015 or 2018, but all of us will likely remember the spring
of 2020. This has been an extremely disruptive and chaotic year and we know that in the midst
of all that has been going on, one of the things we have missed most is the opportunity to be
together in the same place and to worship together. We know that not everyone is in a place, at
this point, to be comfortable returning to worship together with everyone and we want you to
know that we understand that, we respect that and we want to affirm you in that decision.
For those that do feel comfortable, and that is a significant portion of Westgate based on your
survey responses, we want you to know that there has been a great deal of time spent in prayer,
consideration and discussion regarding a return and we are happy to announce that we have a
plan in place that will support the return to worship in the auditorium together for those who are
comfortable doing so beginning this Sunday, June 14th.
There will be a number of new things involved in order to meet the standards set out by the
Governor of Texas for our return to meeting together, so we want to review those key aspects:
- As we acknowledge that some people are at higher risk for COVID-19, we have designated the seating area at the rear of the auditorium as reserved for members who would place themselves in that higher risk category. We ask those members only to park in the north parking lot and to use the entrance to the rear of the auditorium. That will allow us to do the most we can to reduce exposure and risk for those members.
- For all members who do not place themselves in that higher risk category, you must park in the main parking lot and enter the building through the south entrance that faces the main parking lot.
- Both entrances will be held or propped open so that members will not need to make contact with the door handles to enter the building.
- Near each entrance we will have a station where one adult from each family will be able to stop and pick up communion supplies for their family unit. These will be individually packaged and handed to you by a volunteer.
- When you enter the auditorium, first, remember that we are undergoing renovations so it looks completely different – there are no pews and most of the floor is concrete at this point.
- Second, seating for the next several weeks will be using chairs – the chairs will be clustered in groups to allow family units to sit together and to provide the appropriate social distancing between clusters of chairs/family groups. The governor’s guidelines do allow members who have spent time with other members and have shared potential exposure to the virus together to sit together in worship, so your family unit may make that decision. It is your responsibility to look out for the needs of other members by verifying that your group’s seating cluster is appropriately distanced from other clusters.
- Once we reach our capacity for the auditorium with appropriate spacing, we will use the fellowship hall as overflow seating for additional members and we will use clusters of chairs there as well. Between the two spaces, we anticipate having enough seating for all of the members who indicated they plan to attend.
- At the conclusion of our services, we will stagger departure from the building to have as few people in the halls at the same time as possible. We will use three exits from the building: the exit at the rear of the auditorium will be reserved for our members in the higher risk category who will be seated in that area; those members seated in the front half of the main portion of the auditorium will exit through the children’s hallway into the main parking lot; and those members seated in the back half of the main portion of the auditorium will exit using the main hallway.
- At each of the exits, we will have an opportunity for children to give to the Hope for Haiti work, we will have a contribution collection box, and there will be a trash can for your communion trash.
- At this point, the playground will remain closed and you are asked to not congregate in the building to allow everyone to exit the building with social distancing in place.
- To preserve the health of our church family, you are asked to stay at home and join us on- line if you have been exposed to Covid-19, if you have had a fever or any symptoms in the last 14 days or if anyone in your family has been similarly exposed.
We look forward to having everyone back with us, but we want to make sure that we keep our members as safe as possible. We know that not everyone will be comfortable returning to worship physically together yet, and we understand that, respect your decision and very much want you to continue to join us as we stream our worship together.