Dear Heart,
One of our roles as a faith community is to create a safe space for gatherings. You may have heard that Governor Larry Hogan has issued several preventative measures including banning groups of 250 or more people. Reaching Hearts Church does not meet this threshold, so at this time, worship services will continue as planned. However, we want you to know that we are doing everything possible to reduce the risk of infection. With increasing concerns about the impact of COVID-19, here are some prudent steps to keep our church family safe and healthy.
We hope that these actions will help slow the spread of COVID-19 to avoid infecting the vulnerable among us and possibly overwhelming our local medical facilities.
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Find ways to greet others than a handshake or a hug. While we all appreciate the warm atmosphere that Reaching Hearts Church has to offer, our affection for each other could spread more than just love. Shaking hands and other forms of physical contact may circulate the germs from everyone in the congregation to everyone in the congregation. Instead, let’s think of creating ways to share the love without the bugs. There’s the elbow bump, the toe tap or the safest of all, the wave! For the time being, let’s communicate with our words rather than physical contact.
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Personal Preparedness. There are many common-sense steps that you can take to limit the spread of COVID-19. For 80% of cases, it is a relatively mild illness that does not require hospitalization. While there is currently no way to eliminate COVID-19, we can slow down its spread and protect our vulnerable population by:
✓ Washing your hands frequently with soap and water (singing the Happy Birthday song twice will ensure you’ve scrubbed long enough). And use hand sanitizer, with at least 60% alcohol, for added protection.
✓ Not touching your face (mouth, nose, eyes) with your hands.
✓ Staying home if you feel sick until the illness is resolved.
✓ Covering all coughs and sneezes with a tissue and wash your hands thoroughly afterward.
✓ Staying away from others who are ill when possible.
✓ If you are sick, monitor your health and seek prompt medical attention if your illness is worsening (e.g., difficulty breathing). For information about when to seek medical attention, visit the CDC’s website.
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Please stay home if you’re sick or uncomfortable attending in person. While the Lord is our ultimate protector, let’s do our part to avoid infecting others. If you are sick, we encourage you to stay home and enjoy the service virtually. Vulnerable people are encouraged to stay home and utilize online worship as well. We will miss worshiping with you, but your health is top priority. People over 65 and anyone with pre-existing medical conditions, like asthma, diabetes or heart disease, appear to be more vulnerable to becoming severely ill with the new coronavirus.
The worship service can be watched on:
We are continuing to monitor information released by the CDC, the State of Maryland, Prince George’s County, as well as other alerts for our area. We’ll keep you updated on any additional changes or considerations as they arise.
God Bless,
Pastor Michael Oxentenko
Other Resources:
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