Greetings Family,
No, it’s not only you, but we are all experiencing the digital drain from our day jobs. Everyone is figuring out how to reopen businesses and how to live in the new normal. I know you might be wondering when we will open the South Plainfield campus. Before I give you an answer, let me first establish a few things about our new normal that I hope you will celebrate:
1. We are a worldwide church. We are no longer just a New Jersey church. People join us every Sunday from around the country and the world. Everything we do must be inclusive of our worldwide family.
2. We are one church in many houses. Because we are a worldwide church, our families are connected by the internet, not our NJ campus. Everything we do must reach each home, from discipleship to service.
3. We are an online church. We used to be an NJ church that had some online offerings; now, we are an online church with a fellowship site in NJ. Our future includes fellowship sites around the world, led by pastors we will train and oversee.
God has changed the game! We used to have 400-500 people attend our Sunday Services in person; now, we have 4 – 5 thousand. We will not fight against God to reclaim our Egypt, but we will boldly move forward into our Promised Land.
As for when we will host events at the South Plainfield campus, here’s what our COVID-19 task force has determined:
The data shows that outdoor activities that practice social distancing and include masks are the safest to host. The events must be short and provide no access to the bathrooms in the building since that would require a new level of sanitization protocols to be enforced after each use.
September 6th is the tentative date for activities to resume in the building, as long as COVID-19 continues a downward trend in our region.
Until there is a vaccine, be prepared to wear a mask and practice social distancing for the foreseeable future, whether indoors or outdoors.
I am so thankful for the incredibly gifted task force we have. It is comprised of Dr. Randall Lewis, Dr. Cynthia Salter-Lewis, Dr. Phyllis Anderson, Afifya Ellington, Esq, Pam Frazier, our Dream Team Pastor-in-Training, Ryan Ali, our operations Pastor-in-Training, Sherri Jones, Marketing Director, and myself. They have our health and faith in mind, and I trust them. If you have COVID-19 related questions, please forward them to taskforce@church4impact.com.
So, with all that said, let’s test the waters of our new normal. On the first Sunday in July, we will offer a short drive-in communion celebration at 1pm est, at the South Plainfield campus. This communion service will also stream live online so all can join.
Doing communion online: bring your own juice and crackers, log on at 1pm (EST) with your family.
Doing communion on-site (drive-in): we will supply sealed/sanitized communion kits, or you can bring your own. Registration is required and is limited to 50 cars. Only one car is permitted per family. CLICK HERE TO GET YOUR TICKET AND ADDITIONAL SAFETY PROTOCOLS.
However, you choose to attend, I look forward to sharing communion with you, my family, on July 5th.
Also, on July 25th, the Dream Team, Pastors, Lady Terri and I will be part of the caravans that will drive by the homes of Impact graduates. We will shower them with love, appreciation, and gifts. We can’t wait to celebrate with them!
Lastly, thank you for the kind words and gifts you sent for Father’s Day. I value our relationship and appreciate you honoring me in extraordinary ways. Your generosity is maturing, and I am proud of you for that. God is doing what He told us he would do: making this downturn our upturn and making 2020 a year of crystal clear clarity. This decade may be starting off rocky, but it will be a good one for the faithful. We are entering the season of double redemption, so stay on the wall and ignore the foolishness of the devil.
Love you much,
Bishop Salter