COVID-19 and the Wholeness Service: Our Commitment

Greetings to you, our friends in the Wholeness Community on this glorious day in Georgetown, Texas.

Today, July 26, 2021, we have some important updates for you. On May 9, 2020 when this post was originally written, COVID-19 was upsetting group gatherings in ways that ultimately shut down performances, theatre, offices, and sadly, worship services. Along with you, we in the Worship Team confined ourselves to our individual homes and places of residence.

Over one year has passed now, and the world continues to change.

When will we go back to the sanctuary?

As of today, we look forward to meeting face to face again on September 26, 2021. With COVID vaccines readily available, and a majority of our congregation fully vaccinated, we made the decision to return to in-person services in June, 2021. San Gabriel Presbyterian Church, Georgetown, Texas will be our host during the coming season.

We stayed home for a year in alignment with the policies of First UMC Georgetown, who was our host church from 2018-2020. One of our chief missions is healing and wellness, so protecting our congregation is important. So, our Worship Team voted to host our 2020-2021 season in a series of Zoom meetings, and produce a rollup of each as Virtual Services: On YouTube.

Our commitment to you

We are aware that the pandemic is continually evolving. We want you to know that we remain committed to your well-being. Philosophically, that is what the Healing and Wholeness aspect of our ministry is all about: we want to increase your wellness when possible, in body, mind, and spirit. We will take no shortcuts that will endanger those who would come to pray with us, and we are quite serious about observing all precautions when we do reconvene in person.

While all nine events of 2021-2022 will take place live, we will simultaneously live-stream all services to our YouTube Channel. This will give our congregation the chance to participate from home if there is still a need to stay away from crowds. Those who wish to worship onsite will be welcomed without reservations as of today. If this changes, we still believe we can pivot quickly to remote worship once again.

In addition to live-streaming our services, our 2021-22 events are to be conducted in an open, well-ventilated space with flexible seating arrangements. Chairs may be added or removed to accommodate any social distancing needs that may arise from either changing health regulations or personal preference. We will follow the recommendations of our host church with regard to group conduct, and inform the congregation on these expectations at every meeting. We wish to present a welcoming environment for all who would come. Communion will also be made available with pre-packaged elements for both gluten-free and sanitary preferences.

Wholeness Online

In support of you, our community of fellow worshippers, we worked hard during the pandemic to enhance our online presence. Our Facebook Page is as active as ever, and we are continuing to keep our website fresh. In 2020-2021, our hosted monthly Zoom Prayers came together as a rich library of Virtual Services on our YouTube Channel, to be enjoyed anytime. In addition, our musicians worked to produce some of our favorite Taizé songs as Virtual Choirs. All of these are linked together from our website, wholeness-service.org. We plan to keep them active, and hope you are able to use them from time to time.

We look forward to adding to our online presence during 2021-2022, as our live-streamed services are recorded and published to the same channels.

Looking forward

First and foremost, we pray that God will bless us with nine services where we can welcome all of you in person. Please pray with us that this remains true and possible, and that the healing powers of our Lord Jesus Christ will tame the illness that plagues this world.

When we meet live, we will welcome you into the sanctuary with open arms. At the same time, we continue to listen and watch for the latest recommendations regarding pandemic safety. We recognize that we may need to adapt. The good news is that we are blessed with the means to do so. Whether we need to rearrange chairs, go virtual for a short time, or whether we may continue to welcome all worshippers in-person, we are ready. God has guided us this far, and we have faith that God will guide us in the future.

Thanks to you, our congregation, for staying with us during this challenging time. We have missed you. Whatever happens in the next season, know that the Georgetown Ecumenical Wholeness Service will be here.

Stay tuned to our site and channels for the most up to date information.