Update for #fuckingCovid

2022.01.27

 Dearly beloved,

In last night’s Missional Logistics Team meeting, we made the dreadful decision to keep Galileo Church online only for February and March 2022. 

We are paying close attention to Tarrant County’s Covid-19 statistics. In late December, with the arrival of the Omicron variant, the local positivity rate climbed rapidly, soaring above 40% in mid-January. That is twice as high as the highest peak during June through mid-December 2021 when Galileo Fort Worth was meeting in person.

Additionally, during those fall 2021 months of the Delta wave, we were assured that vaccinations were effectively protecting us and our neighbors. That’s how we decided to return to IRL gatherings in June 2021: we did the math of widely available vaccines for adults, plus the required weeks for immunity to build.

With Omicron, as you know, vaccines are far less helpful in preventing disease-vectoring, making it much more likely that community spread will affect those whose bodies can’t mount a strong defense. 

In keeping with our commitment to protect “the least of these,” as Jesus called for from his followers, local Galileo folx are going to endure the pain of not meeting together for a little while longer. These are the outlines for February and March:

•   Worship will be livestreamed as always, with a tiny skeleton crew in the Big Red Barn.

•   Local G-groups can continue meeting on Zoom, if they’ve already made that move; or start meeting on Zoom if they haven’t yet. 

•   Additionally, local G-groups can meet outdoors. The science continues to tell us that open-air, socially distanced gatherings are much safer than indoor gatherings. There are outdoor spaces available at the Big Red Barn with propane heaters. Please reach out if your group would like to reserve a space for your meetings.

•   Other meetings and gatherings will be conducted on Zoom, held outdoors, or postponed, whichever is most appropriate.

The Missional Logistics Team meets again on February 16 and March 12 for further consideration. If at any point along the way it becomes clear that we should roll back our plans and meet together sooner than April, please believe me – nobody wants that more than the pastoral staff and MLT. Last night’s meeting was bathed in tears and heartache. 

We are all making decisions regarding the private risks we can afford individually. We encourage each person to find ways to connect with friends that don’t require church programming to fulfill. The decisions the Missional Logistics Team makes about the church as a whole are public health decisions – not meant to dictate or judge the choices each of us is making as we discern our own healthy habits.

The weirdest news from last night’s meeting, the truth we just can’t account for (something, something, Holy Spirit), is that our church, all together, is not just surviving but thriving. Collectively, we’re relationally, creatively, financially, and spiritually strong. On Sunday we will pray Psalm 138 together, concluding with these lines, knowing that in some sense our prayer has already been answered:

The LORD will fulfill Her purpose for me;
your steadfast love, O LORD, endures forever.
Do not forsake the work of your hands.

grace and peace,

Katie, the pastoral staff, and the Missional Logistics Team