10/16/20. The following is a note from Pastor Jim.
Hi folks. As most of you know, in early May, we formed a Relaunch Team to determine how and when to go forward in the midst of this pandemic. Three months ago, the Relaunch Team put together decision-rules that would guide us as a congregation as to when we would return to worship in-person and what conditions would cause us to suspend in-person worship.
One of our decision rules is based on the Georgia Tech COVID-19 Assessment Map. This map assesses every county (or parish) in the United States from data supplied by each county and/or state.
It suggests the probability of at least one person being infected for a given size of a gathered group of people. The probabilities are adjusted for increments of 25, that is 25, 50, 75, 100 and so forth. We chose to monitor for a group of 25.
The Georgia Tech COVID Assessment Map tells us that today, there is a 24% chance that at least one person will be infected with the virus in a group of 25 people. Our threshold to suspend in-person worship is 20% or above.
Bottom line is that we will suspend in-person worship until this probability is under 20 percent.
If you would like to follow this COVID assessment tool online, you will find it at the following link:
https://covid19risk.biosci.gatech.edu/
Our Sunday Morning Online Worship Service will continue at 10AM on Sunday mornings from the sanctuary of St. Matthew via Facebook Live. We are not cancelling worship!
Please continue to pray for those infected, those at high risk for infection, for our community, our country, and our global neighbors for relief and deliverance from this dreaded pandemic.
Grace and peace,
Pastor Jim
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