October 30, 2020
Dear TCCBC church family,
Good news for everyone! Alameda County, where our church is located, has announced that the pandemic in this area has entered the “orange” tier, which means that some indoor activities can be reopened starting 10/23, including the church! According to current laws and regulations, the number of people in church meetings cannot exceed 25% of the space or less than 100 people. The church’s deacon board and the reopening committee group estimate that based on the size of our church sanctuary, our number should be between 60-65. We are excited about this news. After more than seven months, it will finally be possible to worship God together in person in the very near future. The reopening team also came up with some very good plans and preparations for us. The time they spent and the hard work behind it will not be detailed here, but we thank them from the bottom of our hearts for their unrelenting preparation these few months. The following are the opening steps and timetable drawn up by the reopening team for your reference:
| Date | Activity | Comments |
| Week of 10/25 | Line up AV resources for all congregations · Schedule cleaners | |
| 10/31 | Livestream Concert of Prayer from sanctuary | Limited to people conducting the prayer meeting and AV team hosting the livestream |
| 10/31, 11/1, 11/8 | Mandarin & Cantonese service AV team training in sanctuary | Have the Mandarin and Cantonese AV teams participate in the soft opening as part of training |
| 11/1 | Soft opening with English service Livestream from the sanctuary | Minimal congregation – pastor, worship leaders, ushers, AV team, (including AV team from Mandarin and Cantonese service) |
| Week of 11/1 | Draft the reopening letter | |
| 11/8 | Livestream Church Anniversary joint service from sanctuary | Soft opening with minimal congregation, Pastors, worship leaders, ushers, AV teams |
| 11/8 | Send out reopening letter to congregation | |
| Week of 11/8 | Have returning congregation register for their attendance· Conduct usher refresher training |
| Date | Activity | Comments |
| 11/15 | Reopen to all congregations | |
| 11/15 | Optional in-person Adult Sunday School | |
| TBD | Clean up Sunday School rooms | |
| TBD | Set up Sunday School rooms for social distancing | |
| 12/8 | In-person Children’s Sunday School | Tentative |
This “reopening” schedule is still open to adjustment but it should not be too far off, either. I hope everyone will prepare their heart so that when on-site meetings re-convene, everyone can worship God in the temple of God with total peace of mind! When the church receives the report regarding matters that must be paid attention to or requiring everyone’s cooperation, a letter will be sent to the congregation around 11/8. I hope that everyone will comply and overcome this challenge.
I have already mentioned this in detail in the last newsletter and I would like to remind you again that this Sunday (November 1), we have arranged for Pastor Michael Kwong to meet with you via video and preach the Lord’s message. We also specially arranged for him and the three congregations to have the opportunity to communicate and meet through Zoom Meetings (password: TCCBC).
• Nov 1, 2020 at 9:30 am Preaching in Cantonese worship over YouTube video
• Nov 1, 2020 at 9:30 am Preaching in English worship over YouTube Live (livestream)
• Nov 1 2020 at 11:00 am Preaching in Mandarin worship over YouTube video
• Nov 1, 2020 at 11:00 am Sharing session with Cantonese congregation over Zoom meeting
• Nov 1, 2020 at 2:00 pm Sharing session with English congregation over Zoom meeting
• Nov 1, 2020 at 3:15 pm Sharing session with Mandarin congregation over Zoom meeting
All communication and exchange on the three Zoom Meetings will be open. You can participate in all three or just one or two of them. To save time, there will be no translation. During the exchange period, you may ask questions to get know more about Pastor Michael. Please use this opportunity.
Don’t forget to join us in the concert of prayer tomorrow morning at 9:00am.
This Sunday (11/1), there will also be a time to observe Holy Communion in each congregation. Please prepare your own bread and cup as usual and remember the Lord’s sacrifice and love for us.
Please don’t forget that this Sunday (11/1) is also the end of daylight savings time, that is, you need to set your clocks back by one hour before going to bed.
Looking forward to the reopening of the church
Job Lee
Pastor Job Lee, Senior Pastor
With fellow church leadership team
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