Starting on July 11th at 10am, you can join us in the Sanctuary for worship live or simultaneous on zoom. (For more details, scroll down to read the notice from Pastor Tim)
Children’s church will be held with Mr. Wayne outside during the whole worship service. Please have the children meet Mr. Wayne under the awning.
Dear Ardmore UMC family,
I am excited that to announce a return to in-person worship on
Sunday, July 11th, at 10am.
We will be using a multi-platform approach, which means people can attend either by coming to church in-person or virtually via Zoom.
Our world has changed - and continues to change rapidly. Beginning multi-platform worship is a new endeavor for us, and there is a lot to figure out. We can all help each other to embrace change and flexibility in how we operate. It will involve trial and error. There will be tech glitches. We will not get it all right the first time, but we will keep going and learning as we go. I encourage us to kindly remind each other to not expect perfection right out of the gate. Together we can cultivate flexibility and patience.
As much as we want to be together in person, safety has to be a priority. We will still invite everyone in the church building to wear masks, regardless of who is vaccinated. (Masks will be available as you enter.) We may in some instances choose to be more conservative than the state, county, or township in our regulations. We all know that Covid is an ever-changing threat, and we do not want to see anybody's health compromised by coming to Ardmore UMC.
Living out our United Methodist values is a priority. Our worship is an open and public endeavor for all who wish to attend. Not everyone who attends Ardmore UMC can be or will choose to be vaccinated. Together, we set the expectation that all will be welcomed and treated with acceptance and respect.
It is going to take a lot of people power to run multi-platform services. We have been fortunate to have such dedicated staff and volunteers making it possible for us to worship via Zoom for well over a year. As we prepare and begin to move ahead into this new phase, we will need additional volunteers to make this work. Please stay tuned for how you can help.
I want to extend a grateful THANK YOU to Marilyn White Parry for her efforts on Zoom this past year, to the Re-Opening Committee, and the many church members that contributed their time and talents and help in conducting ministry and to our staff who are working tirelessly to have the church run smoothly.
On July 11, we anticipate that Elizabeth will play the organ and that singing will still be suspended. You may hum along and read the words to the hymns.
Children will be welcomed but will be with Mr. Wayne. When families arrive, children will gather with Mr. Wayne under the awning. He will lead Children’s Church outside for the entire time of worship. For the summer, there will be no Children’s Sermon in the worship service.
Also, to keep things simple and health conscience, there will be no Patio Fellowship or Under the Awning, this year. We will evaluate Coffee Hour for the fall at a later time.
You will notice exciting changes to the sanctuary and building, as a new ramp is being constructed in the front and new technology will enhance our worship experience. (An opportunity to contribute to these Capital Expenses will be shared separately.)
We are working hard to figure out how to do all this. We will keep you posted as we have more to share. We trust and pray that Christ will lead and guide us through every step of our future and be present in worship however we gather!
In Faith, Pastor Tim