COVID-19 Updates

UPDATE ON CARE FOR BABIES

We are offering limited space for babies at least 6 months old in the toddler room while the room is open and there is enough volunteers. Check in at the Antioch Kids check-in desk for space availability each Sunday morning.

Update: November 4, 2022

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The city of Minneapolis has dropped its mask mandate for indoor gatherings in spaces of public accommodation effective immediately. Therefore, masks are optional and no longer required for those who attend our Sunday worship services, kids ministry programs or other events beginning Sunday, 2/27/22.

While masks are no longer required, families are encouraged to do what is safe and comfortable for their family. Let us continue to love our church and community well by being a family of peace and mutual upbuilding (Rom. 19) during this transition.

Update: February 25, 2022

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It has been unfortunate to see a spike in Covid cases with the increasing rates of transmission with new variants. As we move into fall, please know that our elder team will be continuing to monitor state and local health & safety guidelines, as we seek to keep our church family and community safe. As a family of believers, we strive to care for one another in humility and grace. Should you have any questions about our current health & safety guidelines, feel free to reach out to our elder team at elders@antiochcommunity.org

Update: August 9, 2021

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“May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Romans 15:5, 6 ESV

As we are all adapting to the difficult realities of an ongoing pandemic, the information below details our church’s plan to mitigate the risks of COVID-19, while still seeking to be who God has called us to be as His people.

As a church we are seeking advice and guidance from the federal (CDC) and state authorities regarding the pandemic. For an overview of the latest MN COVID-19 updates from Governor Walz and the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) you can visit MN Stay Safe Plan here.

As a church of a few hundred people, we naturally have a wide variety of convictions present among us in regards to this pandemic, COVID-19 itself, and measures taken by our federal and state governments on how to deal with it. Picture it like a spectrum. On one end, some of us are not worried about the virus at all, are very frustrated by the restrictions put in place, and want to gather in person ASAP. On the other end of the spectrum, some of us are very worried about the virus, think the current restrictions are too loose, and do not want to gather in person till there is a vaccine developed. Many of us, of course, also fall somewhere in the middle between those two ends of the spectrum.

Maintaining Unity

Because of the polarizing nature of how to handle COVID-19, it is all the more important for us, as God’s people, as the church, to be intentional about maintaining our unity in the Spirit, in the gospel. An issue like this, with strong opinions at both ends of the spectrum could lead to division among us. We must not allow this to happen. As elders and staff, we encourage Antioch to read and meditate on the Apostle Paul’s words to the church in Ephesus from Ephesians 4:1-6. We will need to “bear with one another in love”, hold our opinions humbly, be gentle in our words, and patient with those we disagree with. We must be “eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit,” by focusing on the unifying realities of our church family (eg. all the “one’s” in this passage.)

I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call—one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. Ephesians 4:1–6 ESV

Here are the quick bullet points of our current plan to mitigate the risks of COVID-19 at our in-person Sunday morning gatherings. If you still have further questions, please contact matt@antiochcommunity.org.

• We will be doing extra cleaning before, during, and after services.
• We will have hand sanitizing stations setup throughout the facility.
• We will encourage social distancing.
• We will have limited Kids Ministry opportunities at this time.

*It’s important to note that we are constantly reevaluating our practices as new information and research develops around the COVID-19 pandemic (eg. considering when to reopen some Kids Ministry options). We will continue this process as long as is necessary.

Our Community Groups that meet throughout the city are still meeting regularly and have been constantly adapting and changing their practices and meeting habits/contexts surrounding these issues.

You can find a list of all our church events and opportunities on our calendar.

Again, through much prayer, information gathering, discussion with other churches, guidance from our EFCA leaders, and discussion among ourselves, this is what the elders and staff have decided for our reopening plan. It is important to remember, there is no strategy for in person gatherings that will be fool-proof, and that any strategy will carry some risk. We ask, if you feel unsafe, or if you are at risk, or have certain pre-existing conditions, that you stay home and worship with us online. If you have symptoms of COVID-19, please stay home and catch up with the weekly sermon recording.

Trusting Him to work “all things together for the good of those who love him” (Romans 8:28),

Matt Kinnick for the elders and staff

 

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