DISCIPLES OF CHRIST
DISCIPLES OF CHRIST
August 11, 2020
Hello FCC Weston Families,
Yesterday evening the board of FCC Weston met and discussed reopening the church. Our church is an important factor in all our lives, and the board understands that our congregation misses each other and our time in worship. We are aware, as the governor and health officials are as well, that the threat of this virus will not be over anytime soon. We also know that faith needs to be put into practice in difficult circumstances. Faith is manifested in the small things in our daily lives and gathering together to worship our Savior, Jesus Christ each Sunday is an important component of that.
The board has decided to reopen our church this Sunday, August 16, 2020. The other two churches in Weston, along with churches in surrounding areas, have already opened their doors for worship. We feel the time is right to reopen, but there will be many safety protocols in place. Paul Jackson, who is one of our Preacher candidates will be delivering the sermon on Sunday. We plan to video the sermon, so those of you at home can join in our worship service. More details on that to come!!
We ask you all to continue practice social distancing when you join us on August 16, 2020. Please be especially aware of the concerns that others might also have. Keep a distance of 6 feet between yourselves and others that are not part of your household. This will be tough because we love to hug and shake hands and will be excited to worship together.
If you do not feel safe coming to church yet, please know that God – and we – understand. In fact, if you have underlying medical conditions which make you extra vulnerable to the virus, you are encouraged to stay isolated a bit longer.
If you are sick at all, in any way, please stay home. If you have been with anyone within the last two weeks who is sick in any way, please stay home. If you have traveled and only recently arrived back to the area and have not self-quarantined for 14 days, please stay home.
Every bit of this is designed to minimize, even eliminate, the chances that someone could get infected with the coronavirus at church. The board has had discussions reviewing the CDC guidelines and recommendations and consulting with Healthcare professionals. In person services will have the following modifications to protect our community:
-Masks will be required by all individuals more than 2 years old inside the building. We will have masks available (individually packaged) for those that do not have them.
-Only one family may sit per pew and the congregation will be staggered right to left in alternating pews. Every other pew will be taped off and not used in order to maintain proper social distancing.
-We will be using pre-filled and sealed communion cups. Cups will be placed at the pews prior to the service. No communion will be passed during the church service. Communion cups will be disposed of after the church service is over.
-Hand sanitizer will be available throughout the church.
-Bowls will be put on pedestals at the back of the sanctuary for offering collection. There will be no passing of the plate for offering.
-Bulletins will be placed in pews prior to the service.
-As long as masks are worn, we will allow the fans to be turned on low setting during the service.
-No more than 3 songs during the service. May only be pianist playing during the song. Singing is optional for congregation.
-There will be no children’s or adult Sunday school throughout the summer. We will revisit this in Fall.
No one knows how long we may have to follow this plan. The church board will continue to closely monitor the situation and will modify guidelines and requirements as needed.
We are eager to see you when you decide it is the right time for you to attend church. Oh, how wonderful it will be to worship together again!
“Lift up your eyes round about and see; they all gather together, they come to you. Your sons will come from afar, and your daughters will be carried in the arms. – Isaiah 60:4
As of July 13, 2020
Hello FCC Weston Families,
As eager as we all are to join together in celebration and worship again, we are also imminently concerned with the health and safety of the people in our congregation. The number of people with the virus in surrounding areas have continued to rise since the church board met at the beginning of June. The safety of our congregation is our #1 priority and so the board has decided to NOT reopen the church on July 19, 2020 as originally communicated. They will monitor the situation and the board will continue to discuss reopening the church at a safer time.
We will continue to send out video sermons from our preacher candidates weekly. For the time being, our church building will remain closed, but our hearts and minds will remain open to the needs of our congregation and our community.
We are united in our love of God. We are united in our love for First Christian Church of Weston. We are united in our admiration of those who put their own safety at risk to serve and protect our community. We are united in our prayers for a brighter future. We are united in our support for everyone affected by COVID-19. We are united in our sadness as we are all missing seeing friends, family, and our brothers and sisters in faith at church. We are united in doing everything we can, individually and corporately, to prevent this difficult situation from becoming truly catastrophic. To that end, we are united in keeping our church building, for the time being, closed.
And we pray that God would bless you; that He would make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you; that He would lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace.
Blessings to you all and we hope to see you in person at church soon.
As of June 9, 2020
Hello FCC Weston families,
Thank you to everyone that completed the survey we sent out a couple weeks ago. Our church is an important factor in all our lives, and you all continue to be faithful supporters of our ministry.
We realize, as the governor and health officials do as well, that the threat of this virus will not be over in the near future. This threat could go on for many months. It is our belief that our duty to you and our community is to be a haven of love and fellowship, a place to join together and worship our Savior Jesus Christ. We believe that this is every bit as essential, if not more so, as many other activities that the general population undertakes on a weekly basis.
With that said it is also important to move forward cautiously. The board has decided to tentatively reopen our church on Sunday, July 19, 2020. Many people will choose to gather together for July 4th weekend. Choosing July 19th, allows for a two week period to pass where people can make sure they are not feeling ill if they visited friends and family. When we reopen, church will be different. The board has had multiple discussions reviewing the CDC guidelines and recommendations and consulting with Healthcare professionals. We will be making the following modifications to our in person service to implement all precautions to protect our community that are reasonably possible:
-Masks will be required by all individuals more than 2 years old inside the building. We will have masks available (individually packaged) for those that do not have them.
-Only one family may sit per pew and the congregation will be staggered right to left in alternating pews. Every other pew will be taped off and not used in order to maintain proper social distancing.
-We will be using pre-filled and sealed communion cups. Cups will be placed at the pews prior to the service. No communion will be passed during the church service. Communion cups will be disposed of after the church service is over.
-Hand sanitizer will be available at the front entrance and in fellowship hall.
-Bowls or baskets will be put on pedestals at the back of the sanctuary for offering collection. There will be no passing of the plate for offering.
-As long as masks are worn, we will allow the fans to be turned on low setting during the service.
-No more than 3 songs during the service, while seated (no standing). May only be pianist playing during the song. Singing is optional for congregation.
-There will be no children’s or adult Sunday school throughout the summer. We will revisit this in September.
We ask you all to continue practice social distancing when you join us on July 19th. Please be especially aware of the concerns that others might also have. Keep a distance of 6 feet between yourselves and others that are not part of your household. This will be tough because we love to hug and shake hands.
If you do not feel safe coming to church yet, please know that God – and we – understand. In fact, if you have underlying medical conditions which make you extra vulnerable to the virus, you are encouraged to stay isolated a bit longer.
If you are sick at all, in any way, please stay home. If you have been with anyone within the last two weeks who is sick in any way, please stay home. If you have traveled and only recently arrived back to the area and have not self-quarantined for 14 days, please stay home.
Every bit of this is designed to minimize, even eliminate, the chances that someone could get infected with the coronavirus at church. This plan is based on love. We are to love our brethren, and this is how we show our love, by doing everything in our power to not spread this virus.
No one knows how long we may have to follow this plan. The church board will continue to closely monitor the situation and will modify guidelines and requirements as needed.
Be patient, stay strong in the faith, trust God, love one another, and we will get through this together.
“He is a shield to those and guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones.” -Proverbs 2:7
As of May 17, 2020
Hello FCC Weston families,
We hope you are all doing well and we miss seeing all your smiling faces. The FCC Weston board met this morning and discussed in depth when to reopen our church. With a large majority of our congregation over the age of 65, the board feels like it would be best to stay closed until the end of June. The board will continue to monitor the state of COVID-19 in our area and will meet throughout the month of June to determine if reopening should occur earlier or later.
Let’s be clear, though: this does not mean we will be back normal on June 30th. We will not set a date for in-person gathering until we know we can keep everyone safe. And when we do gather, there will be changes to how we worship. We are all working together to think of ways to make sure we are not putting the vulnerable members of our church family at risk. These include, but are not limited to, wearing masks, having hand sanitizer available, having bowls for offering placed in the back of the sanctuary, using pre-filled and sealed communion cups and seating in alternating pews.
As we think about how and when we are reopening the building, we would like to hear your thoughts. Please help us by clicking HERE and filling out this quick 6 question survey. It will only take a minute or two, and it would help us a lot!
We will provide everyone with ample information on when and how we will resume in-person worship. We are committed to the safety of our church family and our community, and we have many needs to consider.
We miss seeing you all on Sunday mornings. Gathering together is in our nature and is an important part of our faith. We all yearn to sing hymns and hug each other. One thing we know for sure: that day will come and we will be together again.
In the meantime, please keep enjoying the video sermons we send to you weekly. How wonderful to praise God while sitting on your patio, gazing at your garden or snuggled up on the couch with your family.
These are challenging times, but we know we will stay connected to each other in faith and love. Keep your head high and your faith even higher FCC Weston Family!
As of April 27, 2020
We hope everyone is staying safe and healthy. This is a challenging time for everyone and it looks like this will be our new “normal” for a while longer. Governor Greg Abbott announced today that beginning May 1, Texas will begin reopening slowly in phases. Phase 1, which begins May 1, states that churches can reopen, but with only 25% capacity and still practicing social distancing. Phase 2 will begin on May 18, as long as there is not an increased number of new COVID-19 cases.
Our Church services are currently suspended through May 3rd, and we have decided to extend that to at least May 18th. This will give us time to evaluate if it is safe to reopen based on how COVID-19 positive cases are, after the reopening begins. If COVID-19 cases do not increase, the state will enter Phase 2 on May 18th. Phase 2 would allow all churches to operate at 50% capacity. With our active membership at 117 people, that would allow 58 people to be in attendance each Sunday at First Christian Church of Weston. With 58 people allowed in the sanctuary, the church should not have to turn anyone away from being in attendance. Our congregation’s safety is our top priority and although we all miss each other terribly, we do not want to do anything that is not safe for our congregation.
The church is actively preparing for the time when we can worship together again. Once we are allowed to gather at church, we will still need to be safe and cautious. We have purchased hand sanitizer to have at various locations in the church, and we have ordered 500 pre-filled communion cups each individually sealed with a wafer cracker and juice. We want to do everything we can to keep our congregation members safe while they worship at First Christian Church of Weston.
We realize that extending the closure of the church to at least May 18th, includes Sunday, May 10th, which is Mother’s Day. Sadly, we will not be able to worship together and celebrate all the mothers in our congregation on that day. But we WILL have a big celebration once we are able to gather together. We will honor all the beauty that is motherhood - love, patience, work, comfort, strength, time, emotion - and celebrate each of the mothers in our congregation for all they give to their children, their family, and the world.
This is a time of uneasiness for our church family, community, nation, and world. We have an opportunity to provide a powerful witness to those looking for
guidance during this period of uncertainty. What a blessing it will be for people to see us remaining calm in the face of challenge because we know in whom we place our faith. The Apostle Paul wrote these words and I believe they provide us with wisdom for this very moment,
“Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7)
May the Lord provide us with this peace as we move forward together.
As of April 9, 2020
Hello FCC Weston families,
We have a special treat for Easter Sunday! Dr. Les Massey has recorded an Easter sermon for you to watch on Sunday! What a blessing to not only get to see Dr. Massey again, but also to have an Easter sermon specifically for our church. Dr. Massey has included a communion meditation with this sermon, so make sure you have some kind of bread and a small cup of juice (grape, cranberry, or anything you have available) ready before you begin the sermon. The link to the Youtube sermon by Dr. Massey is below.
Even though we are not able to worship together, the church has still come “together” during this unprecedented time. As special and unique as our sanctuary is, our amazing church is about our people, not a structure! The children of the church have all been enjoying Easter egg hunts at their homes with filled eggs delivered to them from our church, Danielle has sent out Sunday School lessons for them to do and our #RingTheBell event each night has been wonderful for our church family to come together and pray for this pandemic to be over. Our #RingTheBell tradition will continue until Easter Sunday.
While the building has been idle, the church has been undergoing some renovations. I am happy to report that those by Artisan Construction Company are complete and now we will work on getting the kitchen and fellowship hall cleaned, pictures back on the wall and kitchen organized. Look for pictures of the remodel in a future email. Thank you to everyone that donated to our remodel fund. Your donations are truly appreciated as these renovations were things needed to keep the church fresh and more functional for the future. And thank you to those that continue to send in your weekly or monthly offerings. This ongoing financial support is vital to our church since we still have to pay insurance, utility bills and salaries. Please consider giving as you would in worship and mailing your offering to the church. (P.O. Box 7, Weston, TX 75097)
We celebrate Easter each year and it comes to remind us of the love of a Perfect God for flawed mankind. Jesus Christ died on the cross, He was buried and on the third day He rose again to bring hope to the world. And Hope is exactly what this world needs right now. Hope for an end to this pandemic, Hope that everyone affected recovers, Hope that we can all gather together again soon, Hope for a better tomorrow. As you celebrate this wonderful holiday remember that Christ gave His life for us willingly and unconditionally and He will get us through this.
Easter Sermon Link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ahL4-W4YK4&feature=youtu.be
As of April 2, 2020
Hello FCC Weston families,
We continue to remember you in our prayers each day. We hope you are doing well, staying safe and healthy.
Yesterday, Governor Greg Abbott announced that social distancing will continue through the end of April. All Texas Schools are closed until at least May 4th. In compliance with city and county stay-at-home orders, our church will continue to be closed until May 3rd. We will keep monitoring and will make the decision to extend this timeline if needed.
We understand that this timing is especially difficult as we approach Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday. These are deeply important times of worship for us as Christians. While it will not be the same as if we are worshiping together in person, the culmination of our Lenten season can still be meaningful for us. And, when we are able to worship together again at First Christian Church, we will most definitely celebrate!
This week bags of Easter Eggs were delivered to the children of the church, so they can enjoy an Easter Egg hunt at home on behalf of FCC Weston. Over 400 eggs were separated out and delivered to doorsteps and we hope this brings some joy and smiles to the children.
Though we cannot worship together in person at this time, there are other churches that are streaming and posting their services for you to watch if you so choose.
First Christian Church of Garland streams through their Facebook page (under "videos") at 10 AM each Sunday. https://www.facebook.com/FCCGarland/
Northway Christian Church in Dallas also streams through their Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/northwaychristian/
First Christian Church of Arlington has posted sermons on their website. https://www.firstchristianarlington.org/worship/recent-worship-services/
First Christian Church in Wichita Falls live streams their Sunday service on their Facebook page beginning at 10:45 am. www.facebook.com/fccwf
Please also keep in mind that even though we may not have worship for the upcoming weeks, our ministry does not cease. Thus, your ongoing financial support is vital. Please consider giving as you would in worship and mailing your offering to the church. (P.O. Box 7, Weston, TX 75097)
Our #RingTheBell has been wonderful for our church family and the community to come together and pray for this pandemic to be over. Having one family, ring the bell at 6 pm every evening is encouraging and reminds people that the church is still here, even though the doors are closed. We will continue this every evening until Easter Sunday.
Please stay in contact with one another through phone calls, text messages, Facebook, and other communication methods. If you are in the at-risk population and need assistance in any way (grocery shopping, etc.), please e-mail one of us. We have folks who are ready and willing to assist.
Let us all thank God for those in the medical science field who are searching for a solution to COVID-19. Let us be grateful for political leaders who are attempting to provide direction that will keep the general citizenry informed, calm and peaceful. Let us pray for all the doctors, nurses, janitors, first responders, postal workers, grocery workers and more who are now our heroes keeping us safe. Let us pray for all the teachers and students who are navigating a new world of digital learning. Let us look around and see the humanity in all of this tragedy. People helping people when they need it the most. Car companies producing masks for healthcare workers. Families checking in with loved ones. People staying home not for themselves, but so they do not risk passing something to others. In the darkness of today, we can see the light that will bring us through this. And, that light is the great God Almighty.
As of March 27, 2020
We hope you are all doing well and taking care of yourselves during this time. We continue to seek prayerful diligence in our response, and trust the actions and
guidance of local school districts and government officials. We will follow the guidance of the State of Texas and will continue to suspend services through April 5th, which is Palm Sunday. Please do not hesitate to contact the church staff if we can be helpful to you during this time.
We hope you are finding ways at home to spend time in worship in the way that best allows you to experience God’s presence. He will see us through this trying time.
Though we will not worship together in person this week, our ministry and our obligations to our staff do not cease. Thank you to those that continue to mail in their regular offering checks to the church. It is appreciated and vital support. We have also received many checks towards our remodel fund. We are almost to $5,000 that you have graciously given directly to our remodel fund! What a glorious gift you have given as a congregation! That $5,000 will be matched by a generous church family. That means that almost every penny of our remodel cost will be covered by your donations. The church board is blown away by your generosity. Thank you!
Our church board and staff will continue to be in conversation about how we will proceed in the weeks to come. We will keep you updated on our plans regarding worship, especially with Easter coming up.
Please stay in contact with one another through phone calls, text messages, Facebook, and other communication methods. It is easy to feel isolated during this time and continued connection will be important for all of us. If you are in the at-risk population (over age 60 and/or have underlying health conditions) and need assistance in any way (grocery shopping, etc.), please e-mail Kimberly Tisserand at tisserand@outlook.com. We have folks who are ready and willing to assist.
There have been many times in history when the church could not meet regularly, or even out in the open. Yet through those times God was faithful and continued to knit together the people into the embodiment of Jesus through the Holy Spirit. We give thanks that although we cannot meet together as we would like, we can remain in touch via social media, e-mails, texts, etc. God is still at work among us to help us grow through these days so that we are ever more ready to live and love like Jesus.
Stay healthy everyone.
As of March 24, 2020
Hello FCC Weston families,
Andy Dimock shared on our facebook page last night that he and his family went up to the church and rang the church bell for 30 seconds at 6 pm. He followed this with a prayer. We will continue this every evening at 6 pm until Easter. If anyone would like to join in and take a turn in ringing the bell, please let myself or Andy know. We will be posting this on our website and facebook and we would love to share this with everyone and see how many people we can get to come together, ring a bell and all pray at the same time. #RingTheBell
" I concur with Andy that we need to stay in touch and support each other during this pandemic. For those of us who can't come to ring the bell each day, I ask each one to pause at 6:00 P.M. and offer up prayers of Protection and Thanksgiving for our Church Families and our Nation. Our God is Faithful and full of Mercy and Grace. Let us stay Faithful to Him."
Clark Neill, Board Chair
If you can’t come ring the church bell, then join us at home. Grab a bell, walk outside and ring the bell and pray for this pandemic to be over. If you don’t have a bell, then just join us in prayer. Although we cannot all worship together, it is the PEOPLE who make the church. Thank you to Andy Dimock for thinking of such a wonderful way for us all to worship together!
#RingTheBell
As of March 14, 2020
Dear FCC Weston families,
Out of an abundance of caution and to assist with our nation’s preventive efforts against the COVID-19 outbreak, the First Christian Church of Weston Board has voted to suspend worship services for the next 4 weeks. We anticipate suspending services through March and the beginning of April and resuming worship on Easter Sunday, April 12th – but will continue to evaluate the situation. If the threat of COVID-19 diminishes, then the Board will re-evaluate the possibility of resuming services earlier.
We take the health of our congregation and community seriously and care deeply about what is best for everyone. Many Christian Churches in the area have cancelled worship services for the next two Sundays. With the majority of our congregation family falling into the at-risk population (over age 65 and/or have underlying health conditions), we felt this was the right decision for our congregation.
We encourage you to spend time in worship at home in the way that best allows you to experience God’s presence. Below is a link to videos of worship services at FCC Arlington if you would like to have access to sermons for the next few weeks.
https://www.firstchristianarlington.org/worship/recent-worship-services/
First Christian Church in Wichita Falls will be live streaming their service this Sunday on their facebook page beginning at 10:45 am. Here is the link if you would like to watch it this Sunday.
www.facebook.com/fccwf
Please also keep in mind that even though we may not have worship for the upcoming weeks, our ministry does not cease. Thus, your ongoing financial support is vital. You may continue to mail checks to the church (P.O. Box 7, Weston, TX 75097) including separate donations specific for the remodeling fund. In case you were not at church last Sunday, Mike Rippy announced that a church family has generously offered to match dollar for dollar all donations that are given directly to the remodeling fund. The church Board voted to approve roughly $10,000 in remodeling that will be done at the church in the next couple of months. If you would like to give to the remodeling fund, please note that in the memo line of your checks.
This situation is ever-evolving, so we will do our best to stay informed and give updates to you as needed. Here is some information including details about the virus and measures you can take during this time.
-Most cases present with mild flulike symptoms.
-There is no treatment for the virus – it must run its course in the body.
-As of now, doctors believe that the virus is spread through droplets (saliva, etc.) – it is not airborne. The virus enters through the eyes, nose, and/or mouth.
-If you develop symptoms, contact your physician via phone as opposed to just showing up at their office. If the situation is an emergency, it is helpful to call the hospital emergency room ahead of time to let them know you are on your way so they can adequately prepare.
-If you are not symptomatic (ie. running fever and feel sick), do not seek testing. The test will only be positive if you are exhibiting symptoms, and unnecessary testing will deplete supplies needed for others.
-If you feel sick, or someone in your household is sick, please remain at home.
-If you have traveled out of the country recently to any high-alert area, please remain at home for 14 days.
Monitor the CDC, Texas Department of State Health Services, and Collin County websites for updated information.
We know this is a strange time that feels uncertain and a bit chaotic. Remember that we serve a God who never changes and whose love never fails us! Be in prayer for our church, for churches around our community and world, for those who are sick and the ones who care for them, for our leaders who face challenging decisions, and for our continued health and well-being. May this be a time when we truly become the body of Christ for and with one another, showing the world what it means to live with peace, grace, compassion, and love.
First Christian Church, Weston TX © | Privacy Policy