Dear Kingwood family,
Today’s headlines are dominated by rapidly changing developments concerning the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19).  Our desire is to communicate with clarity and encouragement regarding Kingwood Church’s posture in this moment of uncertainty.
Although there are no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Alabama at this point, it is apparent that impacts are likely based on both real and perceived concerns.  While we cannot predict the scope or timing of these impacts, we are proactively taking steps to prepare for a variety of scenarios.  Regardless of the direction of these developments, our goal is to respond in a manner that maintains continuity of our ministries and our sense of community as a church.
Based on our present risk assessment formed from the credible guidance we are evaluating, we will at this point continue to offer all public worship services as normal.Â
You will notice this Sunday the presence of additional hand sanitizer stations throughout the campus.  Out of an abundance of caution, we will ask our Greeter, Usher, and Prayer teams to refrain from giving hugs, handshakes, or other forms of physical contact.  In spite of these temporary adjustments, we will be very intentional to maintain an environment that is welcoming and spiritually vibrant.  For now, warm smiles and elbow bumps will have to do the trick!
At all our Kingwood facilities, we are very intentional about providing clean, sanitary, and safe environments for people to meet and worship God.  We have enhanced our already-thorough cleaning procedures to include comprehensive daily cleaning of all restrooms and various touch points (doorknobs, handles, water faucets, handrails, etc.).  The children’s classrooms and toys are disinfected after each service by the Kingwood Kids staff and volunteers.  In Kingwood Joes, we are continuing good health protocols and increasing the frequency of cleaning and sanitizing tables and general use surfaces.
While we realize that no public environment is 100% safe, we take every precaution and are diligent in our training procedures with housekeeping staff and volunteers in regard to proper cleaning standards.
As we prepare for services and activities, we will review on a week-by-week basis any special considerations that need to be given in light of public health concerns.  Thankfully, we are growing in our technological ability to deliver content, create engagement, and even provide a sense of community.  We will continue to advance in these areas and hope that our podcast, website, app, Facebook Live events, and Facebook community groups will help to offset any “social distancing†that may become necessary for members of Kingwood Church. Especially if you feel sick, we ask that you engage the Kingwood community through these other venues rather than on campus.
We recognize that circumstances are different for each of our church’s families.  Even as we continue to offer public services and activities, we recommend that each family interpret the medical guidance of credible organizations such as the Center for Disease Control and Prevention in making determinations about the response you determine to be most appropriate in your circumstances.
Despite the difficulty of this situation, we are committed that our vision to be a movement of hope is more than a slogan.  We have a receptive moment to speak hope into a concerned community, and we are aggressively moving to identify opportunities to live out our faith and increase our influence through a proactive, biblical response to the anxieties that our friends and neighbors are feeling.  We’ll keep you posted on those efforts as well.
We will monitor this situation and make adjustments as appropriate, and communicate these changes to you through email, our website, and social media platforms.
We love every one of you.  Our prayer for you is 2 Timothy 1:7 – “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.â€
We look forward to great ministry this weekend at Kingwood!
Speaking hope,
