COVID-19 Update: 3 Factors that Inform Our Precautions
As we cross the one-year mark since the COVID-19 pandemic took hold in our community, I want to take a moment to thank you for being great.
In a church as diverse in perspective as Summit, it is no surprise that there are as many opinions about the right steps and views on how to view the pandemic as there are people. It would be an impossible task to suit everyone’s view on posture, policy, and perspective, and yet in that dynamic, the vast majority of this church family has shown great kindness and deference, even if they weren’t in full agreement. For those who have demonstrated unity when uniformity was not an achievable (or even desirable) outcome, I salute you and want you to know I am proud to live out Summit’s vision alongside you. So again, Summit Church, thank you for being great!
Now we are close to rounding out the first quarter of this new year and are seeing incredible progress in our city and in our country toward goals of mass vaccinations and a return to some normalcy. The toll of the pandemic has been steep both in loss of life, livelihood, and often personal well-being. Normal may be different, but we are all hopeful that the pandemic itself is nearing its end. And with healthcare workers and others receiving vaccines, I am hopeful for changes on the horizon! My wife Brandy has been serving Seminole County’s efforts toward vaccinations, and it has been so encouraging for me to note the progress hearing about her work with the elderly, the most vulnerable, and now with teachers.
With the anticipation of changes in the circumstances of the pandemic, especially in regards to the vaccination efforts and eventually the loosening of community restrictions, I want to give you all a bit of a heads up on how we will pace ourselves as a church in our own gatherings. Last year in the gradually reopening of our city following the stay-at-home orders, we identified three factors that we would use to inform our own actions in regards to safeguards for gathering.
The percentage rate for positive COVID-19 testing in our counties (under 10% is identified as a manageable scenario)
The capacity of hospitals to manage COVID-19 cases (meaning primarily available beds)
The guidelines of our leaders (city/county, state, and federal)
These three factors helped to inform our early gathering requirements and guidelines, and we will use these same factors to guide the loosening of requirements and guidelines in the months ahead.
As I write this, I am happy to note that in Orange and Seminole Counties, we remain in the manageable zone for the percentage of positive COVID-19 testing (Orange County: 5.6%+, Seminole County: 6.6%+). Regarding hospital capacity, we are also in a good place with over 1,200 available beds across our major hospitals with individual hospitals, in most cases, having a 20 percent or greater capacity for new patients. This is good news!
Assuming those first two factors remain encouraging, what remains is the guidance of our leaders, to which we will be paying particular attention to county leadership as they are most directly managing vaccine rollout. Specifically, we will be looking to our county schools for guidance with our own children’s ministry environments and looking to county-wide mandates and recommendations for gatherings and public spaces.
I don’t know when restrictions will start to lift, and I imagine there remains a wide swath of perspective on what should happen when. In the reality of circumstances continuing to change, I ask that we continue to show each other love, that we assume the best in each other, and that we honor the pace and posture we take as a whole church—even where it may not suit our individual preferences or perspectives. In doing so, we have the opportunity to show the world strength and humility that is not swayed by circumstance, but that is displayed instead by the power of transformed lives and the hope (and priority!) of the gospel.
John Parker is the lead pastor at Summit Church. He enjoys woodworking and boats and dreams of building his own boat in the coming years.