To: The Members of the New Hope Baptist Church
Re: Returning to In-Person Worship Services

Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!  I have missed seeing you all in person!  I am greatly looking forward to gathering for in-person Sunday morning worship. If you have not already heard, NHBC will return to "in-person" worship service on Sunday, June 13, 2021.  All our services will continue to be available on Facebook, Youtube, and www.newhopebr.com. These online services will continue going forward in perpetuity because we have had a great response to our online presence.   However, if you are sick or in an at-risk group or away from home, you will still be able to worship with us online. We also want everyone to be safe when considering returning to in-person worship services.  If you feel ill or have been exposed to someone who is not feeling well, we encourage you to stay safe, stay home and participate in worship online.  If you are not comfortable or ready to return to in-person worship, we ask that you prayerfully continue to worship with us virtually.

This letter is also to inform everyone that NHBC will be operating under specific because guidelines and protocols for in-person worship services. 

Here are some of the essential guidelines that will directly affect everyone attending services:

• Everyone will be subject to temperature checks and COVID-19 screening questions upon arrival.
• Everyone will be expected to wear a mask when attending worship. If anyone forgets their mask, we will have extra available at the door.
• There will be several sanitizing stations available throughout the building.
• Social distancing rules of 3' apart will be practiced.  
• The seating in the sanctuary has been rearranged to facilitate physical distancing. 
• Families will be allowed to sit together.
• Initial worship services will be “contact-free.” We will be taking steps to reduce the amount of physical contact between us. For example, reducing the number of surfaces touched by multiple people (hymnals, bulletins, offering baskets, etc.) and eliminating before and after worship gathering areas.
• We also regret to inform the young parents of our congregation that we will not have children’s church or the nursery available at this time.

Other guidelines will affect our worship experience, but these are the major ones that we wanted to make sure you knew before returning to the sanctuary. I want to assure everyone that much thought, consideration, and prayer went into these decisions.

We humbly ask that everyone show patience during this time. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the church office at 225-926-0246 or by email at newhope5856@gmail.com.

Blessings in Christ,
Pastor Leo D. Cyrus, Sr.