Latest CDC Guidelines for Masks (May 16)
This past week, the CDC released a statement in which they said that those who have been fully vaccinated no longer need to wear a mask in public, whether indoor or outdoor. Throughout the pandemic, it has been our goal to follow the recommendations of the CDC and other health authorities for the purpose of protecting one another and being as loving as we can to our neighbors by trying to help reduce the spread of the virus. Beginning this week, those who have been fully vaccinated can attend our services maskless. We ask that those who have not yet been vaccinated or who are only partially vaccinated continue to wear masks to help be a loving neighbor to one another.
As we continue to return back to worship, we know that there are many who will be excited to worship mask-free for ease of singing and communication between other members and guests. There are others who continue to feel cautious because of health conditions or family members who may be at higher risk. Any member who feels hesitant about the decision to attend church without a mask is encouraged to continue wearing a mask, if you so choose. We will continue to ask our members to maintain 3 feet of physical distancing to help prevent any spreading of airborne germs.
We have been delighted to see that over the course of the past 9 months, any kind of worship or prayer service that we have held on our campus has been held safely and without the spread of this virus. The safety guidelines have been effective in preventing the spread of illness at Skillman, and we continue to encourage our members to return back to worship with us in person as a discipline in fostering community and developing a lifestyle of worship together with our fellow members.
We look forward to worshipping with you this week and beyond!
Returning to Worship Services (May 1)
We are extremely excited to continue to welcome back members and guests to worship with us weekly. In order to return back to in-person church service, we will continue to meet outdoors as long as the weather permits. The pleasant Spring weather has given us a great opportunity to safely enjoy fellowship with other members. We encourage everyone to come back as we meet under the beautiful trees at Skillman.
As we return to services, we will continue to try and follow CDC recommendations. The CDC outlines that those who have been vaccinated are at less risk outside and a mask becomes more optional. We will continue to encourage physical distancing.
It will be mandatory for our greeters to wear masks as they might be helping folks out of cars or helping others to find seats. Our children’s worship teachers will continue to wear masks. As always, be kind. We ask that you wear a mask if those around you are uncomfortable with you not wearing one.
We want everyone to feel welcome in worshipping together once more. We are all looking forward to seeing you on Sundays.
The Elders
Indoor Services Protocol (December 1)
Starting on December 6th, our congregation will move services back into the building for in-person worship services. We will continue to meet on an every other week basis at this time, with services also being live-streamed online for members and guests to view from home. Here are the protocols that we will have in place and ask all members and visitors to follow:
Who, What, Where, When, How?
- The worship service will begin at 10:30am in the Gym of the Family Life Center. The Gym provides for the best air circulation in our facilities. Also, we will prop open all doors into the Gym as well as exterior doors so that air can flow into and out of the building to help with air circulation. We will open doors at 10:15am. (Participants should continue to plan to dress warmly for these services as temperatures continue to drop as the winter approaches.)
- All participants should plan to enter our building through the Family Life Center doors that face Skillman Street. There will be three sets of doors open and available for entry: the main FLC doors under the porte cochere, the doors that lead into the FLC hallway from the south side of the Rotunda, and the doors that lead into the FLC hallway from the north side of the Rotunda (in the Rose Garden patio).
- We will limit our attendance to these services to no more than 75 participants. Please RSVP to the service in advance so that we can ensure the safety of all participants.
- We will live stream the service online in addition for all members and guests who plan to participate in the service from their homes.
- We will have congregational singing at our services along with a song leader who leads our singing. The music will be available on the screens at the service.
- Individually packaged communion bread and juice will be available for participants in the service to pick up as they enter the building.
- All participants during the service who speak or lead singing will have their own personal microphone to use that will be cleaned and sanitized before and after the service.
- We will also have a clear shield that all speakers will stand behind to help the prevention of spreading germs while speaking/singing.
- Children’s activity booklets and materials will be available for families with young children who RSVP in advance of the service. These packets will be available at the door.
Who will/can participate?
- Anyone from the Skillman Church of Christ or who is a visitor to the Skillman Church of Christ is invited to attend, as long as they have not tested positive for the Coronavirus or been exposed to someone with the Coronavirus within the past 14 days.
- If someone has previously tested positive or been exposed to someone who has tested positive within the past 14 days, we encourage them to stay home to help prevent the spread of Coronavirus among our church family.
- Anyone who has previously tested positive for the Coronavirus, but who has also since tested negative and gone through any other safety and health precautions as prescribed by their doctor or a health professional are welcome to attend.
- Anyone who does not feel comfortable or certain that they are ready to attend in-person services again is encouraged to continue to worship with us online.
What safety measures will be in place?
- Prior to the service, we will set out chairs for our participants in groups of 2, 3, 4, and 5. Family units may sit together, but we ask that all participants sit with at least 6 feet of distance between different family groups.
- We will ask all participants in our worship service to wear masks throughout the entirety of our worship service. During the communion meal, participants may remove their mask to take the bread and the cup, but we ask that masks be returned to their place on your face when those elements have been consumed.
- For those who have forgotten to bring their mask, we will have disposable masks available at the door.
- All the equipment and chairs will be cleaned prior to and after the service.
We look forward to continuing to return back to worship with our church body, and will be excited to see you either virtually or in person at the December 6th worship service!
Outdoor Services Protocols (November 3)
At Skillman, we currently are providing 45-minute outdoor services for those in our congregation who are prepared to join us in person for congregational worship or other services. Worship services are primarily made up of worship through song, sharing communion together, scripture readings, and a (brief) sermon. Here are the protocols that we have in place and ask all members and visitors to follow at services:
Who, What, Where, When, How?
- The worship service will be held at 10:30am in the southwest lawn of the Skillman Church of Christ. This area is shaded nicely, outdoors, and has plenty of room for our members and guests to spread out from one another. Other services are held at the times designated for that particular service.
- We anticipate that many in our church will not be ready to attend in-person services yet, so we will also be live-streaming the service on Youtube for those who are at home to continue to be able to worship with us or to view other services.
- We will set up audio equipment for the outdoor service so that all who are present can hear.
- We will have congregational singing at our services, and will have a song leader who is responsible for leading the singing. We will distribute sheet music for our Sunday morning worship services through our Sunday morning email to follow along with, as well as using familiar songs. We will have a limited number of packets of sheet music available for pickup as participants arrive (for those who do not have access to email through their phones).
- Individually packaged communion bread and juice will be available for members to pick up as they arrive (these items will have been set out on a table in advance of the service by a volunteer or staff member wearing gloves).
- All participants who use a microphone during the service will have their own microphone to use, and these microphones will be sanitized before and after use.
- There will be no childcare or child supervision available for services at this time. For all families who attend, the parents will be responsible for supervising their kids and helping to follow the safety guidelines (included below).
Who will/can participate?
- Anyone from the Skillman Church of Christ or who is a visitor to the Skillman Church of Christ is invited to attend, as long as they have not tested positive for the Coronavirus or been exposed to someone with the Coronavirus within the past 14 days.
- If someone has previously tested positive or been exposed to someone who has tested positive within the past 14 days, we encourage them to stay home to help prevent the spread of Coronavirus among our church family.
- Anyone who has previously tested positive for the Coronavirus, but who has also since tested negative and gone through any other safety and health precautions as prescribed by their doctor or a health professional are welcome to attend.
What safety measures will be in place?
- We will ask all participants to bring their own chair for use during the service, to stay 6 feet away from one another in their seating arrangements (family units may sit together), and to wear a mask for the duration of the service, with the exception of while taking the communion meal. Additionally, we encourage those who speak or sing during the service to wear masks.
- For those who have forgotten a chair, we will have a limited number of chairs available for use that will be sanitized before and after the service.
- For those who forget to bring a mask, we will have disposable masks available to pick up upon arrival.
- Additionally, all of our equipment and items that belong to the church will be cleaned and sanitized at the conclusion of the service.
Inclement Weather
- In the event of inclement weather, we will postpone the outdoor service for a future week, and the staff will facilitate a live-stream service from the Auditorium of the church building.
September 27
September 27, 2020 Outdoor Worship Service
On September 27, 2020, we will provide a 45-minute outdoor worship service for those in our congregation who are prepared to join us in person for congregational worship. This service will be primarily made up of worship through song, sharing communion together, scripture readings, and a (brief) sermon. Here are the details for how we intend to offer this service:
Who, What, Where, When, How?
- The service will be held at 10:30am in the southwest lawn of the Skillman Church of Christ. This area is shaded nicely, outdoors, and has plenty of room for our members and guests to spread out from one another.
- We anticipate that many in our church will not be ready to attend in-person services yet, so we will also be live-streaming the service on Youtube for those who are at home to continue to be able to worship with us.
- We will set up audio equipment for the outdoor service so that all who are present can hear.
- We will have congregational singing at this service, and will have a song leader who is responsible for leading the singing. We will distribute sheet music through our Sunday morning email for those to follow along, as well as using familiar songs on that morning. We will have a limited number of packets of sheet music available for pickup as participants arrive (for those who do not have access to email through their phones).
- Individually packaged communion bread and juice will be available for members to pick up as they arrive (these items will have been set out on a table in advance of the service by a volunteer or staff member wearing gloves). We will also have gloved volunteers bring communion to those who either need assistance or who have forgotten to pick up their communion upon arrival.
- John Mark will be preaching that morning on the topic, “Love is Kind.” Those involved in the service with scripture readings or meditations will follow along this theme in their preparations.
- All participants who use a microphone during the service will have their own microphone to use, and these microphones will be sanitized before and after use.
- There will be no childcare or child supervision available for this service. For all families who attend, the parents will be responsible for supervising their kids and helping to follow the safety guidelines (included below).
Who will/can participate?
- Anyone from the Skillman Church of Christ or who is a visitor to the Skillman Church of Christ is invited to attend, as long as they have not tested positive for the Coronavirus or been exposed to someone with the Coronavirus within the past 14 days.
- If someone has previously tested positive or been exposed to someone who has tested positive within the past 14 days, we encourage them to stay home to help prevent the spread of Coronavirus among our church family.
- Anyone who has previously tested positive for the Coronavirus, but who has also since tested negative and gone through any other safety and health precautions as prescribed by their doctor or a health professional are welcome to attend.
What safety measures will be in place?
- We will ask all participants to bring their own chair for use during the service, to stay 6 feet away from one another in their seating arrangements (family units may sit together), and to wear a mask for the duration of the service, with the exception of while taking the communion meal. Additionally, all those who participate in the service by speaking or singing will be wearing masks.
- For those who have forgotten a chair, we will have a limited number of chairs available for use that will be sanitized before and after the service.
- For those who forget to bring a mask, we will have disposable masks available to pick up upon arrival.
- Additionally, all of our equipment and items that belong to the church will be cleaned and sanitized by a volunteer team at the conclusion of the service.
Inclement Weather
- In the event of inclement weather, we will postpone the outdoor service for a future week, and the staff will facilitate a live-stream service from the Auditorium of the church building.
July 5
Good morning Skillman Church family,
It is hard to believe that it has been 17 weeks since we met in person at the Skillman Church of Christ. I mean, 17 weeks is longer than most Dallas Cowboys seasons! In another 17 weeks, we will almost be to Thanksgiving! 17 weeks can be a long time. And during these past weeks, I know that there have been difficult days, but I hope too that there have been things along the way that have been a blessing to you. I know in conversations I have had with so many at this church that your prayer life has been given space and time to grow and flourish, and I am so grateful for that. For others, having a few extra minutes to be on the phone or on a Zoom call with family or friends has been a blessing and has allowed for us to continue to have relationships as best as we are able to right now in light of everything that is going on with the Coronavirus pandemic.
Speaking on behalf of our church staff and elders, I want you to know that through all of these ups and downs, it has been our commitment to be in prayer for this flock. We want you to know that even though we haven’t seen many of you face-to-face, you have been in our prayers and consistently on our minds.
Not only that, but we are also committed to the spiritual and physical health of this church body. As the past month has shown, the Coronavirus continues to be a daily reality in our community, city, and across the world. In the coming weeks, it continues to be our commitment to try to make the best choice we can to keep our congregation healthy while also not giving into a spirit of fear. As time continues to pass during this pandemic and as we will continue to face this reality in the coming weeks and months, it is important to us that we also seek to address the spiritual and relational needs in our church. We know that the spiritual life of this community is just as important as our connection to God. When asked about the greatest command, Jesus could not separate the command to love God and to love our neighbors—he kept them together. These were both critically important to Jesus and from which, all other commands and the very basis of the way of living as Jesus is bound up in these statements.
In the coming weeks, we feel that it is important that we find new ways to connect with one another as a spiritual family in order to accomplish our goals of being followers of Jesus who Live by Faith, Advocate Hope, and are Known by our Love.
We are excited to announce that starting on July 19 and during that following week, we are going to be making additions to this online service that we hope will help us to continue to grow in our relationships and connections within this church family; that will help us to follow Jesus’ lead in loving our neighbors just as we seek to love God.
The first of these efforts will be a Prayer Service that will be held outdoors on our Skillman Campus from 8:00-8:30am on Sunday mornings. This will be a time for fellowship, prayer, devotion, and sharing in the Lord’s Supper with one another. This service will be held weekly, but we will ask that all who would like to participate RSVP in advance, wear a facemask or covering, bring a chair, blanket, or cushion to sit on, and maintain social distancing from one another so that we can keep one another healthy. I know that there are many of us who will be excited to be able to see other believers and to share some very important moments of worship together as well as just to be able to say hello in person to one another. However, we also want you to know that these prayer gatherings are, of course, voluntary. We encourage each person and family to decide whether this is something that you are comfortable in participating in or not and then RSVP to let us know if you will be there every week.
Additionally, we will be adding 2 more virtual efforts to allow for us to spend time connecting with one another as a body. On the first and third Sundays of each month, we will be hosting a “Fellowship Hour” on Zoom where John Mark and other members of our staff will lead us through guided conversations so that we can interact with each other and be encouraged in the faith by other members at this church family. These meetings will be held from 10:00-10:45am on the first and third Sunday of every month starting on July 19. We will include a Zoom link and dial-in phone numbers to the Zoom call in the Sunday morning email on these Sundays so that anyone and everyone can join in the call, if they would like.
And the final effort that we are excited to announce this morning is additional Bible class experience. Starting on July 21, John Mark will be hosting a Documentary Club in which members of the class will watch a documentary and then gather on Zoom to discuss the spiritual implications of the content that you just watched in that documentary. On Thursday, July 23, I will be hosting a class on Zoom discussing the Prophets as we continue to work through our sermon series on Hope and Justice in the Book of Isaiah.
We are so excited for all three of these opporunities: the prayer meeting at church at 8am on Sundays, the fellowship hour on the first and third Sundays of every month, as well as these additional Bible class experiences that will be held on Zoom.
There will be more information for each of these efforts in our Skillman Messenger email on Wednesday. We want each and every one of you to know that we are excited for these next weeks and months at Skillman and while this is a situation that none of us could have dreamed would have happened, we know that God is in control and that our faith in God will not be shaken. We are excited to be with you this morning and to be able to worship all over the city of Dallas. We hope that as we prepare for that important day, July 19, that you will join us in praying for these efforts as well as deciding whether you and your family would like to participate with us.
May 8
Hello, Skillman Family. I know I can speak for everyone out there when I say that I deeply miss you all, I am praying for you, I sincerely hope that you are all doing well, and I look forward to the day when we can gather together in person again.
This past week, church leadership here at Skillman met on a Zoom call to discuss plans and a possible timeline for meeting back together here at the building for Sunday services. During these past several weeks we have been in a season of observation, prayer, and discernment as we strive to determine what would be best for the spiritual and physical health of our church family.
There are a coule of decisions that have been made…
First, in an effort to stay informed about the situation here in Dallas, we have sought out local guidance based upon the local data. A helpful tool that has emerged is this color-coded chart recently released by Dallas County (https://www.dallascounty.org/covid-19/). There are four categories, each with a designated color: Red, Orange, Yellow, and Green. This chart represents our risk level here in Dallas County in regards to the Coronavirus. Red stands for Stay Home, Stay Safe; Orange represents Extreme Caution; Yellow means Proceed Carefully; and Green says New Normal Until Vaccine. Today, Dallas County is still in the Red Zone, which means we are recommended by local authorities to stay home and stay safe.
It was discussed at the elders meeting that in light of the high percentage of people within our church family who fall into the At Risk category, we have decided to wait until Dallas County reaches and stays consistently in the Yellow Zone (Proceed Carefully) before offering in-person Sunday services at the Skillman church building.
This, of course, doesn’t give us an exact date of when we would return, and while we are seeing some encouraging trends in the local data, there is no way of knowing how long it will be before we enter into the yellow zone. We will do our best to keep a close eye on this chart, and will make adjustments if necessary, but for now, based upon the fact that we are still in the red zone here in Dallas County, it is safe to assume that we will continue with online Sunday services for the month of June.
In the coming week, we are going to take this color chart and define what our church family will be doing as we move through each stage in preparation for meeting face-to-face again. We will use it as a tool to determine what it may look like to ease back into meeting in person. For example, when we reach orange, is there anything we can start implementing as a community, like meeting in connection groups, or gatherings outside? Once we lay this out, we will, of course, communicate it to you. We will try to always communicate any major plans two weeks ahead of when it is to be implemented in order to give you time to plan and prepare.
We want to reiterate again that as church leadership, we will are relentlessly avoiding the feeling of rush and hurry. We hope to be deliberate with decisions that are made keeping in mind the physical and spiritual health of this church family.
Skillman, as always…thank you for your prayers, thank you for your encouraging messages online, thank you for your support. Have a great day. Peace and love my sisters and brothers.
Saturday, May 2
“Skillman Family, I hope you are doing well amidst these crazy times. Thank you clicking on this quick video announcement. As many of you know this past Monday, Governor Greg Abbott announced that the state mandated “stay-at-home” order across Texas would expire Thursday of this past week, and Phase 1 of reopening would begin on Friday. What this means is that, as of yesterday, owners of restaurants, malls, movie theaters and all other retail stores will be cleared to begin opening their businesses to the public.
In Monday’s address, Governor Abbot also said that churches are included in the list of essential services that can reopen, and meet in person if they choose, as long as they follow social distancing guidelines. This of course prompts a whole set of questions regarding Skillman:
Thankfully, the elders and ministers of this congregation have been keeping a close eye on all of this, and on Monday night met to discuss and determine an appropriate game plan for the following weeks and months. A few things that were decided…
#1 – It was decided that for at least the next three weeks the Skillman church will not meet in person but will continue our online services. This means that for sure May 3rd (tomorrow), May 10th, and May 17th, we will continue to meet virtually and will not meet in person. During these next three weeks we will be closely watching the numbers to see if there is a spike in COVID cases in Dallas. Based on the data and where we are as a city and state, we will meet as leadership to discuss and make a decision on what the following weeks and months will look like. #2 – It was discussed at Monday’s meeting that church leadership is in no hurry and will not rush into meeting corporately if it can potentially put the people of Skillman at risk. As the theologian and USC professor of philosophy Dallas Willard has famously encouraged all to do, we will “Ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life.” We have all enjoyed the online services, our church has a high percentage of people who are at risk. I think it is wise for these next three weeks to sit back and observe the implications and effects of this new phase and not rush into meeting before we know all the information. There will be other churches in our area that begin to meet, there will be lots of opinions and ideas swirling around. Other groups may make different decisions than us. During these times, we encourage you to be gracious and understanding. Be Kind, loving, and compassionate trusting that these leaders are making the best decisions they can for their organizations with the information they have. #3 – Finally, decisions here will be made not because of directives from the government or based upon other people are doing. The driving question guiding church leadership in future decisions is… What is best for the spiritual and physical health of our congregation… the Skillman church family? How is our spiritual health? Are we growing in intimacy with God? How are we coping with feelings of loss, disappointment, and anxiety? Are we fixing our eyes on Jesus during this time? How do we best serve one another and our community? We are striving as a church to create more content that we can put online that will contribute to your spiritual growth. We have asked a group of some of our talented teachers to think about ways make their content easily accessible online. We encourage you to use this time to rest Take walks outside in your neighborhood Read a book you have always wanted to read Call your friends who live out of state to connect Check on each other here at the church.
All of you are in connection groups and our hope is that everyone in our congregation is contacted once every few weeks. Also, please pray for this city, pray for our local leaders, and pray for the leadership here at the Skillman church of Christ as we strive to discern what is best for the physical and spiritual health of this incredible congregation. Peace, love, and see you all online tomorrow at 11am. “ |
Friday, March 13
Skillman Family:
Out of an abundance of caution and care for our congregation and community, we will be moving our services online for the next two Sundays (March 15 & 22). All public meetings at our church facility have been postponed until further notice. You may or may not be aware that Dallas has been declared in a state of emergency due to the spread of the Coronavirus locally. Since there are so many unknowns at this point, we desire to take all reasonable precautions to help slow the spread of the virus.
Our online services will take place on Sundays at 11am (CST). At that time, get on your computer or phone and join us virtually as we sing songs, listen to the Word of God, and take communion together.
Keep checking your email because links to our online service will be sent out to you by Sunday morning.
- Sermons and Podcasts from the Skillman Church of Christ (Click HERE)
- To access our blog please click HERE
- Like our Page on Facebook to receive up to date information and additional spiritual content (Click HERE)
All events and gatherings at our church facility have been suspended during the week. At this time, the church office will continue to stay open and will be available to receive phone calls.
As a faith community, we first and foremost want to affirm our belief that God is at work through this situation. We choose not to panic. This decision is not motivated by fear, but we are proactively taking steps as a church community to care for those most vulnerable and to help be a part of the solution.
We are pleased to inform you that the entire church facility, including all classrooms and the auditorium, are being professionally deep cleaned and disinfected yesterday and today through the services of a local business with expertise in this area.
If you are sick or begin feeling sick, please communicate with the church office and let us know how to best serve you and take care of your needs. We have people ready to serve! We are your church family and we are in this together. If you would like communion brought to your home, simply notify the church office at (214) 823-2179.
Thursday, March 12
As fear continues to surround the coronavirus outbreak worldwide, it is important to ask how followers of Jesus should respond to this. So, how should a follower of Jesus respond to the ongoing crisis surrounding this virus? I’m glad I asked. I think there are two essential ways that Christians can respond right now (and likely many more that can and should be commented on, but for now, these two will suffice).
The first is to bring peace in the midst of all that is going on. As people are concerned for themselves and their loved ones, as reports continue to spread and news breaks in new places, I believe that Christians have a unique ability to bring peace to those who are concerned, to those who are afraid, and to those who don’t know what to do. Our faith in Jesus gives us the confidence to face struggle, adversity, and outright opposition with assurance that God is still good, and that God still loves–even when we ourselves are in the throes of evil times. I encourage each of us to find ways to bring peace to every situation and to every person that you encounter. Your quiet, but strong, faith in Christ during this time can sustain you and others rather than giving in to the fear and the panic that can so easily come at this time.
Second, it continues to be important to take reasonable precautions. Here at the church, we are continuing to do everything that we can to make sure that this is a clean and safe facility for all who visit our campus. We continue to have our worship spaces, classrooms, gathering places, offices cleaned weekly (if not daily). Our facilities crew does a fantastic job of taking care of our buildings and keeping everything clean for us. In addition to these regular cleanings, we are also having special cleanings take place periodically for both the school and the church spaces so that we can keep everything as sanitary as possible. The second of these cleanings in the past month will take place on Thursday, March 12.
Another area of concern is in the process of taking communion. Once again, we have already had procedures in place that we will continue to utilize. As the communion is prepared weekly, our volunteers wash their hands and wear gloves to prepare the trays while they are handling the elements. At the conclusion of the services every week, the trays are washed and then returned for use again the next week. Starting this week, we will be using individual pieces of communion bread so that we can minimize the contact that each of us has with the bread. In the coming weeks, we will also have individual communion sets available for anyone who would prefer to take communion that way.
The beauty of the communion moment will continue to be the focal point of our service every week. This moment where we share in the sacrifice of Jesus is, in fact, exactly what is needed in our world today. In the midst of the fear, panic, and legitimate concerns, communion reminds us that Jesus has given his life for ours so that we can have life in this world and in the world to come with our God.
As a church, we are committed to the way of Jesus and to bringing peace in these times as well as in doing all that we can to create a safe worship environment for our church family, CDC students and families, and all visitors to our campus. If there are any additional concerns or ideas about how to address these issues, please don’t hesitate to contact our church office (214-823-2179).
