Sunday, August 08, 2021, 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM
Parking Changes!
FOR THIS SUNDAY ONLY: Please be aware, the school is doing construction in preparation for the beginning of the year and the typical entry is blocked off. We recommend that you park in either lots A or B below and walk from there. Sorry for the inconvenience!
As a church we make space on Sundays to gather back together and realign ourselves with God and His ancient ways. The weeks are hard. Our hearts wander. We need His help. And we need one another.
So we sit under the preaching of His Word. We sing songs that reignite and reshape our affections for Him. We take communion as a remembrance of His daily provision in grace for us through the cross. We lift prayers together towards the Father's ear. We linger over lunch and share of the deeper things in life. We laugh. And we cry. Through it all, we come to find that God, in mercy, has given us fresh strength to face another week.
COVID-19 Adjustments:
We are now happy to offer both in-person and online options for participating in our Sunday Services! Find relevant details below . . .
Option 1: In-Person
The in-person option will be held outside on Sundays at 10:00am in the pavilion around the back of Allen at Steinbeck Elementary. Park in the school's main parking lot and follow the Mercy Hill signs to the pavilion. Here are a few more things you need to be aware of:
SAFETY: Significant efforts are being made to ensure that these in-person gatherings are safe and in compliance with the state and county guidelines. We want the most vulnerable among us to still feel welcome to gather with us. But we need your help. Please review the latest update (found here) to see what we are asking of you.
SEATING: The venue has a decent amount of seating around picnic tables (which we will clean and space appropriately) but you can feel free to bring your own chairs if you'd like as there is ample room for that as well.
CHILDREN: There are three important notes to make on this point:
NOTE 1: We now plan to have in-person instruction for Preschool and Elementary children (2.5 years thru 5th grade) on the FIRST + THIRD Sundays of the month. Kids can be checked in to their class at the start of service but will be returned to sit with you for the last few songs of musical worship. While together, parents and kids can sit at the covered picnic tables or you can bring a blanket, tent, or pack-n-play to help corral the little ones if preferred. The water fountain is also off limits currently so please plan ahead. If needed, we do rent out a porta potty that families can use. (We will NOT have the online zoom class on these Family Service Sundays.)
NOTE 2: When it's not a Family Service Sunday (i.e. when it's not the first or third Sunday of the month) we will be providing online classes for Preschool and Elementary kids on Sundays after the service beginning at 11:45am. Our Sunday Services will likely end around 11:20am or so. This will give you time to still come in-person if you'd like and then get home and get those kiddos online to learn more about Jesus! (For more on this, see here.)
NOTE 3: Even on the weeks that we don't offer in-person instruction for your children, they are more than welcome to come to the church and join with you in the service. We will always have available "Sermon Notes for Kids" worksheets and pre-packaged crayons for them to make use of. Feel free to download the worksheet and use it at home as well!
WORSHIP GUIDES: In an effort to keep things streamlined we will not be providing paper bulletins. Instead, you can find a Worship Guide for each Sunday's Service online which you can pull up on your phone/tablet during the Service or print from home beforehand. The Worship Guide will be available on our blog at 8:00am the morning of.
CANCELLATIONS: Because we're currently meeting outside, we realize that we may have to cancel this in-person option from time to time depending upon weather, smoke, changes in county guidelines, etc. If any changes are to be made, we will make the call by 8:00pm the Saturday before. At that point, updates will be made to our website and we notify you via all our communication channels. On these Sundays, we would still look to provide an online option for people to engage from home.
Option 2: Live stream
Some of you may still feel it is unwise or unsafe to gather in person. We understand! We invite you instead to join with us online for our Sunday Service Live Stream! We will now be streaming our services each Sunday at 10:00am via our Mercy Hill Church Facebook page. If you don't have a Facebook account, no worries! You can still check the stream out on our Mercy Hill Live page. You won't be able to chat with friends or interact with the video, but you will be able to watch the Service. Remember to also head on over to Our Blog to get that Sunday's Worship Guide dropping at 8:00am the morning of.
Watch Live on Mercy Hill's Facebook Page Watch Live on Mercy Hill's Website
Note: Streaming outside as we are, there is always the possibility of experiencing technical difficulties. If this happens, we are SO sorry! We will also be recording the Service so that, even if the stream has issues, we will hopefully still be able to get the content up for you later in the day. Thank you for your patience and understanding.