Dear Congregation of Westend,

The Ministry Preparedness Team (MPT) met for the first-time last Thursday (8/20) to prepare a plan for Administrative Board’s approval regarding the reopening of Westend’s ministries.

When we started this process, we began by taking a small sampling of the congregation (approximately 30 people) and the following became clear.  First, our congregation has mixed thoughts about returning to inside programs and second, that 80-85% of those sampled would like to continue our programs outside weather permitting.  Based on this information, the Ad Board voted to continue with outside programming until Oct 1.

We are all aware that Michigan weather can change quickly and Oct 1 will be her soon, therefore, it is the plan of the MPT to have written guidelines and a plan for indoor worship / children’s worship for approval at the September Ad Board meeting.

To accomplish this, we are following this plan:

1.     Identify phases for Westend Church (like Michigan’s reopening plan)

2.     Determine guidelines for staff/ministry coordinators to follow based on:

a.    Masks

b.    Social Distancing

c.     Group size

d.    Food service

3.     Category for each Ministry at Westend

a.    Small group, 0-20 people

b.    Medium group, 21-50 people

c.     Large group, 51 people and above

4.     Meet with/guide each ministry team with a re-opening plan

Our timeline is as follows:

Meeting #1                Identify phases (completed)

Meeting #2                Determining guidelines (work in progress)

Meeting #3,4             Meet with each Ministry coordinator

September 14           Present to Ad Board for approval

Meeting #5,6             Continue to work with Ministry coordinators

Please pray for this team and that the Holy Spirt will guide us as we discern what God is calling Westend to do.  We are working hard to make sure we honor the diverse opinions and comfort levels of our Westend congregation.

In His name,

Westend’s MPT