On Sunday, 19 July Village Church will be publicly gathering together again!

9:30am – Gathering at F-509 at QUT Kelvin Grove
5:00pm – Gathering at St. Paul’s in Spring Hill (43 St. Paul’s TCE)

Highlights:

• Attendees will need to pre-register at vc.org.au/register
• It is a condition of entry that you sign-in upon arrival via QR codes placed at the entrance (paper forms available)
• If you are feeling sick or showing any flu-like symptoms or have been overseas in the past 14 days, please remain at home and tune in via our live stream
• To find out where to park and how to locate us, head here (coming soon)

Please read further for more details. We look forward to welcoming one another again as together we explore what it’s like to belong in God’s family from the letter of 1 John!

Village Church is recommencing services based on adhering to the “Industry Covid safe plan” that has been prepared for “places of worship” (read here) with some variations as provided for under this Fact Sheet for stage 3 (read here). 

Under the Industry Plan, there are a few very important things that we need to make everyone aware of:

1. If you are unwell, you must stay home and not come to church, community dinner, or other church activities.
2. If you display symptoms of COVID-19 while at church or a church gathering, we will provide you with a mask and either isolate you or ask you to go home and phone 13-HEALTH or go to a health facility.
3. If you have had close contact with a person with COVID-19 or have been tested for COVID-19 and have not yet received a negative test result, you must stay home.
4. If you have a COVID-19 test and test positive you must let us know.

Church services will continue to be live-streamed, so please continue to join in from home.

Some things that you’ll notice about church as we recommence under the Industry plan:

• When you arrive at church you will need to provide your basic contact details each time before you enter the church auditorium/building for the church service. We have set up a system using a QR-code.  You can use your mobile phone camera to scan the QR-code, which will take you to a google-form to fill in your (and your family members’) names, email address (or mailing) address and phone number.  These details will be added to a Contract Tracing Register.
• Please maintain social distancing at the front door when waiting to enter the building.
• Our numbers will be limited. Based on the floor area of the spaces we meet in is attendance will be limited to 128 souls in the QUT F block lecture theatre, and 100 at St Paul’s (i.e. one person per 4m²).  This includes babies and children.
• You’ll be able to register before hand to let us know which service you’re planning to attend, so we can gauge numbers.
• At morning service children should be checked in to Kids Church separately before church starts. Children will go straight to Kids Church and won’t attend the start and end of church like normal, so that we don’t exceed our attendance limit.
• The latest fact sheet states that singing is allowed. The musos at the front will maintain social distancing.
• People from the same household do not need to social distance. Please be mindful and inclusive of people coming to church by themselves. Please be proactive in inviting them to sit near you or your household group (while maintaining social distance as much as possible).
• When choosing a seat please be mindful that some might have a more cautious approach to social distancing than you do. Please respect others wishes to maintain social distance.
• Please follow directional signage.
• As much as possible please move outside after the service is over.

Children’s Church

• Bring their own pencils etc.
• Have guidelines and support for the presence of children so that they are safe and maintain appropriate physical distance wherever possible

General congregation

• Bring your own Bible
• Vulnerable community members can stay home and engage non-physically if they need/want to

Stage One: A Once in a Lifetime Opportunity

By God’s mercy, the “COVID-Cloud” is beginning to clear over Australia and this is cause for much celebration and praise. There’s a lot we have to look forward to in coming back together. But it’s also important to understand that while lockdown was swift and well-defined (apart from a few hair salon memes, of course), the road back is looking to be long and complex. 

As we’ve all discovered already, this slow easing of restrictions has opened our eyes to see that the world has changed from what it once was, bringing with it a host of different feelings and challenges. However, can I put it to you that we’re living in inspiring times right now. Why? Because we have a once in a lifetime opportunity to bring gospel change into our communities like never before. 

In the book of Acts, just before Jesus heads back to heaven, he commands his disciples to take the gospel from Jerusalem – where they were living – to Judea, Samaria and the ends of the earth. Yet for seven chapters everyone’s just hanging around Jerusalem. It was their “normal.” But then persecution breaks out. And in Acts 8 this crisis becomes the catalyst for gospel change, as “all except the apostles were scattered throughout the land of Judea and Samaria” (Acts 8:1), thus birthing a new normal: world mission.  

In the same way, the current crisis has thrust upon us an environment of change in a way Village has never experienced. Our task now is to harness that change for the glory of God. As a church we want to seek God’s direction as we’re forced to consider what space he wants us to gather in, what neighbourhoods he wants us to occupy, who of our family, friends and neighbours does God want to bring into his Kingdom and what ministries do we need to start, stop, or tweak in order to see that happen?

Lord willing, we hope to be meeting together again in some new way come mid-July, as restrictions continue to ease. We’ll have a lot more to say about this as the weeks unfold. But can I urge us all to view this moment, right now, not as a holding pattern but a readying stage? That is, we want to ask: how can I be preparing myself right now for what God has in store for Village Church?

For example, pray that we’ll remain a resilient community as we adapt to new changes. Pray that these next few months would be a time of increased unity, not a cause for division. Please consider how those who’ve found their way into our community over the last few months will be taken along with us as we gather together again. 

Now is the time to open our homes to share a meal with others. Now is the time to introduce new comers to the wider Village community. Now is the time to start gathering again in small groups, where it’s safe and wise to do so, for mid-week Bible study or tuning into the Sunday service together. Now is the time to put our hand up to try new things, as we consider the opportunities we face. 

The future of Village begins now. So how might we prepare ourselves for this once in a lifetime opportunity?

Ever yours,
The Village Ministry Team

Stage Two: How to Make Decisions

Making decisions is tough at the best of times. For example, last time I treated myself to some take-away it took 45 minutes to decide where to eat. So how can we navigate all the decisions that go into bringing us back together again?

Well, here’s the framework we’re using to help us make these decisions. That is, we want to be directed by our (i) theological convictions, informed by (ii) government laws and denominational guidelines and aware of (iii) pastoral sensitivities. Here’s what we mean.

(i) Theological Convictions

We want to ensure that as a church we don’t lose sight of our identity and what it means to be the church. For example, as we look to Scripture there are a least three things we want to keep at the forefront of our mind when thinking about what church is. That is,

1. Physical presence is real presence. As Paul opens his letter to the Romans he says, “For I want very much to see you, so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you” (Rom. 1:11). As powerful as Paul’s letters were, he knew there was a limit to his ministry that could only be made up for by being physically present.
2. Gathering is essential to what church is. The New Testament word that we translate as church literally means ‘gathering’. We are who we are when we’re gathered together.
3. We gather together in order to build one another up. Consider these words from Paul again: “And we exhort you, brothers and sisters: warn those who are idle, comfort the discouraged, help the weak, be patient with everyone” (1 Thess. 5:14). Now ask yourself: how many of these things can you do when you’re sitting on you couch tuning into the Sunday Service each week? Very few to none.

So it’s imperative that in order to express our identity as a church and continue growing as followers of Jesus we need to be gathered together. But, it’s not as easy as simply rushing back the first chance we get. At least, not without carefully thinking through the implications of our gathering. And that’s where the next two strands come into play.

That is, listening closely to government laws and advice from our denomination is crucial during this time. 

(ii) Government Laws and Denominational Guidelines

For example, all the data suggests that Stage Three, which allows for 100 people to gather together while practicing social distancing will be in place for at least the rest of the year. That means whatever we do to get back together will need to be not only sustainable but also able to continue our mission for the medium-long term.

Not only that, but the look and feel of our gatherings will be dramatically different at certain points. For example, both the Government’s health advice and our denomination are gently urging us not to sing when we’re gathered together until it’s considered safe to do so.

Now, I literally can’t imagine church without singing. But when it comes to the risks associated with spreading the corona virus, singing is in the same category as sneezing (watch the video below for more insight – careful, it’s gross). And if we want to love and serve our neighbours well then we need to take on board the advice from our government and wider church family.

But finally,

(iii) Pastoral Sensitivities

We want to know how you, Village, are feeling about coming back together. What are your thoughts? What are your concerns? What’s your capacity right now? What excites you most about gathering publicly and how might we be able to build your confidence in meeting again?

So here’s where we get to the pointy end. We’ve put together a survey that we would love for you to fill out. There are a few brief questions that are aimed at taking a temperature reading of our church. The more transparent you are, the better you’ll assist us and the elders in thinking through our re-entry into public gatherings. So can you please follow the link below and carefully consider the questions asked there?

Now, next week we’ll speak a bit more practically about how our mission and vision will shape where we meet. That is, how we anticipate where, when and how Village Church will gather in the months to come. But to help us lock down those plans we’d love to hear from you first.

Because even if our re-entry into public gatherings isn’t perfect, we nevertheless want to start reclaiming our identity as God’s people united by his Spirit and gathered together in Christ.

Ever yours,
The Village Ministry Team

Stage Three: The Way Forward

By God’s grace, and all things considered, our aim is to gather together again in person on Sunday, 19 July. This will coincide with the launch of Term 3 at Village Church.

Firstly, we want to thank all those who filled out the survey to let us know how you’re feeling. We’ll provide a thorough update of the results, but for now, we want you to know that it’s been a massive help as we make our plans for bringing us together. The overwhelming response from you is that we all want to be with one another again – encouraging each other, worshiping together, and sharing our lives. But as long as there’s plenty of space to do so and we’re able to meet in a way that’s most loving to our neighbours and wider community, especially those who are more vulnerable during this time.

So to that end, here’s how we’re proposing we get back together…

1) The Morning Service: Gathering together at F-Block in QUT Kelvin Grove

When our State Government announced the limits around the size of church gatherings we had a problem. With restrictions in place, the lecture theatre at N-Block, where we usually met, could only hold a maximum of 60 people. 

We therefore needed to find a larger venue that would help us gather together while remaining in the heart of Kelvin Grove. Therefore, F-Block at QUT seemed the perfect pick.

F-Block has always been the ideal place for us to meet on a Sunday. It’s got plenty of space, is more inviting and hospitable, has a larger foyer, a back door entry and opens up to the amphitheatre. We have loved using this space for our Carols and 10 year anniversary service. It is also much more accessible for the general public and easier to find.

It’s been a space that we’ve been praying and dreaming about testing out, and the impact of COVID-19 has in many ways provided an opportunity to make the transition into F-Block for the rest of the year. If the restrictions around the 100 person cap is lifted by mid-July, we’ll be able to fit up to 128 people into this space. We are excited by the new opportunities that await us there as a Church.

2) Kids Church: Gathering at N-Block

Once again, because of social distancing limitations, we will struggle to have adults and kids together in the same space in the lecture theatre at F-Block. We have therefore decided, that while social distancing rules are in place, we will turn N-Block into our kids’ church space and run kids church parallel to the Sunday service.

We will use the two rooms adjacent to the main lecture theatre, as well as some space in the F-Block area. Before the service starts, children will be checked into Kids Church and will stay there for the duration of the service. After the service, we’ll bring the kids back to F-Block where there’ll be plenty of room for us all to spread out throughout the F-Block foyer, lecture theatre and amphitheatre to catch up with one another and grab a take-away coffee from the coffee cart. Although plans can change often and quickly, we thought it most wise to book these spaces out until the end of the year.

Finally, for those who aren’t able to make it on Sunday or perhaps need a bit more time to transition into public gatherings, we hope to continue live streaming our morning service as we help ease everyone back into public worship.

3) The Evening Service: Gathering Together at St. Paul’s in Spring Hill

While F-Block is a great option for the morning service, we still needed to find another space for our evening service. Given that F-Block is more expensive and used more often by other groups it’s difficult for us to hold two services on the same day. Therefore we went on the hunt for another space that could hold up to 100 people.

And so, after approaching St. Pauls in Spring Hill, they kindly agreed to let us use their church building on a Sunday evening for an initial period of two months.

We appreciate that this might come as a surprise to some – and we want to relay to you that we haven’t made this decision on a whim. While Kelvin Grove is still very much at the heart of Village Church, we do believe that the new location in Spring Hill will give us an opportunity to build on what God has already so graciously provided for us at Village.

People living in Kelvin Grove still have the option of attending church at QUT on Sunday morning or getting a ride with someone to Spring Hill on Sunday night. There’s a bus stop immediately in front of St. Paul’s and plenty of on-street parking. 

Having access to a large kitchen in the church hall means that we can have more regular dinners as a community. Not to mention the large hall and grounds will also provide more time to spend together before and after the service.

Spring Hill is also part of a corridor between Kelvin Grove and New Farm that is in need of more gospel-centred communities of faith. And over the last few months God has been so gracious in providing us with more and more people to love, serve, and introduce to Jesus in this neighbourhood. During this time, St. Paul’s has been the epicentre of our COVID-Relief grocery box drop as well as a community hub where 100 people stop in each Thursday night for take away meals. We are excited by the new opportunities that await us here as well as a Church.

Change is always going to bring with it a bit of growing pains. We’ll need to be extra flexible and patient in the early weeks coming back. But we want to ensure that as a church we are doing all we can to bring the presence and power of Christ into whatever space we find ourselves in. So over the next few months we are keen to work closely with both our congregations, morning and evening, to see how God might want to use us to bring glory to His name in Kelvin Grove, Spring Hill and beyond.

We have seen how quickly things can change during this pandemic. We know that things may look very different in a month’s time. But we want to reassure you that we are keeping a close eye on governmental and denominational guidelines which are seeking to advise us on how we are to meet together. However, we also want you to know that on 19 July, the day we can finally meet together, we will be doing all that we can to welcome you home.

Ever Yours,
The Village Ministry Team