September 11, 2020

Dear Mandarin UMC and Longleaf Church,

We are extremely excited to begin outdoor in-person worship with you starting on September 27th for Longleaf Church, at Freedom Crossing Academy, and October 4th at Mandarin UMC. We are working diligently to make sure all proper procedures and safety guidelines are in place so that this is a safe atmosphere for all to gather and worship together. However, if you are unable or not yet ready to join us for outdoor in-person worship experiences; both churches will be live-streaming services on Facebook and/or YouTube.

In other exciting news, on September 17th, we will begin accepting applications for small groups to begin gathering outdoors on Mandarin UMC’s campus! A template has been designed that will show you the outdoor spaces available, along with their capacities, and you can receive this document or by emailing our administrative assistant, Beth Davis. Beth will coordinate the scheduling of all on-campus outdoor small group activity. We cannot guarantee availability on the exact time and space you would like, however will do our best to accommodate your group needs in the best and safest manner possible.

These outdoor worship experiences and gathering spaces are a part of the next phase of our re-launch process and a first step toward eventually returning indoors. Our hope is that by November, we will be able to return to smaller, indoor worship opportunities and small groups. Currently, the only individuals we are allowing indoors on campus are staff and members of our worship teams who are preparing for our worship services. Again, our philosophy and number one priority has been and continues to be; “do no harm” and to provide a safe space for our church family to gather together.

As a reminder, our re-launch continues to be a fluid process that can change at any time due to the circumstances of COVID-19. Please rest assured that the re-launch team does not take any of these decisions lightly. We appreciate your patience, understanding, and grace as we continue to navigate these uncharted waters. We look forward to worshipping with you in-person in the near future!

Grace and Peace,

The Mandarin/Longleaf Re-Launch Team