COVID-19 March 9th Update

By: Pastor Manny Rivera

Dear Discover Life Family,

I want to update you on what’s happening at Discover Life in light of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak in our area. Currently, there are 2 known cases in Gwinnett County. Like you, I’ve been following this evolving story with great concern. I’ve also reached out to local city officials and spoken with a number of other pastors in the area to gain perspective on how to best move forward. Please read through this entire letter as it contains detailed plans for keeping our campus safe, and how you can help.

While this is a rapidly evolving situation, at this time, officials are not recommending the cancelation of public events or Sunday church gatherings. Discover Life will remain open and we will continue to have services on Sundays and our normal Life Groups and prayer gatherings. In the event that local and state health officials do recommend closure or we determine it is in the best interest of our Discover Life family to close, we will inform everyone to the best of our abilities through our website, emails and social media.

During this time, here’s how we are committed to keeping our campus safe & clean: 

  1. Each Sunday there will be a full industrial sanitization process before volunteers arrive. 
  2. We will sanitize highly touched surfaces before and after every service such as doors, handles, tables, water fountains, check-in stations, and sinks.
  3. Anyone who handles cash will wear gloves and change gloves frequently. 
  4. Our staff and volunteer teams will wash their hands frequently and stay home if they are sick. In addition, Cafe Legacy will wear gloves when they serve you your breakfast. 
  5. Cafe Legacy will not be taking ‘traveler mugs’ or cups brought from home.  If you bring a cup, we will still honor our refill price, however will give you your coffee in a disposable cup.
  6. We will provide additional hand sanitizer stations around campus for everyone to use.
  7. In Lieu of passing offering buckets, we will ask you drop your offering in the giving kiosk or give online. 

During this time, we are also asking you to take action to help stop the spread of the virus in the following ways:

1. Stay at home when you or a family member are sick: Sick means you have symptoms such as fever or nausea, or have had them within the last 24 hours.

2. Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom, before eating and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.

3. Cover your sneeze or cough with a tissue or your arm.

4. Get in the habit of NOT touching your face so often.

5. Forgo shaking hands at church for a wave or a friendly smile.

6. If you or someone you know tests positive for COVID-19, please let us know so we can find a way to help, pray for everyone involved and take any necessary precautions here at Discover Life Church.

Discover Life Online:

If you or a family member are sick or need to stay home during this time, we urge you to watch Sunday services online. We’ve got an open spot for you to watch Discover Life Online during our 9 or 11am services on our Facebook Page

For families with kids:

In addition to keeping our campus clean, we will be taking extra care of our kids’ spaces. Kids’ toys and rooms will be sanitized before and after every service.

Three ways you can help:

  1. Pray – Pray for those impacted by the virus, as well as their families and loved ones.
  2. Give – We are called to be a light among darkness, and to do that, it takes money. If you’d like to join us, you can donate by heading to discoverlifeatl.com/give/
  3. Serve – If you’re feeling well, we want to remind you that right now, state and local departments are not recommending that you stay home. We are committed to bringing The Gospel to the region, and that requires volunteers. Please consider fulfilling your commitments on Sunday Mornings and at our life groups and prayer gatherings. 

Questions or concerns?

If you’d like to share your thoughts, concerns, questions, and ideas with us as we navigate our response to this situation, we’d love to hear from you. Your input and feedback are truly important to us. Please email hello@discoverlifeatl.com with any questions or comments.

While we cannot control the virus, the spread or the impact it has in our church, we’re doing everything we can to make this campus as safe and clean as possible. We appreciate your cooperation and commitment to help us do just that. We must also remember that God has not called us to live in fear but in faith.

As the apostle, Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 1:7, “For the Spirit of God does not make us timid, but gives us power, love, and self-discipline.” My prayer is that God will fill all of us with these three gifts, no matter what comes our way.

In Christ,

Manny Rivera

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