Greetings DMC Family,
The following was developed by the Council of Elders in response to the challenge of Covid-19 and navigating differing responses to restrictions imposed on us as a church:
Model of Care
At Duchess Mennonite Church we believe God created us with physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual dimensions of health. We desire to love the whole person. To meet people where they are at and create a safe environment of grace for people to connect, grow and heal through the power of the Holy Spirit.
As your church Council, we are trying to walk the difficult line of honouring very different perspectives on public health orders as they impact our congregational worship services. We are endeavouring to follow the restrictions as laid out by AHS as we balance all aspects of an individual’s health, making space for exemptions and mental health concerns. Our desire is to see people come to worship services while being gentle with one another, understanding that it is not possible to make decisions that reflect the desires of everyone.
We ask that you continue to pray for us to have wisdom from above as we seek to be faithful to the call to love God and love neighbour. We encourage each of you to take the difficult steps of strengthening connection with those that may disagree with you. We look to the Lord for the unity of His Spirit as we consider the example Jesus has set for us.
Our understanding is that the two restrictions placed upon places of worship this past week are mandated masks and 1/3 capacity with physical distancing between households. We ask that you above all seek to show love and respect to one another. For some, engaging with the online service will be the option you choose while restrictions are in place. We want to encourage each one to focus on Jesus as being the reason we gather. We don’t have to agree about everything, we just need to keep our eyes on Him.
