Stonehill’s response… Updated Dec. 28, 2020

As Texas, and most of the rest of America starts to gradually re-open, we wanted to provide you an update on our planning to restart activities and services at our church building.  After much prayer and discussion, we began services at Stonehill again on August 15th.  This will give us the opportunity to continue to monitor the state of the virus in our local area, prepare the church to host services while implementing the social distancing, health, and sanitation protocols recommended by federal and state & conference officials as we consider Phase 2.

If you are planning to join us during Phase 1 or 2, please “RSVP” using the link below, so we can ensure we prepare adequately.

Phase 2 – RSVP Form

We will continue to provide the full scope of virtual services until we start meeting again at the church.  Once we do start meeting, we will be offering live streaming of our church services for those who are at higher health risks or for anyone that feels more comfortable worshiping from home.  In our first phase, all Sabbath Schools, small groups and other ministries will still be kept in a virtual format. The church services will also be posted on our YouTube channel with links shared on our Facebook page afterwards, in case you would like to view them at a time that is more convenient for you.  

The info-gram below is a rough start, to knowing what to expect, and when to expect it.

Our plan right now is to slowly and intentionally move through the phases.

• Phase 1 restarted on August 15th, and will be kept as a Divine Service only gathering, while we continue to practice strict social distancing. (We will Continue in Phase 1 through the month of August, to early November).
• Phase 2 (After much consideration, of the Sabbath School Teachers’s responseAs we considered our Phase 2 Return , the board considered the following:
  • County Covid-19 Increase – Both the number of new case, hospitalizations and deaths in Travis and Williamson Counties, especially after Thanksgiving Holidays, and now, the Christmas Season.
  • Austin/Travis-County‘s “Stay Home, Mask, and Otherwise Be Safe” – Stage 5 recommendations, in place till Feb. 16
  • Vacination Timeline for some of our Sabbath School facilitators &
  • Texas Conference Recommendations for “Safely Returning to Church”
• The following Date adjustments were recommended & voted:
  • Feb. 06, 2021 – The two main Adult Sabbath Schools (Myrna’s Lesson Study & Hands of Grace, non-lesson quarterly Bible Study) will return.
  • Feb. 20, 2021 – All other Sabbath Schools (Adult and Children’s Ministries) will hopefully follow suit. We are working on ensuring all Sabbath Schools will be adequately staffed at that time.
• Phase 3 will tentatively begin some time in February or March, as long as things continue to progress well in our community.

As much as we’d love to rush straight to Phase 4, where we gather again with all ministries functioning, our leadership team, will evaluate government guidelines and local health data on a weekly basis to ensure we reopen in a way that is safe for our church family. We don’t have a timeline for how long we will be in Phase 3, as this situation is fluid and dynamic, and we may continue to adjust our plans as the situation warrants.  Please continue to monitor the church’s website and Facebook page for updates and additional information.

Thank you for your prayers, support, and encouragement.  If you have any questions, please feel free to call or email me at ekitney@txsda.org