Friday, March 13

Amidst concerns surrounding the Coronavirus (COVID-19), we want to let you know how Brightmoor is responding.

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Our leadership team is carefully and continually monitoring this situation. As information evolves, this page is the primary, most up-to-date place for you to receive answers to commonly asked questions. We are committed to doing everything we can to provide a safe environment for our church family and the surrounding community.

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Is Brightmoor gathering this Sunday and Wednesday?

We will not be meeting on our physical campus and will be utilizing our online campus Sunday and Wednesday. Gov. Whitmer issued an executive order to cancel all gatherings of more than 250 people to limit the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19); our physical campus will not be meeting.

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Remember that Brightmoor is not a building, a service, or a program that we run. What God is doing at our church can never be contained to two hours of worship on the weekend. The truth is if our church is only as strong as our Sunday morning gathering, that means we still have a lot of work to do!

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Please continue to check this page for updates on how you can gather online with us.

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What is Brightmoor doing to care for the community?

We have contacted our Prime Timers and shut-ins already this week to pray for them and ensure they have all the needed resources to help prevent them from having to venture out and possibly be infected. We encourage you to take the same step to care for those around you. Take time to BE THE CHURCH today!

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What precautions is Brightmoor taking to make our gatherings as safe as possible?

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• Wiping down all common area touchpoints (e.g., doors, light switches, countertops, etc.) throughout the day with disinfectant.

• Placing hand sanitizers in common areas throughout the buildings.

• Performing added in-depth cleaning of our facilities regularly.

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What precautions can I take when coming to Brightmoor?

• Washing your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds;

• Using hand sanitizer when soap and water are not available;

• Not touching your eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands;

• Avoiding close contact with people who are sick;

• Staying home if you are sick;

• Covering your cough or sneeze;

• Disinfecting objects and surfaces regularly.

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In all our Kids’ areas, after each service, our volunteers sterilize various surfaces used by our children. We will continue to follow our standard health protocols, not admitting any child with elevated temperatures (above 99.6 F). A child must also be fever free for 24 hours before coming to Brightmoor Kids. You can help us by carefully monitoring your children for any symptoms and being understanding if we feel we cannot accept your kids into our programs due to health concerns.

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During our worship gatherings, we will use a safer way to serve communion with pre-packaged elements. Also, we encourage everyone to take commonsense precautions and consider creative interactions (like elbow bumping instead of handshaking!).

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Is the building open during the week?

We are currently evaluating when the building may or may not be open. Currently, we are restricting larger gatherings due to a statewide request. In the meantime, for more information on individual ministries and/or meetings, please contact your ministry leader.

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As of March 16, Novi Christian Academy will be dismissing classes through April 5 by the request of the Michigan state government to slow the potential speed of the virus. 

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How should we, as believers, respond to Coronavirus spiritually?

The Coronavirus (COVID-19) is yet one more reminder that we live in a fallen world of sickness, sin, suffering, and death. Ultimately, none of us are immune to any of these things. But that’s why the gospel is such good news. God has not left us alone in this world of sickness, sin, suffering, and death. He has come to us in the person of Jesus. The greatest news in all the world is that Jesus lived a life with no sin, died on a cross to pay the price for our sin, and rose from the grave in victory over sin and death. Now anyone anywhere who turns from sin and trusts in Jesus will be forgiven of all his or her sin and restored to relationship with God forever. That means that through Jesus, we never have to fear sickness or death because we know we have eternal life with God.

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If you do not know that you have eternal life with God, we urge you to put your faith in Jesus. And if you do know that you have eternal life with God, we urge you to share your faith in Jesus with others. Times like these remind us all of the fragility of life and the inevitability of death. So, let’s spread the greatest news that death has been defeated and eternal life is available to all who trust in Jesus.

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In addition to trusting in Jesus and sharing about Jesus with others, here are some other ways you can respond to the Coronavirus (COVID-19):

• Trust in God as the good and sovereign Creator and Sustainer of life upon whom we all depend.

• Pray for mercy for the sick, strength for doctors, insight for researchers, and wisdom for officials.

• Look for opportunities to love and to care for others, whether they are sick, isolated, marginalized, poor, or oppressed.

• Avoid every semblance of prejudice or racism. In light of the origination of this virus in Asia, it has been grievous to see a rise in racist incidents against the Asian community. We want every Asian-American (as well as Asians around the world) to feel and to know the love of Christ. So just as we do in any circumstance, guard against all prejudice or racism in your thoughts, your words, and your actions.

• Even if we are unable to gather at certain times, stay closely connected to the church family. Gather with smaller groups as appropriate and participate in worship gatherings online if that’s the only option.

• Continue to faithfully give financially online HERE or by mail so that the ministry of the church thrives all the more amid difficult days. We encourage you to automate your giving. This may sound self-serving, but if this outbreak worsens (and even if our prayers are answered, and it doesn’t), the church is going to be needed. The ministries of the church are vital to our members and our community. Setting up a recurring gift helps the church by providing steady income not affected by snowstorms, vacations, or illnesses. Setting up a recurring donation helps donors by providing a convenient way to become a consistent giver.

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How do I stay connected? One of the foundations that we see modeled in the first church, Acts 2:42-47, was that of fellowship and community, and we want to encourage you to not allow this to stop the community at Brightmoor. We want to encourage you to stay connected with your Brightmoor family through phone calls, texts, and interactions on our social media.

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If you are not connected to our usual communication avenues, we encourage you to like us on Facebook, maybe even subscribe to us! Follow us on Instagram, download our app, and join our email distribution list.

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We will continue to make efforts to connect with you throughout this time.

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What events or activities have been canceled as of now?

We are in the process of evaluating all of our events and will make those decisions individually as they get closer. Stay connected to social media and the website for timely communication.

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We have canceled our community Easter Egg Hunt and postponed Painting with a Sis, Youth Fine Arts, March’s Prime Timer’s event, and Unity Across Political Differences

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What about the upcoming Missions trips?

Our Missions team is continually consulting various sources of information, including our ministry partners in other countries, the State Department, and organizations like the Center for Disease Control and the World Health Organization. Based on this information, we are making determinations concerning any needs to adjust, postpone, or cancel trips. At this time, we have canceled the India trip for this month and will be making the final decision on future trips as we get closer to their departure dates. At this time, the summer and fall trips are not being affected. Also, we are encouraging individuals involved in our trips to prayerfully consider any decision to travel through consultation with medical professionals as appropriate.

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Should people come to Brightmoor if they are feeling sick?

We strongly encourage anyone who is feeling sick or running a fever to stay home (and away from small or large group gatherings) and let someone in the church know that you are not feeling well. We want to care for you in every way we can as your church family without unnecessarily exposing others to potential sickness. Particularly if you are elderly or more physically at risk in light of the coronavirus COVID-19, we advise you to minimize social interactions during these days while still staying connected to your church family through other means. Specifically, we invite everyone unable to come to a physical gathering for any reason to worship online with the church family.

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How can I better understand the Coronavirus (COVID-19)?

Coronavirus is a type of virus that causes respiratory illness — an infection of the airways and lungs. COVID-19 is a new strain of coronavirus. It is part of the same family of coronaviruses that includes the common cold. The coronavirus outbreak was first identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. Since then, the virus has spread to other countries. The most common early symptoms appear between 2 and 14 days after infection. Symptoms can be mild to severe. They include fever, cough, and shortness of breath. Older people and those with underlying medical problems like high blood pressure, heart problems or diabetes, are more likely to develop severe illness. People with fever, cough, and difficulty breathing should seek medical attention. Most people recover from the disease without needing special treatment.

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Like many other viruses, the Coronavirus (COVID-19) seems to spread from person-to-person through a cough, sneeze, or kiss. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that the risk in the U.S. is still low. They will update this status regularly on their website at cdc.gov/coronavirus. You can also find more information from the World Health Organization.