5/3/20
COVID-19. Changed. Things.
It limited our options as many things closed or services changed to accommodate health guidelines. At Abba’s House, our focus on the digital worship experience and our online campus isn’t going anywhere. Yet, it is a new day! On May 17th, we will open up our physical campus to give you an option for Sunday morning worship.
The first four-week phase will be family worship in the auditorium at 10:30am. Seating will be arranged to maintain distance between families. We will wave instead of hug and sit 6-feet apart. Things will be sanitized according to CDC guidelines with EPA-approved cleaners. Water fountains will be unavailable for use. The bookstore will be open, per the current restaurant guidelines. We encourage you to wear your own mask and wash your hands often. We also encourage those who are vulnerable to stay home and join us digitally. Groups will continue to meet online during this first phase.
The second phase will begin June 14 with Sunday morning hybrid groups at 9:00am. You can attend your group in person on campus or online. You’ll be hearing more about this from Pastor Angie, Pastor Seth and Pastor Adam in the days ahead.
The third phase will begin sometime in August, and we’ll provide more details about that this summer. If COVID cases in our area remain low, this is when we will be able to provide even more ministry options!
We love you, and we can’t wait to see you when you are ready. At our Hixson Pike campus or at our online campus, Abba’s House will always be the place where you can live free and fully alive!
4/2/20
Effective immediately, we will be operating under new Executive Orders issued by Governor Bill Lee and Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke requiring citizens to stay at home, unless they have reason for essential travel. We will continue to connect with one another only through digital means. Invite someone to join us online, and please stay home and take care of yourselves and your family.
The church office will only be open for community assistance and minimal essential staff. You may continue to mail your offering or any other correspondence to 5208 Hixson Pike; Hixson, TN 37343. You can also give online at www.abbashouse.com/give.
This is our current digital connection schedule:
Sunday Service – 10:30am, 1:00pm, 6:00pm, and Tuesdays at 8:00am
· abbashouse.com/live
· Abba’s House app
· Facebook Live
· YouTube – Abba’s House Channel
· Roku
· Apple TV
Adults - What’s Next? - 3:00pm on Mondays
· Email
· Facebook
· Website
Kids Ministry – 10:30am on Tuesday and Thursday
Preschool updates - text @epicpre-k to 81010;
K-5th updates - text @epickidzto 81010
· YouTube – Video Tuesdays at 10:30am
· Facebook and Instagram – Family Discussion Thursdays at 10:30am
Students – Updates - text @ahstudents to 81010
· Zoom – Middle School 6:30pm on Tuesday
· Facebook and Instagram – 7:00pm on Wednesday
· Zoom - High School 9:00 pm on Wednesday
Midweek Momentum – 6:45pm on Wednesdays
· abbashouse.com/live
· Abba’s House app
· Facebook Live
· YouTube – Abba’s House Channel
· Roku
· Apple TV
Stay connected with us online. Stay safe and stay well!
3/17/20
Sunday morning services will be online only, beginning March 22 until further notice. This is based on the CDC guidance issued for gatherings, as well as recommendations from our government officials.
Our pastors have a plan to stay connected with those whom they are called to serve. We will be working diligently this week to make sure we provide you with an anointed and personal streaming experience. All other weekly activities are cancelled, and many staff members are working from home.
Please be faithful to worship with us online each week, and involve your children in the home worship experience. Share our live streams and broadcasts on social media so others can attend with us and see what a House of Grace is all about, as well as the hope Jesus can bring in these uncertain times. Stay connected even though we won’t be meeting in person.
Continue to live generously. This applies not only to your financial gifts, but also to your neighbors. Check on the elderly and those in high risk categories and make sure they are okay. This is a reminder that the church is not a building – it is the body of Christ, dispersed among our city.
Please read Psalms 91 as a family. Discuss the ways God protects us, and pray these truths over your family. May the peace of God rest on you, and may your light shine brightly to those around you.
3/13/20
We have prayed, checked on recommendations from our local government as well as with several other churches in the local area, and we have decided to move forward with services for this Sunday. Please note the following:
• LifeGroups will not meet this week.
• We will not have The Gathering in the lobby.
• Doors will open at 10AM.
• Preschool Ministry will open 10AM.
• Family Worship will begin at 10:30AM
• We would like to kindly ask those who attend not to hug or shake hands. Let’s greet each other with a smile and a wave.
• Offering buckets will be wiped with sanitizing wipes prior to the service.
If you aren’t feeling well, you can connect to the service online, the Abba’s House app, Facebook and YouTube. You can also watch the service on one one of our connected TV apps - Roku and Apple TV.
All other church activities for this week are cancelled.
3/12/20
The coronavirus (COVID-19), now characterized as a pandemic, has certainly been at the forefront of the news lately. We want you to know our staff continues to monitor the situation and put appropriate protocols in place for our church campus. At this time, all our services and activities will continue as scheduled. We know God did not give us a spirit of fear, but one of power, love and a sound mind. (1 Timothy 1:7) We can take some practical, proactive steps to prevent the spread of illness and continue to serve our community.
Steps our staff and volunteers are taking:
• Our housekeeping staff is taking extra precautions to wipe down often-touched surfaces with chemicals specifically designed to kill a variety of viruses, including coronavirus.
• Spaces for kids are consistently sanitized each week.
• We provide multiple bathrooms in each building with sinks and soap for regular hand washing.
• Our hospitality team will be greeting people warmly with a smile and a wave without shaking hands or giving hugs.
• Some of our staff held a remote staff meeting this week, to test digital meeting systems, in case this is needed in the future.
Steps you can take:
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Stay home if you are not feeling well and watch the service online.
• Cover your mouth and nose with your forearm when coughing or sneezing.
• Wash your hands with soap and water frequently.
• Follow the advice of the CDC: www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/summary.html.
We will continue to be a light in our community:
• We will pray for protection and for healing of those who have COVID-19.
• We will seek ways we can serve our community safely without discrimination.
• We will share the love of Jesus and be an encouragement each week by streaming our services online, the Abba’s House app, Facebook and YouTube.
• We will live out our value of generosity online, even if we are unable to be present in a service at abbashouse.com/give or in the Abba’s House app.
• We will walk in faith, not fear.
• As updates are available, we will pass those along through email, social media, and the Abba’s House app.
God called us to Freedom, Love and Purpose. Let’s continue to walk in that calling. As the world around us feels anxious and uncertain, let’s show them the peace only Jesus can bring. Our mission hasn’t changed. Perfect love casts out fear, so let’s focus on love. That’s who we are.
Here are other links that you may find helpful:
https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019
https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/coronavirus-how-talk-child.html