Members of Farmdale Baptist,

As elders, we wish to maintain transparency before our congregation and steward our congregation well, especially during this season. For these reasons, we wish to inform you about a current COVID-19 situation.

On Wednesday night, July 29th, we had an individual at our prayer meeting who later tested positive for COVID-19. They were asymptomatic and unaware that they had the virus. Upon discovering that they had the virus, they informed the pastors and the few with whom they had close contact. Your elders are aware of all parties involved and are encouraging responsible precautions to ensure the well-being of our congregation and community. For the time being, these individuals have chosen to isolate themselves to the best of their ability and according to sound wisdom.

The elders decided it is best to follow the wisdom of God by implementing the principles of Leviticus 13-14: isolate the contagious, carefully watch those who might plausibly be infected, remove contagions, and preserve that which is good. By following these principles, we strive to follow God’s understanding of “love your neighbor,” (Leviticus 19:18). Since the case of COVID-19 was in our church but not from our church, it is not necessary to cancel our Lord’s Day gathering at this time. We will continue to monitor our situation closely in order to ensure the safety of our congregation and community.

During this time, please consider the following:

1) Pray for those who are sick and those who were exposed.

2) Contact your elders if you have questions or concerns.

3) Maintain the unity and peace provided to us by the Spirit of God.

4) Trust in God’s sovereignty.

Like you, we long for the New Creation when decay and death meet their destruction from Christ. Until that time, we must steward our lives according to God’s word, realize we cannot remove all risk, and trust that the Judge of all the earth will do what is right; for he is good and does good.