NOTE: This letter was originally sent to our congregation by email on Thursday morning, March 12, 2020. It has been edited for the sake of privacy.

Dear Brothers and Sisters of All Saints,

Due to the staff, session, and diaconate all having been exposed to a confirmed case of the Coronavirus on Tuesday evening, and consistent with medical professionals’ best current advice regarding self-quarantine, worship for this Sunday, March 15, is canceled.

We want to encourage you to consider worshipping elsewhere on Sunday morning unless you have been recently exposed to a confirmed case of Coronavirus or are in the group of those who are at higher risk if infected (the elderly and immuno-compromised). Cornerstone Presbyterian Church and Parish Presbyterian Church, both in Franklin, are excellent options. We would also commend Covenant Presbyterian Church in Green Hills to you.

The session believes strongly that the Church should keep worshipping during this health crisis, even though it will be important to take certain appropriate measures to mitigate the spread of the illness. We are only canceling because those appropriate measures currently include our entire leadership team. We will reevaluate our circumstance early next week and make a decision regarding the coming weeks at that time.

We also want to impress upon you that though we are not worshipping Sunday and have had to cancel Bible study this week, All Saints is still functioning in other ways. First, we are still a spiritual body. The session plans to turn its focus to our shepherding groups for the time being. We still belong to Christ and to one another and still want to bear one another’s burdens. Second, we are still in need of financial support in order to continue functioning. Though we are not gathering, you can make your regular contributions through the online giving portal found here: https://www.allsaintspres.net/online-giving.

We are not in any way panicked, either by how this has touched our congregation or how it is affecting our community. Coronavirus is a serious pandemic and we should all be taking reasonable and appropriate measures to reduce the spread of the virus. However, for those who are healthy, it has not proven to be a serious illness. Out of love for one another and especially those who are at higher risk, let’s take those precautions that will help reduce the spread of the disease. In the meantime, trust that God is sovereign and none of this is outside of his control or even his perfect purposes.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your elder or deacon or one of the pastors. We’re glad to do our best to answer any questions you may have.

The Session