Back in the House!

What God has Done

Due to the global COVID 19 pandemic, like thousands of other churches, the doors of Faith Ministries Church were closed for worship in March of 2020. Now, after 18 months of successful online ministry I am excited to announce that those same doors at 2747 Agler Rd., Columbus, OH will be reopened for in person worship on Sunday, September 5, 2021 @ 10 am.

“This is the Lord’s doing and it is marvelous in our sight!” – Psalm 118: 23

We acknowledge that we have not come through this pandemic unscathed. We have had some bruises, some setbacks, some bumps and even some losses along the way. But, just in case you weren’t paying attention, let me remind you of some of what God did for us in spite of the pandemic.

God moved us seamlessly from in person worship to Facebook, YouTube, ChurchOnline and Instagram where even though the physical doors of the church were closed, God opened our virtual doors online to an even broader global audience which eagerly embraced our ministry.

God kept our church together.

God kept our bills current and on time, including both mortgages.

God saw to it that our staff never missed a pay check.

God led people to join our church from across the country.

God showed us how to creatively continue the ministry in new and expansive ways.

God raised us up as a standard for the nation and the world on how to merge technology and ministry in this present age.

What we have done.

As we look toward going back to in person worship, let me tell you what your church staff and leadership has done and is doing to help create a safe and sanitary environment for us to resume our in person praise and worship of God.

We…

·       Are doing a deep cleaning throughout the church.

·       Placing signs throughout the building encouraging people to stay safe and sanitized.

·       Added more touch free experiences to being at Faith from bathrooms, to trash cans, to sanitizing dispensers.

·       Installed hand sanitizer units generously throughout church.

·       Had the roof repaired and ceiling tiles replaced.

·       Improved sanctuary lighting and media capabilities to enhance our worship experience on site and online.

·       Added an AED (Automatic external defibrillator) unit in our health advocacy room to respond to heart emergencies.

·       Purchased NanoSeptic continuously self-cleaning covers for doors, handles, and switches to be placed on these

        and other highly touched surfaces.

·       Equipped all of our furnaces and air conditioners with brand new iWave bi-polar ionization units to help eliminate

        pathogens and other particles from the air stream.

·       Grouped the sanctuary seats to ensure social distance seating.

What we are asking you to do

1. Whether you choose to worship on site or off site, we are asking you continue to be an active and involved member of

   Faith Ministries Church.

2. If you are feeling sick, stay home and come back when you are better.

3. Until further notice, everyone 12 years old and up is required to wear a mask at church. Parents, of course, can have

   your children under 12 wear a mask at your discretion. We will have free masks available should anyone need one.

4. Enter and exit the church through the main doors at the front of the church. Then, enter the front doors of the

   sanctuary and exit the side doors in the sanctuary. For security reasons, you will not be allowed to enter the side doors.

5. With the social distancing of seats, we will have about 50% of our regular seating capacity in the sanctuary. The doors

    will be opened at 9 AM on Sundays. There will be first come, first served seating in the sanctuary. When sanctuary

    seating is filled to capacity, there will be overflow capacity in the gym with a 10 ft. screen streaming the worship live.

    There will be socially distanced seating there for individuals and tables for families.

6. To reduce movement:

    You will be able to receive your communion elements as you enter the sanctuary.

    Instead of going to the altar, we will stand and pray at our seats.

    Those who are led to join the church, however, will be allowed to come forward down the aisle during the Invitation to

    Christian Discipleship.

    You can continue to give your offering online, by text or mail as you have done in the past, or you may give your

    offering as you enter or exit the sanctuary. There will be offering boxes available for that.

7. At the end of worship, if you choose to fellowship, we ask that you leave the sanctuary, go directly out of the building

    and fellowship outside. Ushers will escort you out of your seats like they might do at a wedding.

8. At least for a while, Sunday Celebration, Ministry Groups, Prayer Meeting, Faith AC Groups, Senior Celebration and                Facebook Online Groups

    will all continue to  meet virtually. We will not have children or youth ministries, as such, on the first Sunday, but will be getting them back in person

    no later than the first Sunday in October.

9. If you would like to volunteer, we especially need, ushers, cleaners, Greeters and more. You can volunteer at

    FaithMinistries.Church.

10. A New Beginning

     Before we began worshipping at our new Faith Ministries building on Agler Rd., we were so excited that we launched

     our going there with a caravan of vehicles to celebrate our gratitude to God for His blessings upon us.

     Today, we feel just as blessed!

     Therefore, on Saturday, September 4, 2021 at 3 PM, we will use the same format as before. We will assemble at Grotto

     Temple where our church began, located 3790 Agler Rd., Columbus, 43219. We will pray and then process to our

     current location here at 2747 Agler Rd. We are asking each ministry to have a decorated car representing them and

     every member and friend of Faith to decorate their cars and join the parade. We are looking for no less than 100 cars.

     When we arrive at the church, we will Party until 7 PM with food, fun and fellowship for the whole family and

     community. We are calling on our Men’s Ministry and Women’s Ministry especially to work with Rev. Frank Lane who

     will be coordinating all of these activities and festivities on Saturday.

     On Sunday, September 5, 2021, the doors will open at 9 AM and at 10 AM we will have our first worship “Back in the

     House!” This is going to be a great and historic day. When we began our church on the first Sunday in November

     1991, there were 343 people who joined the church on that day. They became charter members. In a way, since we

     are starting over again, those who come back September 5th will also be making history.

     Therefore, we will make a list of everyone present on the first Sunday back. From this list, a beautiful scroll will be

     created indicating who was there. This will be a treasured keepsake for all.

What to Bring on our First Weekend Back

     Bring your prayers. In fact, you can start praying now.

     Bring a present (Special Back to church Thanksgiving Offering, in addition to

     your regular tithes and offerings.) Envelopes will be available on that day or

     you can give as you have been giving, just mark or designate your gift as

     “Special Back to Church Offering.”

     Bring your Patience. This is all going to be new to all of us and we are going

     have to be flexible.

     Bring your Praise. After all, that is what we are going back for in the first place.

     This may sound like a lot, but I am confident that you will be able to do all of these things and more. This

     announcement will be posted on our

     website and other platforms for you to review. Of course, all of this is subject to change as COVID-19 spreads and

     other things beyond our control change, but for now, this is our stance.

     We can’t wait to see you in person, to give you an air hug, a wave, or Faith fist bump.

     This is Dr. C. Dexter Wise looking forward to you joining us September 4-5 for Prayer, Parade, Party and Praise.