Greetings Mt. Olive:
April was one of the worse months of my life. However, I was supported by, and thankful for all of your concern and your prayers. Thank you.
The Governor’s Stay at Home Order expires Friday at 5pm, and yesterday Gov. Cooper announced his plan for a Phase 1 reopening of the State. Prior to his announcement yesterday, the Gov. laid out 7 benchmarks for reopening the State; but by his own benchmarks, the State is only meeting half of them. And, yesterday, NC reported over 500 new coronavirus cases; so, we are not, by the Gov. own benchmark, seeing a decline in the number of cases.
I have been watching this very carefully, particularly in reference to this congregation and when we might be able to gather again as a congregation. As the situation stands right now, we will continue with the livestream service. Although the Governor still restricts gatherings to only 10 people, my decision is not based on that. Currently, NC has not had a 14 day period of decline in coronavirus cases, which is the benchmark set in both the White House and the Governor’s own guidelines for easing social distancing. Until this benchmark is met, I want each member to shelter in place and to only go out for necessities such as groceries and medicines. I currently know 8 people (mainly in my own family) who either have the virus or are recovering from the virus; so, for your safety, I strongly encourage everyone to stay home until there is a marked decline in coronavirus cases in NC.
I am aware that everyone cannot access the service via Facebook. However, Jannie and I are working on a solution to that, for which we will send out further information later this week. For now, I want everyone to be safe.
Sincerely,
Rev. Dr. Reginald Broadnax