Hello Plymouth,

I am writing to let you know that the Reopening Committee is working to consider when the time might be right for Plymouth to resume in-person activities. We have been meeting regularly for several months now. As the committee continues to meet, the thing that I have been amazed by is just how complicated this all is. We began by discussing why it is important that we be able to gather in person again. We wanted to get a handle on what it is that is unique to being together and what can be reproduced online. Since then, we have heard an in-depth report on the Plymouth building and some limitations the building represents as well as a meeting to hear from someone on staff at another church in the Seattle area to detail how they have approached gathering in person.

Throughout our meetings, I have been surprised at how much my own personal feelings on regathering have vacillated. Think back to early July. This is when the Reopening Committee was first convened. The world felt very different. The Delta variant was on the rise but not much was known about Delta and just how bad infection rates and hospitalizations would get. Through the rest of the summer information about the Delta variant was emerging on a seemingly daily basis, then the start of the school year came along with its own challenges and possibilities for changes in infection rates. Currently in King County infection rates are on a downward trajectory but remain high.

We have been through a lot! As a church, as a community, as people of God we have been through a lot. I’m guessing that you, like me, have had many complicated feelings over the last year and a half about COVID, about the ways that you interact with others, and about the risks that you take regarding your health. Since the Reopening Committee has been meeting, I have had thoughts ranging from, “Let’s just open up and see what happens,” all the way to, “I can’t imagine opening up at this time.” My thoughts on gathering in person seem to change as fast as new information about COVID is learned and new infection rates are released.

I know that there are many who hunger for a return to in-person gatherings at Plymouth. I know that there are many who are not ready for Plymouth to gather again in-person. So, when is the right time to resume in-person activities? This is a complicated question with many different angles. The Reopening Committee is continuing to meet and continuing to investigate so that we might make a recommendation. We give thanks for your prayers, support, and patience as we consider all the different facets that will allow us to gather safely when the time is right. -Rev. Kevin Bechtold