COVID-19 Update

September 29, 2020

As we continue to work towards a return to full on-campus programming, we are excited to announce the return of on campus Sunday School for all ages beginning October 4, 2020!

Our new Sunday morning schedule will be:

Traditional Worship Service - 9 AM

Sunday School for All Ages - 10 AM

Contemporary Worship Service - 11 AM

We are asking parents to make a reservation for your children so that we can make sure we have enough workers and space to safely accommodate everyone who wants to attend. You can find more information about what to except in our Children's Sunday School department and to make reservations HERE.

For adults, we are asking those who attend to wear a mask when they enter the building. Once in the class room, the leaders of your class will inform you of the guidelines regarding the wearing of masks for your group. Some groups will be asking those who attend to wear a mask during the entire class time while other groups will allow those who attend to remove their mask while they are seated. Please check with your class leadership to learn the guidelines for your class.

At this time, we are still not ready to add nursery care or extended session during the worship services, so we are asking parents to bring their children with them to the worship services.

Pastor Todd

COVID19 Update

July 23, 2020

Almost every aspect of our daily lives is constantly reacting to the changing conditions created by the spread of COVID19, and our church is no different. Back in May, we shared our Four Phased Plan to Re-Open the First Baptist Church of Benbrook. We entered Phase 2 in June with the return of on-campus worship services on Sunday morning. We were hoping to enter Phase 3 in August which would have added on-campus Sunday School classes for all ages to our schedule. However, we believe the conditions in our community have not improved to the point where this is possible. Right now, we are hoping to begin on-campus Sunday School classes for all ages in September or October. Until then, we will continue to gather together for on-campus worship on Sunday mornings and to practice social distancing seating and asking all who attend to wear a mask to keep others safe.

We are also making changes to our Wednesday evening schedule. For the last few months, we have been offering the Midweek Online Gathering on Wednesday nights. Recently, we added to that schedule a Prayer Gathering that preceded Midweek. Yesterday (July 22) was our last episode of the Midweek Online Gathering. Moving forward, our Wednesday evening schedule will move the Prayer Gathering to 6:30. I believe the regular gathering of the church to pray is one of the most important things that the local church can and should do, so we want this take a priority position in our weekly schedule and in our energy. Please consider praying together with your church family one hour a week.

Finally, we will be launching our Fall Discipleship plan on August 30^th! We know that gathering people together as we have always done might not be possible for many weeks to come, perhaps even months. But we do want to continue to fulfill our mission to make disciples. So, we are creating a disciple making strategy that will involve our entire church community, from children to senior adults, on the same journey. We will be sharing more details in the days to come, but this will be unlike anything we have ever done as a church before. 

Thank you for being part of our church family,

Pastor Todd

Welcome Back to On Campus Worship

Returning June 7, 2020

First Baptist Church Benbrook

We are so excited to be able to gather together again in our sanctuary to celebrate the beauty and greatness of God on the first Sunday of June. Our Health and Wellness Team, in conjunction with our Deacons and Staff, have been working on a set of guidelines so that we can keep everyone safe and healthy as we gather for worship.

1. We will be offering two morning worship services. The traditional worship service will be at 9 AM and the contemporary worship service will be at 11 AM. Please notice that we are adjusting the time to allow for the sanctuary to be cleaned between the worship services.

2. We will be practicing social distancing seating. This means that family units will be sitting six feet apart from other family units, with an empty pew between them. Functionally, the means that one family unit will sit on one end of the pew and another family unit will sit on the other end of the pew, with an empty pew before and behind.

3. We will be requiring those over the age of 10 to wear a facial covering of some kind (i.e., a mask) that covers both the nose and mouth. If you do not have a mask, one will be provided for you. I know that some of our church members will not like wearing a mask at church, but please remember that we do not wear a mask to protect ourselves but to protect others. While you may not feel the need to wear a mask, there will be some in your church family who are very concerned about getting sick for various reasons. One way that you “love your neighbor” during a corporate worship service is to wear a mask to make others more comfortable. This season won’t last forever, but we can love others in a sacrificial way as we walk through it.

4. We will be doing temperature checks at the front door, and those with a temperature above 100.4 will not be allowed to enter.

5. We will be cleaning the sanctuary between each service.

6. We will have hand sanitizer stations in the lobby and outside the restrooms to make sure everyone has plenty of opportunities to keep their hands clean.

7. We will NOT be offering Extended Session or Nursery. In addition, we will NOT be holding on campus Sunday School classes for adults or children until August.

8. We will NOT be passing on offering plate but will have giving stations at the door. Furthermore, we will not be handing out paper bulletins.

9. We will no longer have the “greeting time” as part of the morning worship service.

10. We will be asking everyone to enter through the main front doors only (the doors that lead to the covered entrance on the Bryant side of the campus).

Finally, We will continue to live stream both services in a high quality manner so that those who are in the at risk population can join our worship services from the safety of their home.

We appreciate your understanding and support as we make these difficult decisions.

We will be meeting at the end of June to re-evaluate and make necessary adjustments as needed.