Pastor West’s COVID-19 Week 7 Response

Church family, allow me to give you a few facts that a bright light has shined upon in the last couple of weeks and has been on my mind and heart about the novel Coronavirus. According to the Center for Disease Control, health disparities are differences in health outcomes and their causes among groups of people. Disparities in the African American community are not new to us, however the news of how COVID-19 is disproportionately impacting us, is.

It’s not that we are getting infected more, it’s that when we do, we are more likely to end up in ICU and succumb to COVID-19 due to underlying medical conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, asthma, and obesity. Astounding, I’d say. Other reasons for disparities in our communities are social economic conditions, health-care access, distrust of the medical community, and multigenerational families in the same house, which makes it impossible for social distancing.

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Important Messages From Pastor West

Updated: Friday April 27, 2020

OPERATING STATUS

Current Operating Status / Building Access: Closed

To stay in line with the current CDC guidelines, all TCWW facilities are currently closed.

In accordance with Harris County’s Stay Home Stay Safe Order, all TCWW staff will be working from home. 

Sunday Virtual Worship

Queenston Campus | 8:00am, 10:00am & 12:00pm –  Website, Facebook page & TCWW App, 

Alterate Viewing Link

Eldridge Campus | 9:00am & 11:00am – Website, Youtube & TCWW App, 

Alternate Viewing Link

Virtual Bible Study

Online streaming on our website, Facebook page, Youtube, & TCWW App Wednesdays at 12Noon.

Events

ALL in-person meetings and gatherings outside of our Sunday worship services have been suspended until further notice beginning March 13, 2020.

Funerals

For details regarding how funerals will be handled, please contact Pastoral Care, pastoralcare@churchwithoutwalls.org

Brookhollow Christian Academy

Brookhollow Christian Academy will remain closed until further notice. 

An Updated Coronavirus COVID-19 Message from Pastor Ralph D West

Marc Connelly in his play Green Pastures places the angel, Gabriel, on a top floor in a tenement building in a big city where he turns around and said, “Everything nailed down is coming loose.” Everything we’ve known to be sturdy and strong has become flimsy and feeble. Therefore, at The Church Without Walls, our leadership had to make some adjustments to re-fasten what appeared to have come loose.

Here’s a tripart of what we’re working with, first, we’ve now had to change from a physical congregation to a virtual congregation, where every worship service, bible study, and ministry engagement is now online. We are a global village scattered but connected.

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Updated: Friday March 27, 2020 5:00PM

OPERATING STATUS

Current Operating Status / Building Access: Closed

To stay in line with the current CDC guidelines, all TCWW facilities are currently closed.

In accordance with Harris County’s Stay Home Stay Safe Order, all TCWW staff will be working from home. 

Sunday Virtual Worship

Queenston Campus | 8:00am, 10:00am & 12:00pm –  Website, Facebook page & TCWW App

Eldridge Campus | 9:00am & 11:00am – Website, Youtube & TCWW App

Virtual Bible Study

Online streaming on our website, Facebook page, Youtube, & TCWW App Wednesdays at 12Noon.

Virtual Road to Resurrection Services

Wednesdays, April 1st & April 8th | 7pm – Stream live on Website, Facebook page & TCWW App

Events

ALL in-person meetings and gatherings outside of our Sunday worship services have been suspended until further notice beginning March 13, 2020.

Funerals

For details regarding how funerals will be handled, please contact Pastoral Care, pastoralcare@churchwithoutwalls.org

Brookhollow Christian Academy

Brookhollow Christian Academy will remain closed until further notice. 

Friday March 20, 2020 11:00PM

Current Operating Status / Building Access: Closed

To stay in line with the current CDC guidelines, all TCWW facilities are currently closed. Only essential TCWW employees will be granted access to buildings.

Sunday Worship

Online streaming on our website, Facebook page and Youtube at 8:00am, 9:00am, 10:00am, 11:00am & 12:00pm. 

Bible Study

Online streaming on our website, Facebook page and Youtube, Wednesdays at 12Noon.

Events

ALL meetings and gatherings outside of our Sunday worship services have been suspended until further notice beginning March 13, 2020.

Funerals

For details regarding how funerals will be handled, please contact Pastoral Care, pastoralcare@churchwithoutwalls.org

Brookhollow Christian Academy

Brookhollow Christian Academy will be closed until further notice starting Tuesday, March 17, 2020. 

A Special Message From Pastor Ralph D. West

An Important Coronavirus COVID-19 Message from Pastor Ralph D West

In light of the global pandemic of the novel Coronavirus, COVID-19, we’re making every effort to consider the health of our congregation and to contribute to the national support and safety of our citizens.

Proverbs 11:14 tells us that Where there is no counsel, the people fall; But in the multitude of counselors there is safety. We have consulted with representatives with our local government, health professionals including the president of MD Anderson, Memorial Hermann Hospital, the Harris County Health Department, the Center for Disease Control, and World Health Organizations. To demonstrate social responsibility, we are making adjustments to our worship services and gathering practices to help stay below the line of Coronavirus cases that are currently impacting our healthcare system. This Sunday, March 15, 2020, instead of coming to the sanctuary, we are asking you to stream our exciting worship services online. Additionally, ALL meetings and gatherings outside of our Sunday worship services have been suspended from 3/13/2020 – 3/21/2020. This is not a casual or uninformed decision; this is our contribution and sacrifice to global safety and we will monitor updates from week to week. READ MORE

Monday, March 16, 2020 5:00PM

Current Operating Status / Building Access: Closed

To stay in line with the current CDC guidelines, all TCWW facilities are currently closed. Only essential TCWW employees will be granted access to buildings.

Events

ALL meetings and gatherings outside of our Sunday worship services have been suspended until further notice beginning March 13, 2020.

Funerals

For details regarding how funerals will be handled, please contact Pastoral Care, pastoralcare@churchwithoutwalls.org

Brookhollow Christian Academy

Brookhollow Christian Academy will be closed until further notice starting Tuesday, March 17, 2020. 

Friday, March 13, 2020 11:40PM

Current Operating Status: Limited

This Sunday, March 15, 2020, instead of coming to the sanctuary, we are asking you to stream our exciting worship services online.

ALL meetings and gatherings outside of our Sunday worship services have been suspended from 3/13/2020 – 3/21/2020.

The Houston Health Department also announced new recommendations to Houstonians aimed at reducing their risk of exposure to COVID-19. 

• People at higher risk of severe illness should stay home and away from large groups of people as much as possible, including public places with lots of people and large gatherings where there will be close contact with others. People at higher risk include:
• People 60 and older
• People with underlying health conditions including heart disease, lung disease, or diabetes
• People who have weakened immune systems
• People who are pregnant
• Workplaces should enact measures that allow people who can work from home to do so. Taking these measures can help reduce the number of workers who come into contact with the COVID-19 virus and help minimize absenteeism due to illness
• If you can feasibly avoid bringing large groups of people together, consider postponing events and gatherings.
• The Houston Health Department is not currently recommending closing schools. If a case of COVID-19 is diagnosed at a school, the health department will work with the school and the district to determine the best measures including potential closure of the school.
• People who are sick need to stay home to prevent infecting others.
• Avoid visiting hospitals, long term care facilities, or nursing homes to the extent possible. If you need to go, limit your time there and keep six feet away from patients.

People with symptoms like cough, fever, or other respiratory problems, must call a healthcare provider. People with symptoms should not go to the emergency room unless it’s a life-threatening emergency. Healthcare professionals will determine if COVID-19 is needed.

Thursday, March 12, 2020 at 1:30pm

The Church Without Walls is praying and working diligently to protect our congregation and taking every precaution to ensure that our worship services follow CDC guidelines.

When greeting one another, instead of hugs and handshakes, greet using elbow bumps or wave  with a smile.

For further protection, wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol, stay home when you are sick, and do not bring children who are sick to the nursery, KWOW children’s area or Ignite Youth.

We will continue to pray and monitor updates.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

There are simple measures you can take to protect yourself and help us reduce the spread of Coronavirus in our community. 

At church: 

• Practice fist and elbow bumps instead of hugging or shaking hands.
• Take advantage of our church sanitizing stations, particularly after sneezing, coughing and touching regularly used surfaces. We encourage members and guests to bring their own hand sanitizers as well.
• Wash your hands often, particularly after using the restroom.

If you feel sick or are caring for someone who is sick:

• Stay home unless you are seeking medical treatment.
• Limit your participation in community activities. Consider streaming options on our website and on Facebook Live.
• Dispose of used tissues right away. 

In general:

• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, mouth and others with unwashed hands.
• Thoroughly wash your hands with soap and water as often as you can. Scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds.
• If you are not near a sink, use hand sanitizer. Sanitize all of the skin on your hands and rub them together until they feel dry. Refrain from shaking your hands to dry them. 
• Engage in respiratory etiquette by coughing and sneezing into the bend of your elbow. 
• Sanitize freshly touched surfaces in your home, school or office daily. 
• Avoid coming in close contact with those who appear unwell. 

Educate yourself:

• Learn the additional measures that high risk, vulnerable individuals should take. 
• Stay up on current events.