IN-PERSON WORSHIP HAS RESUMED. JOIN  US!

After a nearly four month shutdown of our in-person worship, Sunday groups, and other ministries, we resumed in-person worship on July 12, 2020. During the shutdown we created AN 18-PART VIDEO SERIES that offered encouragement three times a week, posted AN ONLINE FORUM for people to connect with each other on issues both local and global, and hosted a weekly phone-in worship experience on Sunday mornings. When the state of Illinois' battle with COVID-19 produced amended guidelines, recommendations, and requirements related to the pandemic, we decided to return to our building on Sunday mornings. Here's everything you need to know about the changes we made and the practices we employ to adapt to our COVID world:

  • During the winter, we hold worship in fellowship hall, on our building's lower level.
  • We clean/disinfect surfaces in the building all accessed surfaces every Sunday, immediately after worship. 
  • We offer a touchless hand sanitizing station on each level of our building, and automated hand soap and paper towels dispensers in all restrooms and two other locations.
  • In compliance with state of Illinois COVID protocols, we ask all eligible persons - age 3+ and those without medical reason not to do so - to wear a mask when in our building for worship or Bible study.
  • We practice social distancing as possible around the tables in fellowship hall, site of our in-person worship in the winter.
  • We currently do not include live singing in our worship, a choice we regularly review.
  • We use pre-packaged communion elements - each package containing, separately sealed, a wafer and some juice. Before you take your seat for worship, we invite you to take a communion package for your use from the tray located on the black table in fellowship hall. We welcome ALL persons, of ALL ages - whether first-time guest or long-time member - to take communion with us because the communion elements report God's love for ALL of us poured out in Jesus.
  • We currently do not permit access to our drinking fountains. We welcome people to bring bottled water, if they desire. 
  • At the moment, one of our two 9:00 a.m. Sunday groups - the one that explores the question, "Was Jesus God?" - meets every Sunday in fellowship hall, on our building's lower level. All participants are asked to wear a mask throughout the hour.
  • We provide a phone-in option for people who prefer to listen live to the worship worship by phone. Scroll down for more information.
  • We do not allow use of our facilities by outside groups, at least until further notice.

Can't make it to our in-person worship? call in to our conference call system!

Though we're excited to be able to hold an in-person worship experience every Sunday, we respect that some people are not yet ready to resume that form of interaction. SO, we offer the next best thing: Join us by phone! 


TO CONNECT TO OUR CONFERENCE CALL SERVICE, YOU NEED ONLY TAKE THREE SIMPLE STEPS:


STEP 1: Call (309) 306-0038 (which is NOT a local call in the Quad Cities, so use the area code; landline users will need to add a "1") 

STEP 2: During or after the recorded request for an access code, enter 964600

STEP 3: During or after the recorded greeting from FCCEM, press the * key on your phone.


That's it! Once you press the * key, you'll be on the call. Some notes about what happens then:

  • If you're the first person to call in, you'll hear background music until someone else calls in. Once a second person connects to the call, the music will end and you'll be free to speak with anyone else on the line. [On conference calls, it's really important that only one person speaks at a time; otherwise, people talk over each other, and no one is understood.]
  • We set aside the period of 10:15-10:30 a.m. for "lobby time," casual conversation among those who have called in. Then in the moments before worship begins, those who have called in share prayer requests with each other and with Bill Coley, who then shares them with the in-person worshipers. Finally, as worship begins we mute ALL callers' phones so that the only sound any caller hears comes from the worship service through Bill Coley's phone, The audio quality of the service is quite good.
  • Since we mute all phone lines other than the one that broadcasts the worship, no sound from your location will be heard by any other caller during worship. Hence, we welcome you to place the call on speakerphone if you find that a more convenient way to listen.
  • We record each week's worship service, but ONLY for the purpose of harvesting sermon audio that we post on our website. All other audio from each week's recording is deleted.
  • We'd love for you to take communion with us when you call in. If you'd like to do so, please have whatever you want to use as your "bread and cup" within your reach so you can take each when invited to do so during the worship. It doesn't matter what you use for each element, but it does matter that you have them within your reach.


Now that you know how to worship with us by phone, we hope you'll join us this coming Sunday! 

[And by the way, you'll use this very same process should you ever call in to participate by phone in a meeting or other FCCEM function.]