Dear FBA Family,
Despite the toll that COVID-19 has taken, I thank God that First Baptist Atlanta is standing strong in Christ. Though separated from each other, we have not been weakened. Jesus said in Matthew 16:18: “I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Our church is strong. Our faith is strong. And together we are trusting God to keep us strong.
With that said, we also know that God intended for His people to gather. So, maybe you’ve wondered when we will be able to do that. The short answer is, we just don’t know.
When I consider that more than 2,500 of our members are over 70, that heightens our need to exercise great wisdom and discretion in formulating a plan. It would be terribly irresponsible of us to rush reassembling for worship, exposing so many to unnecessary risk. And the idea that we would regather while asking a group as significant as this not to attend is simply unthinkable.
Additionally, on the other end of the spectrum, we have hundreds of preschoolers and children for whom the notion of maintaining separation from one another would be an impossibility. They, too, deserve to be protected from the risks that would come with reassembling.
I wish I felt comfortable publishing a timeline for reopening our doors. But until we have solid and reliable data on how infection rates have been affected by the recent easing of restrictions in our state, I feel it would be unwise to publish a plan. Yes, we want to reassemble for services. But our zeal to reassemble must yield to good judgment and to our stewardship of the precious lives of each and every member. I want to assure you that as soon as we develop a safe and responsible plan for reassembling, we will share that with you.
In the meantime, please continue to connect by worshiping online through the live stream. And please invite others to watch, too. If you miss a service, you can watch it from the archives on our website under “Previous Services.”
If you have some extra time on your hands and want to read about some exciting things God has been doing through FBA, click the following link:
On behalf of Dr. Stanley and our entire staff team, thank you for being so supportive in every way during this time. We are all indebted to you, our amazing FBA family.
In Christ,
Dr. Anthony George
Senior Associate Pastor