Dear Sunlight Family,

I do not think any of us anticipated how long this journey of quarantine would be. I have been praying for you that God would keep you safe and healthy. As far as I know, none of you have had COVID 19. I know some of you have had extended family that had it, and it is possible you endured it and I did not hear about it. Regardless, I am so thankful that our church family has been spared thus far. Because of your work, many of you are in contact with lots of people so I count it no small miracle that we have remained healthy while living and working in South Florida. I am also thankful that the virus continues to subside in our area and that we are finally able to enter Phase 2. 

With that in mind, I have two important pieces of information to share with you: 

• We are reopening SunKids!

Here are some of the steps you need to know. We have learned from SCA some of the best ways to protect your children:

• Touch free temperature checks for kids entering nursery and elementary rooms.
• Masks for teachers and disposable masks provided for kids over 4 years old (if they do not already have one).
• Sanitizing toys and surfaces prior to kids entering and after kids leave.
• Distancing as much as possible. This is challenging for small children, but we will do our best to seat them at an appropriate distance from each other.
• Hand sanitizer in each room for children to use.
• Abbreviated service. Currently our services are shorter so the kids' time in Sunkids will also be shorter.

If you want to keep your children with you in the service, you are welcome to do that too. If you have not been to church since quarantine you need to know that the adult service continues to take precautions as well. We are wearing our masks especially when we enter, exit and sing. We have the chairs spaced out to keep a safe distance. We also have the balcony available and, if necessary, we are prepared to use the Fellowship Hall for additional seating at a distance. There are also hand-sanitizing stations throughout the facility. We do not pass the offering plate or communion. We have offering plates stationed at the exits and you'll pick up the elements to celebrate the Lord's Supper from a table in the back. We are blessed to have a large facility that allows us plenty of room to spread out.

As you return to some of your favorite haunts (stores, theaters, restaurants) I hope your commitment to your spiritual growth will be at the top of your list!

• We are facing some significant financial challenges due to the virus.

The help we received from the stimulus for small businesses really aided us through the summer months. But, with the extended quarantine we have had additional shortfall. Add to that our additional expenses in the summer which include: Utilities (it has been very hot!) and Insurance (wind damage premiums come due during hurricane season). Without CROS summer camp we lost our usual summer rental income and Palabra de Vida has not been meeting since March so we have had no rental income from them since then. (We are in conversation with another Spanish ministry that will be using the sanctuary on Sunday nights. We are excited about this new partnership!)

I know for some of you the economic strain has affected you directly. Fortunately, through the Project 1200 program we have been able to help more families than ever before. We continue to pray for those of you affected financially by the virus. For others of you, if God puts it on your heart to give something extra it would be of great help to the ministry of Sunlight.

I hope to see you in church sometime soon! If you need to remain at home due to health concerns know that we will continue to offer online worship on our website, Facebook and YouTube. 

In Christ,

Pastor Kris and the Leadership Team.