Hello Discovery Family!

Well, it is September, believe it or not! Fall is nearly upon us, and my hope and prayer is that despite smoke and Covid-19 and everything else, you are able to sense the gift of a new season and the new rhythms that accompany it.

As you know we are anticipating our return to the Brunelle Theater in less than two weeks. This coming Sunday (September 5th) will be our final Park Worship Gathering (although, these days, I suppose nothing is final!). Join us at Community Park (10 am in our normal spot) as we wrap up this phase and get ready for the next one.

Saturday September 4th, we are having a work day at the Theater to unpack our stuff, and get ready for September 12th. Our hope is to work hard for a couple hours and then end our time in a little worship gathering so that the band and production team can practice, but also so that we can worship and commemorate this milestone. If you would like to sign up to help on the 4th click here!

Having said that, I want to be clear: getting back into the Theater is not the finish line. We still have a ways to go with this pandemic, and so we will continue to be vigilant about safety and awareness of Covid-19 protocols. 

When we reopen it will not be going back to “the way things were” in March 2020. We will be starting small and simple and building from there as we go (and as Covid-19 hopefully diminishes in its prevalence). 

I want to gently challenge you to keep expectations realistic as we move through this re-opening phase together. We will need to wear masks in the theater. If you are not feeling well, stay home. We will not have the kids rooms open for a while, so families will continue to sit together. Some of you may not be ready to join indoor worship yet, and that is fine: we will continue to offer Sunday content on our YouTube channel and are working towards a livestream of the theater gatherings later this fall.

Despite those realities: this is an exciting moment. It’s been 18 months, almost to the day, since we were in the Theater. We have the opportunity to reopen right at the moment we are adding new staff, new elders, and welcoming two new classes to UC Davis. Being back in the theater also means plenty of opportunities to serve so if you want to join, or learn more, about a Sunday team, click here!

Even with the challenges of this moment, we have a very exciting fall in Davis and at Discovery, and, as always, I am so grateful to be on this adventure together!

Grace and Peace,
Steve