Greetings, one and all.

The journey down that long and winding road leading us back to public worship is almost over. I commend entirely the actions, attitude, and approach taken by our Board of Trustees, COVID Response Team, Staff, and Trained Volunteers toward regathering for large groups of people. God bless you!

In this communication, you will find valuable and instructional information in the COVID RESPONSE TEAM UPDATE as we prepare to regather for public worship. Please read it and prepare accordingly.

Right now, we need everyone’s prayers as we test our capabilities over the next two weeks. If you watch us online at 9:00 and 11:00 the next two Sunday mornings, we will be LIVE. The service will still post automatically afterward. Please give us feedback on issues with sound, lighting, and other things you see, hear, don’t see, and don’t hear so that we can tweak it next Sunday. As this is happening, our volunteers will be working in real-time to disinfect after the 9:00 service this week and tweaking our discoveries next week. If all goes well, then we hope to regather for public worship on October 4, 2020.  

Honestly, the most critical factors that could impact regathering are:  

1. Reconciling all health and safety issues, especially disinfecting.  

2. Cheerful conformity to the guidelines and new orders of worship we put forward, including masks, social distance, attendance registration, and sanitizing.  

3. No other spikes in the Pandemic OR in financial support matters that may make adjustments to the plan our best option.  

4. Our ability to live stream the service successfully to those who choose not to regather at this time.  

5. Management of post-worship exit strategy so that we have adequate time to prepare the sanctuary for the next service (s).  

If we can do all of these things and be ready for the next service in less than 20 minutes, we believe going back to our regular three service schedule is possible.  

Again, I want to commend everyone for your prayers, encouragement, and continued financial support of the General Fund.  

Your positive responses to our request for assistance through the survey, questionnaire, volunteering, training, and happy spirit of cooperation continues to lead us down the long and winding road, and it will lead us back to regathering for public worship very soon.

Click here for the CRT Update for Re-opening

We encourage you to listen and reflect on these thoughtful and encouraging words from Bishop Leeland of the Western North Carolina Conference before reading further.

Click here to view Bishop Leeland’s message.

A Message from Pastor Gene

September 9, 2020 

Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Thank you for your support of our efforts as we move toward the reopening of Seaside United Methodist Church for public worship.   My heart is humbled by the patience, wisdom, and promptings of the Holy Spirit at work among us during this time.

I would be remiss not to share my love and appreciation for all of you as we have struggled through this time with so many challenges, so many concerns, so many tests of our faith.

We asked you to respond to a survey.  As we release the survey results with reopening recommendations, we continue gathering the critical information we need through a follow-up questionnaire released on September 8 online.   Please complete the questionnaire online as soon as possible so we can make safe and healthy plans as we reopen.  

Your prompt response will help us move toward reopening as soon as possible.

The original plan for reopening included a slow start with a 9:00 and 11:00 Worship Service.  That plan allows us to have one cleaning a Sunday between services and meets CDC guidelines.  When we can do it in less than 20 minutes, we can begin moving back to our regular schedule of 8:00, 9:30, and 11:00 Services with two cleanings each day.  

We are providing the raw data from the survey, recommendations from the Clergy and COVID Response Team, and Trustees in digital form.  If you wish to receive a paper copy, please call Kathleen Thompson at 910-579-5753 and request it.  Be prepared to leave a message with your best contact information. 

All of this information is now available for those who utilize the internet in every way we know to make it public.  

Expect things to be different for a while.  Expect things to change over time.  Come with a happy heart.  Watch us on YouTube from your home with a happy heart.  Love God.  Love one another.

Grace and Peace,
Pastor Gene

Click here for the Survey Results
Click here for the Report

In June, Seaside’s Covid Response team made plans to re-open the church offices and re-gather for worship in the Sanctuary on August 2nd, based upon the estimated timeline for entering Phase 3 in NC in July. However, an announcement was made earlier this week stating that NC will remain in Phase 2 until at least mid-August. Therefore, the plan for Re-Gathering & Re-Opening is also being postponed and Seaside will not gather for Sanctuary worship on August 2nd as we had hoped. When NC moves into Phase 3, the Covid Response Team will begin making plans for how to re-open and re-gather. Please continue to pay attention to the emails you receive from Seaside as all plans and dates will be communicated through them. In the meantime, please continue to connect with us on Sundays through digital worship on the Seaside YouTube channel.

March 15, 2020

Click here to download the latest information from your church staff

March 12, 2020

Dear Seaside Family,
Because of the concern over the COVID19 pandemic, Bishop Hope Morgan Ward, the episcopal leader of the North Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church has asked the churches in our Annual Conference to “Cease Public Worship for the next two weeks.” This means that all services for March 15 & 22 will be cancelled as well as any other activities that are planned at the church over the next two weeks. As a caring Christian Community, we share concern for both the spiritual and the physical well-being of our congregation. Please be in prayer for those who are already affected by this virus and for the way in which we as God’s people may respond to human suffering.
There are certain things that I want to ask you to do during this unique time.

1. Even though we cannot worship together, we are able to commune together through the Bible readings from the Gospel of Mark. Continue to faithfully observe your readings as well as your devotional and prayer disciplines.
2. As soon as it is possible, we will post a video on-line for each of the services that we miss. We will notify you of the link for this video so that you and your family may be able to continue the discipline of worship. This may even be a good time to invite a friend who is currently not churched to tune in as well.
3. As we adjust to this time in our community, we will no longer be making personal visits to the hospital or nursing homes in the unlikely event that we may bring germs in with us. However, this does not apply to “life and death” situations. If you need us, you may call the emergency number (910-269-1923) at the church and we will respond. Our visits will be by phone or email, depending on the situation.
4. Please remember that even though we are not worshiping for two Sundays, we still have obligations that the church must meet. Therefore, we are asking you to continue supporting the church financially by either on-line giving or mailing your gift to the church.
5. During this time the church offices will remain closed, but the staff will still be on the job. We will be focusing on keeping our facilities clean and having them ready when we all return.
   Thank you for understanding in this Season of Germs. We all look forward to the day in which life returns to normal and we feast at the banquet table of God very well.
   Blessings,
   Francis