Dear Friends,
On behalf of your church leadership, we are monitoring the coronavirus situation and are committed to keeping you informed with the latest guidance and expert resources. Our top priority at this time is the health and well-being of our staff and their families, our congregation, and all of those who use Palm Valley’s campus each week.
Effective at 11:59 pm on March 24, 2020, Williamson County Judge Bill Gravell issued a Stay Home Stay Safe Order for all individuals in Williamson County. See some of the details below:
"In a proactive effort to reduce the number of new COVID-19 cases in Williamson County and in Central Texas, County Judge Bill Gravell has issued a Stay Home Stay Safe Order for all individuals in Williamson County. This Order takes effect at 11:59 p.m. on March 24, 2020, and will continue through 11:59 p.m. on April 13, 2020, subject to the limited exceptions. The Stay Home Stay Safe directives are intended to help control the spread of the coronavirus by keeping people isolated at home.
'We know that a virus knows no boundaries, so our Williamson County cities have come together and are united in this fight. We are joining our neighboring counties to show that we stand together to provide safety in the region,' said Judge Bill Gravell.
Exceptions include performing essential activities, such as purchasing food, and going to and from essential businesses and essential government services or perform construction, including housing.
All non-essential businesses are ordered to close under these directives, leaving only hospitals, fire departments, law enforcement and limited essential businesses including grocery stores and pharmacies open.
Essential activities and essential businesses during this order include but are not limited to:
· Tasks that are essential to maintain health and safety, such as going to the hospital, obtaining medicine from pharmacies, clinics, veterinary offices, and other healthcare service facilities
· Getting necessary supplies for you, your family or household members, such as groceries, pet food, food bank, farmers’ markets, convenience stores, carry-out or delivery restaurants, and other essentials for staying at home
· Getting to work for essential businesses or services, including roles needed to maintain basic operations such as security, payroll, and similar activities
· Engaging in outdoor activities, such as walking, hiking or running—just as long as you maintain at least 6 feet of physical distancing
· Caring for a family member in another household, and caring for elderly people, minors, dependents, people with disabilities or other vulnerable persons
· Childcare facilities providing services that enable essential employees to continue functioning
· Gas stations and auto repair facilities
· Banks and financial institutions
· Critical infrastructure including energy, water, solid waste collection and other governmental services
· Hardware stores, plumbers, electricians, and other service providers necessary to maintain the safety, sanitation, and essential operation of residences and other essential businesses
· Educational institutions, for the purposes of facilitating distance learning
· Businesses that provide social services and necessities of life for economically disadvantaged individuals and shelter facilities
With this order in place, the goal is to prevent exceeding hospital capacity and to avoid overwhelming the health care system by flattening the curve and reducing the spread of the coronavirus."
CLICK HERE for a full list of essential activities and essential businesses, and to view the Stay Home Stay Safe Order.
HOW DOES THIS EFFECT WHAT’S HAPPENING AT PALM VALLEY?
To be proactive in doing our part to help protect you and the people in our community, we have temporarily suspended all worship, ministries, events and gatherings which normally take place at our Palm Valley campus through April 13. We will inform you immediately if these plans change.
In the meantime, we are providing ways for us to stay connected...
WORSHIP SERVICES ONLINE
We invite you to enjoy our worship services online.
WEDNESDAY EVENING LENTEN SERVICES
Join us online at 7:00 pm each Wednesday evening as we continue our Lenten Series, “The Voice of God.” We will send you a web link at 6:45 pm. This link will take you directly to our service.
April 1: The Thief on the Cross. We continue our drama series listening to the thief who hung on the cross next to Jesus. Listen in on the conversation he has with Jesus as his life comes to an end. “O God, I hurt...The pain is killing me... My hands... My legs... My feet ... O God, I want to die.”
We will end our drama series with the centurion on Maundy Thursday, April 9.
SUNDAY MORNING SERVICES
Join us online for worship at our regularly scheduled worship times at 8, 9 and 11:15 am on Sunday mornings. We will send you a web link 15 minutes prior to each worship time. This link will take you directly to our service. We will also include links to the following: Compete a Connection Card, Share your prayer needs and praises, download the Gospel Reading-Sermon Notes-Prayers of the People, and Give online.
HOLY WEEK SERVICES
We are in the process of recording our Holy Week Services and will make them available online. Watch for web links to join us.
GIVING
Even though we aren’t all able to join together, our church still has bills to pay and salaries to provide to our excellent, dedicated employees. Please continue to give weekly, either online CLICK HERE or by mail. Thank you.
CONTACTING THE CHURCH OFFICE
To follow the Order in place, our church office is closed for non-essential in-person business. If you need to reach the church office, you may call (512-255-3322) and leave a message. We will be retrieving messages periodically. If you have an emergency, call the church office and follow the prompts on our auto attendant recording.
SEPARATED BUT YET CONNECTED
We know that these are uncertain and stressful times, but we can rest assured that God will see us through it. We want you to know that you are not alone — we’re here for you, we’re here for each other. We remain connected spiritually through our heavenly Father, a connection that is grounded in love and compassion. We remain connected also through prayer for one another. If you are in need of prayer, you can submit prayer requests through your church app. or through our website.
CLICK HERE to download the Palm Valley app. This is the direct communication link from Palm Valley to members.
God bless you. Stay safe. We will be in touch again soon.
Pastor