Maybe a better question is, “SHOULD our Sunday school class or small Group Re-gather”? We should know this week (May 11-15) what guidelines the State of Louisiana will suggest in order to Re-gather. Regardless of how you feel about those suggestions, the main question is, can you Re-gather your Sunday school class or small group SAFELY?

If you are considering Re-gathering your class or group, I have one question to ask: Will you do whatever is necessary to make sure that your members have a clean and safe environment in which to interact? Here are four ideas of what your preparation should look like:

1. Clean obsessively – Clean like you always have. Then, clean some more. Then, clean it again.
2. Set up for social distancing – Make sure the chairs are 6 to 8 feet away from one another. The further apart, the safer it will be. Don’t expect your members to abide by social distancing if you do not prepare the environment for it.
3. Create a Non-Touch environment – A great way to communicate that, is, “if you didn’t bring it, don’t touch it.” I know that sounds extreme, but, better someone accidentally touch something than you spend all your time policing actions of people who are touching things they shouldn’t. No food. No coffee…unless they bring it for themselves, of course.
4. Put up a sign saying, “This is a clean and safe environment”. Put people’s fears to rest. Show them that you have done everything you can to make sure they don’t have to worry.

If you are not willing to commit to “at least” these four things, maybe it would be a good idea to wait a little longer before starting your Sunday school/small groups. Continue to meet digitally and connect weekly. Make sure that people are being cared for and prayed for, regularly. This has been a very difficult time. For some, it has been more difficult than others. Just because someone says we CAN do something, doesn’t mean we SHOULD do something. ²³ “Everything is permissible,” but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible,” but not everything builds up. 1 Corinthians 10:23 (CSBBible)

Just remember, when you do Re-gather, spend most of that time catching up with one another and praying for one another. Get ready for a new normal. Everything has changed. Embrace it. Do you really want everything to go back to the way it was before the pandemic? I don’t. I want to see revival in the church and in every Sunday school class and small group. I want to see a Spiritual Awakening in our State, our Country and our World. Don’t you?