GREEN PHASE in EFFECT at First West

Governor John Bel Edwards recently announced the state of Louisiana would move into Phase 3 in the state’s response to the coronavirus. With respect to churches, he has opened churches to expand to 75% occupancy. All three of our campuses are now operating with this new opportunity. LIFE Groups are meeting at 9:00 a.m. and worship services are meeting at 10:30 a.m.

Our worship centers in West Monroe, Fairbanks, and Calhoun have made accomodations to allow for no more than 75% of the worship centers to be filled. So while in previous phases there were seats removed or marked off with tape, now seats are more accessible, yet smaller groups of seats may be marked off. We are asking that families leave seats between them on rows, maintain social distancing measures (6 feet), and wear a mask in worship services and in LIFE Groups.

Age-based ministry areas are open. We’re conducting temperature checks for infants through high school students before entering their specific age-based areas. If adults are entering those areas, they are also temperature checked. If a child or student has a temperature of 100.4 degrees, we’re asking those children to leave church to get better and avoid the potential spread of any illnesses. This is to help keep children and all of our attendees safe.

 

In-Person Services begin June 7.

Governor John Bel Edwards announced this week that he would move to Phase 2. This decision will allow for churches to meet at 50% occupancy. With this announcement, we will move to the Yellow Phase on the Roadmap to Regather. This means that we will have one service at each of our campuses (West Monroe, Fairbanks, and Calhoun) at 10:30 a.m. this Sunday, June 7. We are so excited to welcome you back at First West this weekend.  

Worship Service Information 
Services at each campus will begin at 10:30 a.m. Doors will open at 10:00 a.m. At each of our campuses, the only doors that will be opened are those leading to the Worship Center. At our West Monroe Campus, Parking will be available in the Gold, Blue, and Green Lots for easy access. At our Fairbanks Campus, park in the parking lot behind the Worship Center.
There will be no Children’s or Nursery activities. Families are encouraged to worship together. Be sure to stop by one of the pods in the Worship Center Lobby to pick up resources for your children.
The Worship Center Lobby and Tennison Hall at the West Monroe Campus will be available as “overflow” areas for families or for others who need to step out of the Worship Center. Livestream of the worship service will be available in these areas.
LIFE Groups continue to meet online. There are no physical LIFE Group meetings during the Yellow Phase. 
Doors will be propped open to minimize physical contact with exterior or interior surfaces. 
A Mother’s Room is available in the second floor Ladies Room at our West Monroe Campus. 
Masks are not required, but we’ll provide a mask if you would like one. Our greeters and ushers will be wearing masks to protect our members and guests. 
We will not hand out any paper materials. You can follow along with the service in the First West App. 
Staff and volunteers will be screened for COVID-19 symptoms each week.  
What we ask of you 
If you and your family plan to attend, we encourage you to complete self-screens before coming to worship (see below for screening measures). If you answer “yes” to any of these questions, please stay home and watch the services online!
  • High temperature
  • Chills or repeated shaking with chills
  • Muscle pain
  • Headache
  • Sore throat
  • New loss of taste or smell
  • Cough
  • Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
  • Are you currently waiting for COVID-19 results?
  • Have you or has anyone close to you tested positive for COVID-19?
Please practice social distancing of six feet between families. Household groups may sit together. Please leave 2-3 seats between groups and respect “spacer” rows that have been taped off. Our Fairbanks and Calhoun campuses have spread sections of chairs apart from each other. Please do not pull chairs together to sit with others that are not in your family group.
Maintain good hygiene by washing your hands, using hand sanitizer, and using your elbow to cover your face when coughing. 
Vulnerable Persons Information
We know and understand that not everyone will come to our services this weekend and will choose to continue to watch online. We encourage those who fall into the category of vulnerable persons with a higher chance to be infected by COVID-19 to consider staying home during the Yellow Phase.  
The “vulnerable population” (as defined by the White House Coronovirus Task Force) includes the elderly as well as individuals with serious underlying health conditions, including high blood pressure, chronic lung disease, diabetes, obesity, asthma, and those whose immune system is compromised (e.g. by chemotherapy, cancer, or other conditions requiring such therapy).

Physical Services Moved to Online Services

With the announcement from Louisiana John Bel Edwards closing Louisiana’s public schools and banning gatherings of 250 or more, First West has determined that it is best to move from physical meetings to online meetings beginning Sunday, March 15 until further notice. Services for all three of our campuses will be led by a team from our West Monroe, Fairbanks, and Calhoun campuses at 9:30 a.m. on the First West Facebook page. The service will be able to be replayed all day on our Facebook page and will be live and on demand on firstwest.cc and the First West ROKU app.

Your safety is important to us. We want everyone to stay healthy. We are encouraging everyone to take appropriate measures to stay healthy, especially those who are senior adults and medically compromised to catch the virus. 

During this time, we also call the entirety of the church to responsibly serve, love, and care for those in need.

We encourage you to stay connected to our church. While we will be taking a new approach to meeting together, we encourage you to stay connected to First West.

 

Stay Connected

Here are five ways we invite you to stay connected:

  1. You can watch the livestream from our services on Facebook and Roku or by clicking Messages > Watch Live at firstwest.cc.
  2. Download the First West App for iOS and Android through the App Store and Google Play.
  3. Parents and grandparents can download the Parent Cue App that aligns with our First West Kids programming to access weekly content and useful resources. And be sure to follow each campus First West Kids Facebook Page for weekly updates.
  4. You can give by texting CALHOUNFW, FAIRBANKSFW OR WESTMONROEFW to 77977 or by going online to firstwest.cc.
  5. You can communicate with us at 318-322-5104 or e-mail us at info@firstwest.cc to get in touch with Pastoral Care or if you need help.

First West is also applying a new standard for any church-sponsored travel both inside and outside of the United States. We will not ask any employee or volunteer to endanger their health and welfare with travel to countries with government-issued travel restrictions or advisories.

Adults at the Calhoun Campus

At our Calhoun campus, we want to connect adults with opportunities to worship, build community, and serve. It’s our threads and it’s who we are. LIFE Groups are a great way to build community. These groups serve as the bridge to a deeper commitment to the life of the church. We have many groups for you to plug into. Groups meet at our campus location on Sunday and in homes during the week.

We also have ways you can serve. There’s a place for you! First West is here to help plug you in to helping us see to it that no one misses the grace of God.

MINISTRY CONTACT

Jason McGuffie
Campus Pastor

Email

MEETING TIMES

Sundays
Worship 10:30 a.m.

LIFE Groups
Sundays
9:00 a.m.

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