VBS Covid Outbreak

Dear Church Family,

After our recent Vacation Bible School (VBS) we received news that multiple volunteers and participants may have been exposed to Covid-19 (possibly BA.5/ Ninja variant). We have been informed of multiple people, as of Wednesday afternoon, have tested positive. This composes 25% of those in attendance which includes volunteers and participants.

VBS families are being notified and we are contacting people with whom those who are positive were in close contact. It could not be known exactly how many people were exposed before coming to church; therefore, we are asking the congregation to assume they are a close contact and test immediately.

Soma is consulting directly with a medical expert on COVID who is treating acute COVID patients and patients with COVID long-haul symptoms daily. We have learned that even the medical community has been surprised by how quickly this current surge has come upon us. Many organizations are experiencing breakthrough infections even in vaccinated people. Although rare, breakthrough infections can be severe. Thankfully, those who have tested positive in this church have communicated they are experiencing only mild symptoms and it looks like there will be no further positive cases.

The Elders have made the following adjustments through careful deliberation after listening to expert medical advice:

We are asking all persons who were at our Sunday Service (July 17^th) to test immediately and report any positive results to a healthcare provider and the church office (573-635-4832).
We are cancelling Gospel Community for Thursday night (July 21^st)
The church offices will be closed July 22^{nd –}24^th(Friday – Sunday) for disinfecting.
This week’s Sunday gathering is cancelled, and we will be hosting an online service both on Facebook (facebook.com/somajeffersoncity) and YouTube (youtube.com/somajcmo).
Sunday Gatherings that meet in person will be socially distanced where possible. If you are feeling sick, please where are mask or choose to join us online.
Positivity rates will be monitored continually and adjustments to these policies will be made as is appropriate.

We understand how fatigued we all are with Covid, this virus: however, knows no fatigue. Therefore, it is important that we stay prepared to make necessary adjustments to keep one another safe. The good news is situations that occur like this one no longer have to shut our church down indefinitely. The science is clear that when people gather masked, vaccinated and/or boosted it protects us and others, it makes the risk of transmission extremely low. Much more is known about this virus now; such measures ensure that we can continue to worship safely and in person.

We love you each more than you will ever know,

The Elders of Soma

“Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD! We bless you from the house of the LORD. The LORD is God, and He has made His light to shine upon us. Bind the festal sacrifice with cords, up to the horns of the altar! You are my God, and I will give thanks to you; you are my God; I will extol you.”

– Psalm 118:26–28 (ESV)

Statement by MBC officers regarding the vote of the SBCEC

Yesterday in a four plus hour Zoom call the Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee (SBCEC) approved – in a vote of 44-31-3 – the contract that allows a third-party investigator to access privileged materials for an inquiry into the Executive Committee’s (EC) handling of sexual abuse claims as voted on by messengers in the Nashville 2021 SBC Annual Meeting (SBCAM) (c.f. Guidepost Letter of Engagement (10/1/21)).

We believe that yesterday’s vote is not the end but the beginning of this process that will culminate in the report given at the 2022 SBCAM in Anaheim. We want to thank each of our four members of the EC who took time to participate in today’s meeting and the countless hours behind the scenes working to come to a resolution that will move this process forward.

Many pastors and laypeople have expressed disappointment and/or appreciation at the votes of our EC members. While you may not fully agree with the votes of each member, we want to express thanks and respect for the time and prayerfulness that they have taken towards this and many other votes. There are many mitigating factors that have led each of our members to vote the way they have chosen to – including, but not limited to, information that we are not privy to.

As officers we are choosing to take our EC Chairperson’s shepherding council to heart and we would ask you to do the same,

“It’s time to stop attacking the motives of one another and move forward on this path together.” – Pastor Rolland Slade

Whether you consider today’s actions from our EC a “victory” or “defeat”, please continue to stand with us as we now navigate uncharted and unprecedented waters that may prove to be incredibly difficult. We know that if we fail in this task the only one who wins is our enemy and his minions. May we pause to remember the words of Christ, “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Finally, we praise God that Christ honoring decisions have been made so that we can move forward as ONE for the Kingdom of God. Let’s continue to focus on our collective work through the Cooperative Program. Our prayer is that this refining moment finds each of us ministers and churches faithful and ignites a renewed passion for gospel unity within our family.

We are excited to celebrate what the Father has done in our state at our Annual meeting this Oct. 25-26 at the Branson Convention Center. Please mark your calendars and plan to join us in Branson at this important gathering of Missouri Baptists and if you have not registered please do so here (mobaptist.org/annual-meeting/). May God richly bless you!

Signed by,

The Officers of the Missouri Baptist Convention

Pastor Jon C. Nelson – President

Pastor Chris Williams – Lead Pastor of Fellowship Church – First Vice – President

Rev. Dr. Lane Harrison – Lead Pastor of LifePoint Church – Second Vice – President

Pastor Jason Marlin – Senior Pastor at First Baptist Kirksville – Secretary

Soma’s July Newsletter!

VBS Recap

This past weekend we were able to have VBS in person this year and we are so glad we did! This year we dug into the Bible and discovered truth with the theme Destination Dig. Kids were able to hear Bible stories, make crafts, dance and sing, and play fun games. We were able to have about 20 kids (most due to Covid concerns). We would like to thank all our volunteers that helped make VBS happen!

Volunteers

If you are twelve and older we need you to Volunteer to help on Sunday mornings and at special events! If there is a volunteer position you would like to try out please let us know! We will have training opportunities for every position and if you try it out 4 times and that position isn’t the one for you we can help you find a new one! Sign up at: https://somajc.churchcenter.com/people/forms/241926

We are in need of the following and below the list you can find the description for that area.

Current Volunteer Needs:

Coffee (arrive at 8:40)

Hospitality( greeting at the Door)(arrive at 9)

Set up (arrive @7)

Tear down (after service)

Worship team (singers and instrumentalists)

sound board (running sound during service

Media team

Sunday Gatherings

Connect Coffee – Our connect coffee station is a great space for our Connect team to meet with first-time guests and tell them more about what it is like to be a part of our family. If you are interested in serving by assisting with the set-up of the coffee station, replenishing supplies, or helping with tear down – we would love to have you.
Hospitality – Making sure first-time guests, friends and family alike are hospitably invited to each service. The Hospitality + Connect team seeks those who want to ensure that we make a great impression. We are looking for individuals who love to meet new people and follow-up with our first-time guests.
Media – Capturing and communicating the heart of Soma through visual art that moves people in compassion for others and devotion to God.
We are looking for artists of all kinds–writers, graphic designers, video editors, and Sunday gathering camera operators.
Vocals + Instruments – Excellently packaging biblical truths in music. We invite those who love to sing or play instruments to join our team.
Prayer Team – The purpose of the team is to uphold the congregation and its ministries and also the community in prayer and to educate, empower and inspire the congregation in their prayer lives.

Youth

SomaKids – Sharing Jesus Christ with our children is paramount at Soma. SomaKids desires to partner with parents to see the lives of our children transformed by God’s saving grace. We are seeking men and women who love children and are passionate about the gospel to partner with us in this amazing journey. We are small group leaders connect with families, provide safe spiritual leadership, and communicate the Gospel by preparing lessons ahead of time to maximize time on Sunday morning. Special Needs Buddies teach, build trust, and build bridges by helping children with special needs feel comfortable and safe while interacting in Soma Kids
Youth – Youth has the immense privilege of partnering with parents to invest in the next generation of leaders. We are looking for college students and adults who are willing to commit to spending time each week with our students. If you love Jesus, love having fun, and love being on a team – then we would love to have you join us!

Rooted (College)

Approximately 4,000 students live in the city of Jefferson. The college campuses fall directly inside the framework of our mission to unleash healthy disciples where life exists. We are currently in need of men and women who can disciple students who come into the doors of Soma seeking to be a part of our local church. We ask that those serving on the college team would display a healthy example of what it means to be a gospel-centered believer, responsible sibling, generous steward, and indigenous disciple-maker.

LU Move in Volunteers

Saturday August 7th the Incoming students will move into Lincoln and we need your help! We would like to be present on campus while students are moving in. If you are interested please fill out the form! More details will be coming! If you are not able to come help please be praying over these new students as they move in and start school. Sign up here to help!

https://people.planningcenteronline.com/forms/275936/fields

Youth!

If you have kids Grades 6th to 12th we want to invite them to our youth program! We are starting lessons on how to study your bible and how to prepare your heart and mind for School. We meet almost every Sunday night from 6 to 7:30.

Covid info

Please know that we are aware and concerned about the increase in COVID cases across the US and Cole County and we continue to monitor the situation. We highly encourage you to get vaccinated as soon as possible so we can continue to move forward in fully overcoming this pandemic, and we continue to ask those who are not vaccinated to wear a mask in order to limit the spread and protect the vulnerable, especially our children who are not yet eligible for vaccination. Our downstairs option also remains open for those who would like to social distance during our Sunday Gatherings. We will provide any future updates as necessary!

Our Church’s Response To Covid-19

Hello Soma Friends and Family,

Our leadership team has been working to stay informed about the impacts of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) over the last few weeks. Based on the current information and recommendations available to us, below are some of the steps that we have decided to take in order to address the challenges posed by COVID-19. [Read more…]

in the news

“In the News” brings together some of the most interesting content I’ve found online, as it pertains to the church and the people God has called us to reach. Keep in mind, I don’t endorse or agree with everything you’ll see included in the these articles but I find them interesting and worth the read or watch. Take some time to check out the articles and let me know what you think.

[Read more…]