Hey Revision Church!

Most of you are probably aware that there was a recent change made to the guidelines from the
Centers for Disease Control and the Iowa Department of Public Health relating to the wearing of
masks in public spaces. At the time, these changes did not have any effect on Revision because
the West Des Moines Community School District kept its mask mandate in place and continued
to require all occupants to wear masks while inside their buildings. However, as you may have
heard by now, Governor Reynolds signed a new law last night that removed all mask mandates
from public buildings, including schools. I know many of you may be wondering what this means
for us, specifically as it relates to our Sunday morning gatherings. So, I wanted to send this
update in order to answer your questions.

Fourteen months ago we made the decision that, in a world full of wildly conflicting information
and hundreds of different sources of both information and opinion, we would lean into the
public health guidance offered by the CDC and the IDPH in order to make the wisest decisions
possible in order to protect the health of the people in our church and our community and to
communicate love and care for the people of our city. This decision required us, at times, to
adapt very quickly to changing guidelines. But each time we received new information, we made
the recommended changes as rapidly as we could. This has been our consistent posture over
the course of the pandemic, and we will continue to maintain this same posture, even if changes
are, once again, coming quicker than some were imagining they might.

I know that some of you are feeling uncomfortable and uneasy with the changes to the
guidelines and the speed at which they were made. So, in light of that discomfort from some in
our church, and in order to continue to honor the wishes of the school district since we are
renting their space, we will still be requiring masks this Sunday, May 23rd. The following Sunday,
May 30th, is Reach Des Moines. Mask requirements differ based on the organizations we’re
partnering with, but we are asking everyone to honor the specific requirements of our partner
organizations – which will be emailed to you – as a way of blessing them and helping live out the
mission of Reach Des Moines to be a ministry that helps Des Moines flourish by helping great
organizations continue to do great things. Then, beginning on Sunday, June 6th, masks will be
optional on Sunday mornings at Revision. We will continue, per the current CDC and IDPH
guidelines, to keep our chairs distanced, but we will no longer be requiring masks.

Thank you all for the grace you’ve continued to extend to me and the love you’ve continued to
show one another and the people around you as we’ve navigated the choppy, unprecedented
waters we’ve found ourselves in over the last year. I love you guys! See you Sunday!

 

Mike