That’s the question on all our minds as we await the governor’s new pronouncement. Can you believe we’ve been locked down together for eleven weeks now? So with the rest of the nation slowly opening back up, when will Michigan be unlocked and we can go back to church?

That will be the question on the minds of your church leaders—the Pioneer board and the board of elders—this next Tuesday evening. When are we going to open? And how should we open? Shall we open all at once for Sabbath services? Or should we open gradually, a progressive opening from a single service to Sabbath Schools to a second service?

The good news is Andrews University has announced plans to reopen this campus to the students for face-to-face instruction beginning on Monday, August 24. And as the campus church, we have the privilege of crafting our Pioneer calendar so as to be ready for that highly anticipated new beginning.

Our leaders this Tuesday will consider not only a time table for Pioneer's reopening but will also put in motion very important safety protocols (as recommended by our Safety Committee) for social distancing, face masks, sanitizing, et al. Coming to our renovated sanctuary last August may have seemed a bit complicated—but given what needs to be in place coming back this time certainly takes complication to a new level!

And so we are asking our members and friends of our congregation to join us in earnestly seeking God’s wisdom and providential guidance regarding the decisions that must be made. He quickly and skillfully guided us out of our sanctuary and Sabbath School rooms for this emergency—and we can be confident He will safely and successfully guide us back into the sacred spaces so dear to our hearts. “Lo, I am with you always—even to the end of the world,” Jesus has promised us. With His presence, we will be walking into the best new year we have ever had. With Him, how could it be otherwise?