Letter from the church council

ACC is opening its doors again for worship on October 4th.

There are guidelines for health protection to be followed. Please read the Letter from Council carefully, and support each other in following those guidelines.

God is spirit, and His worshipers must worship in spirit and truth. John 4: 24
ACC is opening its doors to gather again for worship on October 4th.

However, it will not be like it was before; our communal worship will be different. Being different means that we lose the comfort and reassurance of the familiar; but also gives us an opportunity to explore other ways of ‘worshiping in spirit and truth’; of seeing Christ in others, even if behind a mask; of having fellowship even if socially distanced; of finding the poetry and relevance of hymns, even when not singing them.

As an international and diverse faith community, we must be intentional and deliberate in how we gather again, following guidelines for protecting the health of all. The basic premise of all these guidelines is to limit the spread of any potential illness, which simply put, means wearing a mask, keeping social distance, washing hands and limiting the length of interaction.

Our ACC worship will be live-streamed on Zoom, whereby people can join in with the service from their homes. 

The Zoom on-line option is being done for a variety of reasons. With social distancing inside the church, space and chairs will be limited. Some may prefer to remain within their own limited family/friends groups. Elders and others who are highrisk for covid-19 or live with people at higher risk for this illness are encouraged and advised to use the Zoom option.

If you or a family member are unwell or have traveled within the past 2 weeks, please remain at home and join in by Zoom.

Social distancing

• The chairs will be spaced at 1.5 meters in the church. Family households (only) may move their chairs closer together, but please be considerate and ensure spacing is kept from others
• Once each chair is used, no more people will be allowed into the church. That does mean that some may have to be turned away, and we thank you for your understanding with this.
• The sanctuary and courtyard areas are all designated ‘social distance areas of 1.5 meters’. How far is that? Think of 2 people stretching out an arm towards each other – their fingers should not touch. If you feel comfortable getting closer to other people, and they feel the same, please do so outside of the ACC area.

Handwashing stations will be outside of the sanctuary, along with hand sanitizer. Please wash or sanitize your hands before entering and upon leaving.

Masks – everyone entering the church is required to wear a mask. Please bring your own.

Children – Sunday School or Crèche is not being offered at this time. Children will need to be accompanied by an adult, and will have to remain in church with a parent or guardian (no playing outside). Please carefully consider if your child/children can comfortably sit through a whole service.

The worship service

• Service length will be limited to one hour or less
• Please bring your own Bible if wish to read as well as listen to the word.
• There will not be Holy Communion
• There will be music, but limited and only the music leader can sing. Congregational members can hum along or speak the words.
• Offerings will be collected – but in a dropbox. Please consider alternate ways of giving, either through MPESA, direct bank deposit, or giving in lump sums rather than on a weekly basis.
• No tea or coffee will be served after worship and please bring your own drinking water

May we continue to love one another by doing all we can to protect the health of others. May we give thanks that new circumstances can bring us closer to God. May we pray for each other as a faith community. May we continue to worship God in spirit and truth, whether at home or in our building.
– Susan Simonson

ACC Prayer Chain

ACC PRAYER CHAIN
If you have a prayer request and would like members of our community to support you in prayer, contact the four key persons – if possible by SMS- and they will inform the  others from the prayer chain.
Erwin Kinsey 0754 480 184
Margaret Kenyi 0754 090 078
Susan Simonson 0754 266 559
Stella Karumuna 0754 281 337

News & Events

September 5 – Sound and tech training, 3 pm
September 12 – Usher training, sound and tech training, 3 pm
September 20 – Live Zoom worship, 10:30 am
September 27 – Live Zoom worship, 10:30 am
October 4 – Live In-person worship begins with Zoom option also

October 25 – Harvest Festival

*Anyone wishing to be baptized or having their child baptized needs to complete the application forms. Please see Vivi in the church office for an application form

Not sure of our programs and activities? Want to be involved in some way, but not sure how? Want to receive Glad Tidings by email? Have a general question about Arusha that an old-timer may have the answer to?
Please visit our ACC website www.acc.or.tz for more info of send an email to our administrator at arushacommunitychurch.office@gmail.com

Do you have a word of encouragement, favorite bible verse, inspiring or even funny story, song, poem or picture that you would like share with us ACC? If so, we would love to hear from you! Please send on to:
arushacommunitychurch.office@gmail.com