Weekend Snapshot - December 7

Well, the winter weather has definitely arrived! Two Thursdays in a row, we have had to close our facilities, so it seems like a good time to make sure everyone is on the same page about how and when we make the decision to close Northgate for winter weather.

There are really two different scenarios: the first is during the week, and the second is on the weekends.

During the week, if Batavia Schools close, we close as well. This was the case last Thursday and this Thursday. That is a quick and easy way for you to find out if the office is open for the day and if groups, meetings, or events are happening. If afternoon activities are canceled, the same applies to that evening’s activities. For example, if Batavia Schools canceled all afternoon activities on a Wednesday, there would be no Base that night.

As far as communication for those weekday cancellations, you can check if the Batavia Schools have closed through local news outlets, like The Batavian, or you can check the Northgate social media feeds on Facebook and Instagram.

For our weekend services, the Northgate staff will make the call. If there is a Travel Ban in Genesee County, we will cancel. We have too much respect for our emergency workers and the people working to get and keep the roads clear to do otherwise. It takes a lot of staff and volunteers to make services at Northgate happen. We also know that if we are open, some of you will come no matter how bad the weather looks.

Since we have a service on Saturday as well as our Sunday services, it may be that we only cancel one or the other. In the case of a cancellation, we will again publicize that on social media, update our website to reflect it, and report it to local news sources in Batavia, Buffalo, and Rochester.

We love being together, and we obviously value being able to worship together. Sunday is my favorite day of the week! But I also take seriously the responsibility that we have to keep our people safe. On most weekends, we have people here from seven different counties (the GLOW Region, Monroe, Erie, and Niagara Counties). So while it may be safe for us to have church, it might not be the best choice for you to drive to church that day. On the other hand, it might look fine where you are, but it is not at the church (which is the case as I write this from Churchville, while Genesee County is getting blasted again). Whatever the case, please know that while we believe in-person worship should be a priority for each of us every weekend, it is not a higher priority than your safety or the safety of the staff and volunteers who would have to drive in if we are open.

As always, I love to hear from you, and if you have thoughts on this, you are always welcome to email me at john@northgatefmc.com or talk to me in person.

Stay warm and stay safe, and see you this weekend!

Pastor John