People are ready to get out, start socializing, and get back to work!   Me too! I can hardly wait to stand at the backdoor of Bealeton Baptist Church, shaking hands and hugging necks.

Yet I am going to restrain that desire in a reasonable way, at least for now.  It is not to protect myself, but to show consideration for others. Here are four quick reasons why I am going to continue to maintain physical distance and wear a mask out in public for the time being:

I do it because of our senior citizens. All the statistics indicate that our senior citizens are the most vulnerable of the population. As a pro-life pastor, I believe ALL life is special and sacred. I will speak out against abortion. But I will also speak out against activities that endanger our seniors as well. I love visiting with them, and I miss them, but I also know that being in public makes me a potential carrier of something that can devastate them and their families. While scripture is clear that we all have a place and a time, I don’t want to be in a situation where I expedite this because of my selfishness.

I do it because I want our small business leaders to succeed. I want our small businesses to re-open! I care about our local manufacturers.   I want our hair salons and barbershops to re-open. I look forward to dining in our local restaurants. I want our service industries to get back to OPS NORMAL (at least to the new normal.) But I know that small businesses are the most vulnerable right now. While the loss of 2 or 3 workers from the workforce of a national chain will not cripple operations, the loss of 2 or 3 workers to quarantine out of a workforce of 5 or 6 can be devastating. And all it will take is me being irresponsible by going out and not doing reasonable stuff, like wearing a mask and maintaining a safe distance.

I do it because I want our families to shake hands, hug, and kiss when it counts. In times of joy and despair, we need the people closest to us. While our church family is very tight, nothing can take the place of a mother, daughter, father, and son when we need someone. If wearing a mask in public allows a mom to hug the neck of a recent graduate or a son to console a dying mother sooner, hey I am all in.

I do it because I don’t want to be taken out of the fight. Bealeton Baptist Church is committed to meeting the needs of our community. As we work with community groups and other Christian organizations, we are sensitive to the impact of one positive test on our community. A positive test in our feeding ministry would cause us to shutdown support to over 80 families weekly.   A positive test in our worship ministry would require us to quarantine our worship team and staff that has been so active in meeting the spiritual needs of our families through broadcasts, bible studies, and teaching episodes.

I do it out of love, not fear. As I visit big box and grocery stores, I cannot help but wonder why more people are not wearing a mask when they are out in public. The only thing I can figure is that they see it as a personal choice for their safety. But it is not. It is a personal choice for OTHER’S safety and livelihood. I don’t wear a mask and physically distance out of fear or a desire to protect my rights. I do these things out of love for my community and the desire to preserve their health.

I encourage you to do the same.

As we re-open the Bealeton Baptist facility, we will do it based on this love, not on hysteria or ego. In the next few days, we will be finalizing a strategy to re-open that will embody Jesus’ call to “love God and love your neighbor.”   The re-opening won’t happen this weekend but it will happen soon, likely in stages.  And what a day that will be!  Stay tuned!