Christ Church Oak Brook suspends all in-person services, asks congregants gather online

Christ Church Oak Brook leadership held an emergency meeting Friday morning and decided to suspend in-person worship services due to growing concerns over the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and out of an abundance of care and caution for its community.

Effective immediately, all Christ Church worship services will move to livestream only. In-person services for Saturday and Sunday have been cancelled. Attendees are asked to gather online at 9 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. Sunday, March 15 at ChristChurch.us.

All large-group gatherings at the church have been suspended. Small group meetings are being reevaluated and participants should look for communications from department heads or check with ministry leaders prior to traveling to the church location. For up-to-date information on church protocol and meeting status, please visit ChristChurch.us/coronavirus.

Christ Church is postponing its annual production of "The Passion," initially scheduled for Palm Sunday April 5 to May 3. The March 15 classical recital has been cancelled.

"Let me be very clear that as of this date, we have no reported cases of the coronavirus afflicting anyone who works at or attends Christ Church," said the Rev. Dr. Daniel Meyer, senior pastor. "We will immediately inform our community and the public if this changes. We are not cancelling church. We are simply altering the ways that we will be the Church in these unusual times."

In previous weeks, Christ Church had already begun communicating to its congregants to avoid shaking hands and embracing temporarily, providing additional daily disinfecting of common and office areas, and distributing hand sanitizers throughout its locations.

For more information about Christ Church, please visit ChristChurch.us.

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About Christ Church: Founded in 1965, Christ Church is a multisite, nondenominational church in the Chicago suburbs with more than 6,000 members. Christ Church features a variety of inspiring worship options including classic, classic communion and contemporary services. All people are offered the opportunity to build life-changing relationships with God and one another with a rich range of spiritual growth resources, and a selection of service ministries aimed at creating positive change in the world. Weekend services are held at the Oak Brook and Butterfield (formerly Downers Grove) locations, as well as via livestream at ChristChurch.us/online. For more information, visit ChristChurch.us.