Hamilton Mill Christian Church

BELOW IS THE Latest News Regarding HMCC and the COVID-19 Crisis (newest info at the top)

During this season of crisis, we want you know that we are practicing social distancing as prescribed by the CDC and we are operating in compliance with the various local, state, and federal guidelines/orders. If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to our church offices.

CURRENT OPERATING CONDITIONS

Our offices are on a limited schedule and restricting access to non-essential visitors
Starting July 5th we will be offering:
Socially Distanced Campus - Live in the HMCC Auditorium
Live-Stream Campus at www.HMCCFamily.com AND on Facebook Live
Children/Family Programing at each of the services
Students - See the website and social media for plans

Fri, August 7th 2:30 PM

*|MC:SUBJECT|*

Hey Church Fam,

I wanted to reach out to you today to offer a little encouragement as well as a reminder.

I am excited, and a little hopeful, to let ya know that we have completed a week of a generally downward trending COVID data for our area. While this is a good thing for our community and our state, it can also lead to good things for our church family. Please keep praying for this trend to continue. I, like most of you, am so anxious to get back to a sense of normalcy that more resembles what we've come to know and love about our church and our gatherings.

I also want to take a moment to remind you to stay diligent while at church to follow along with the guidelines that we have in place. There's a term that's developed over the past few months: COVID Fatigue!

I get it, we are all so ready for this to be over. But don't let that feeling cause you to usurp the known things that we all need to be doing to help get this season done and over with.

Here are a few areas the staff and leadership have seen that needs improvement:

Keeping our distance: please try to practice social distancing while at church
Designated seating: please do not sit in an area that has been taped off. Great work was put in to to return our seating areas to "normal" (not little pockets of seating) but we must only sit in the designated ares...yes, even if it means you have to find a new area that accommodates your group
Masks: while we have not required masks at this time, we DO urge their use while entering and exiting.

MOST IMPORTANTLY: why are we doing this? It is not an abundance of caution, political narrative or media bias that we practice these things.....it is an ABUNDANCE OF LOVE FOR OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN CHRIST AND OUR COMMUNITY AT LARGE THAT WE NEED TO MAINTAIN THESE PRACTICES.

With regards to our Sunday mornings, our biggest desire is to continue to allow everyone the freedom to choose to attend. If an "outbreak" occurred as a result of our Sunday morning and a lack of practicing the guidelines, then the church would be forced to return to services only online......ain't nobody want none of that!

As a reminder, here are the original guidelines that we are asking all those who attend in person:

Please refrain from in person attendance:
- If you are unwilling to use the provided hand sanitizer upon entering the facilities,
- If you are unwilling to refrain from using gloves, or
- If you are unwilling to practice social distancing protocol according to CDC guidelines.
Please refrain from joining us in person if you, or anyone in your family has any of the following symptoms:
- Fever
- Cough
- Shortness of breath
- Other symptoms may include chills, headache, muscle pain, sore throat, new loss of smell or taste
If you or anyone in your family has had immediate contact with a person with a confirmed positive test for COVID-19 within the past 14 days, please refrain from joining us in person.

Brothers and sisters, I love you all dearly, and I deeply want to see a day that our ENTIRE church family worships under ONE roof. I believe all these items above are really easy things to observe in order to show Christ's love and get us all back to what we want to see in our Sunday mornings again.

In H^m,

Nathan Holmes

Sr. Minister
Hamilton Mill Christian Church
Office: 678-714-7200
Cell: 770-500-4337
HMCCFamily.com

Fri, July 17th 2:21 PM

*|MC:SUBJECT|*

Hey Church Family

I hope you all have had an incredible week and are looking forward to a great weekend ahead. In every decision that we have as the church has returned to in-person gatherings, we have prioritized an approach that truly embodies the golden rule as our guide. With all those decisions, love for our brothers and sisters in Christ was of the highest priority. Right now, in the country and even in some churches, we are seeing a great divide over the response to this virus. I just want to urge all of you to remain resistant to the patterns of the world, especially now. We must love each other. We must stay united. We must remain the Bride of Christ.

You may have seen our plans to bring back our 9:30 Bible study hour this Sunday morning. It is our desire to get our church “back to normal” as soon as possible, but in the safest manner possible. After looking at our community and evaluating the various sources of data, we simply believe that it’s no longer the wisest decision to start back the 9:30 Bible study hour. In all things moving forward (and in the decisions we have already made) we desire to look more seriously at data than we do dates; this means dates will change as the data reflects the need.

Now, we also understand there are so many that either 1) want to attend a Bible study; or 2) want to attend but can’t; and so, to honor both, we are currently looking at other options utilizing the various technologies that we have available to us. We know that in-person is the preferred method, but if we can’t accommodate this safely, let’s all embrace a way to gather and still study God’s Word.

There will be more information coming soon regarding the plans to host a Bible Study. Until they are, please reserve 4 o-clock on Sundays as a possible time slot to gather.

Church family, most of all, let’s not give up the habit of gathering together each and every week. I know you have the option to watch our services “after-the-fact”, but I would just like to encourage you to make it a priority to gather together WITH us all over the two environments (online & in person).

I love you all dearly.

See you all Sunday.

In H^m,

Nathan Holmes

Sr. Minister
Hamilton Mill Christian Church
Office: 678-714-7200
Cell: 770-500-4337
HMCCFamily.com

Tue, July 14th 2:05 PM

*|MC:SUBJECT|*

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Hey HMCC Family, as we look ahead to our original plan to bring back our 9:30 Bible Study hour this Sunday in the auditorium, we wanted to reach out to see who would be interested in attending this if it were offered. Please understand that you will be asked to support our efforts to keep everyone safe with protections like, hand sanitizer, sitting in the same seat that you would for the 10:30 service, limiting class size (especially the lady’s class) and/or wearing a mask.

Please note that we will not be offering any Kids Ministry during this hour at first.

Based on all the above, would take a moment to RSVP for the 9:30 Bible Study hour by clicking the button below.

"RSVP" HERE

Wed, July 8th 8:00 AM

*|MC:SUBJECT|*

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Hey Friend,
In light of the on-going COVID-19 concerns and numbers, we have to make some VERY difficult decisions regarding some planned events for July.

Our incredible outreach team, headed up by Don & Lynda Owen have been so excited to get some events planned. But this pandemic has put a huge kink in their plans. This month is no different, the Movie Night planned for the 10th has been canceled.

You may have heard that we were wanting to bring back our 9:30 am Sunday Bible Study Groups. I hope that you also have heard us say that all our decisions associated with reopening HMCC will be data driven and not date driven. In keeping with this line of thinking, we have decided to delay the start of the 9:30 hour till July 19th.

Lastly, and the hardest news to relay, we have made the difficult decision of postponing this year’s VBS program until next year. This decision was not made lightly and was made as a precaution due to concerns about the safety and health of our kids, the volunteers and our reputation within the community. Even with the news to cancel, we are already looking forward to next year’s VBS program. Mark your calendars for July 11-15, 2021!

We still want to engage with you and your family. In light of that fact, we are planning on having a fun-filled night one night next week. We are planning on having this event outdoors next Wednesday, July 15, from 6:00pm-8:00pm. More details will be sent your way by the end of this week.

Please know that in each of these cases, we have made these decisions not just with an abundance of caution, but also with an abundance of love for all our church family and for our community.

If you have any questions, please reach out to the shepherd/elders, Jonathan or myself.

In H^m,

Nathan Holmes

Sr. Minister
Hamilton Mill Christian Church
Office: 678-714-7200
Cell: 770-500-4337
HMCCFamily.com

Fri, May 29th 4:27 PM

*|MC:SUBJECT|*

Hey Church Family.

Just a friendly reminder that this Sunday HMCC returns to in-person ministry in four separate environments. We will have drive-in campus, a lawn chair campus, a socially distanced campus, and our online campus. All four campuses will gather together at 10:30 this Sunday.

We are encouraging everyone to gather earlier than 10:30 since there will be a lot of “new” methods and ways of entering that we want you to not feel rushed. For this reason, we will be opening the doors at 10:10 for those entering the facility for our socially distanced campus.

As you prepare to attend with us this Sunday, please be aware that for those wishing to attend our lawn chair and socially distanced campus, you will need to acknowledge a few conditions. These are not to restrict attendance, but rather to better love our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. THAT is the why behind all we are doing as we return to church. Here is what we are asking you to acknowledge:

Please refrain from in person attendance:
- If you are unwilling to use the provided hand sanitizer upon entering the facilities,
- If you are unwilling to refrain from using gloves, or
- If you are unwilling to practice social distancing protocol according to CDC guidelines.
Please refrain from joining us in person if you, or anyone in your family has any of the following symptoms:
- Fever
- Cough
- Shortness of breath
- Other symptoms may include chills, headache, muscle pain, sore throat, new loss of smell or taste
If you or anyone in your family has had immediate contact with a person with a confirmed positive test for COVID-19 within the past 14 days, please refrain from joining us in person.

If you cannot observe these statements, you are welcome to join the drive-in campus or our online campus. Again, the reason for these guidelines is to show ultimate love for our brothers and sisters in Christ.

If you are attending the drive-in campus or the lawn chair campus, please pull into our main drive and stay to the left at the cones. You will be given further instructions and your communion under your windshield wiper. After receiving these, lawn chair campus can pull straight ahead to park, while the drive-in campus can signal and turn left. You will be directed where to park. For safety, wheel chalks will be used to chalk your tires.

If you are attending at our online campus and you need more communion supplies, please use the button below to request a delivery of a 3 weeks supply of communion for use at home.

If you are coming with kids that will be in the kids’ ministry, please park at the Kids Lobby and enter the facility to be checked in before heading to the service. Please note that all our kids will have their temperatures checked as an extra precaution. The kids will then join the parents in the worship service (with activities as needed) and then be dismissed before the message.

Our students will be in with the rest of the church at 10:30, but Sunday nights will have a socially distanced campfire ministry time with s’mores, worship and a message. This will be from 8-9pm at HMCC’s fire-side area (if weather becomes an issue, there will be a back-up plan). If you have any questions, please reach out to Tyler Tinsley at Tyler@HMCCFamily.com.

HMCC Family, on behalf of the elders, staff and ministry team leaders, we can’t wait to worship together again with you.

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out.

“See” ya Sunday.

In H^m,

Nathan Holmes

Sr. Minister
Hamilton Mill Christian Church
Office: 678-714-7200
Cell: 770-500-4337
HMCCFamily.com

Request Communion Supplies Here

Fri, May 22nd 6:30 PM

*|MC:SUBJECT|*

Hey

I am so excited that I get to update you on the plans regarding a phased return to in-person ministry here at HMCC. We’ve said from day one that real life change happens in person and we cannot wait to see you again.

Before I get to the “plan,” I want to first remind you of a few things that have been the main consideration since the beginning of the crisis.

First, we are not looking at dates as our driving factor…..we are looking for data points. The data suggests that a safe, well-planned, and thought-out phased return is ok and can bring people back together safely.

Second, our desire is to see all our people participate with a one-church mentality therefore we will avoid the multi-service idea. The staff, elders, and ministry team leaders have worked so incredibly hard to craft a plan that will speak directly to this.

Lastly, there are no easy decisions, no one-size-fits-all options, and certainly no one decision will be pleasing to all. It’s with this in mind that I personally ask for your patience, understanding and grace as we seek to do our best and implement a plan as wise as possible. Our deepest desire with these plans is to accommodate all those who call HMCC home…. no matter what level of sensitivity they may have to the COVID-19 crisis.

So, the plan:

Starting May 31^stat 10:30am, we will be hosting FOUR simultaneous ministry environments to accommodate everyone’s level of comfort while gathering together.

The first environment will be for those who have compromised immune systems or underlying health conditions that require extreme caution. There will be a section of the parking lot that you can attend church from your car. You will be able to tune your FM radio to our station so you can hear the service live (with ZERO lag or delay). There will also be a massive screen outside for you to view all that is happening inside. There will be contact-less bathroom facilities available to only your group. You will have communion provided to you upon arrival as well as worship lyrics in case you have difficulty reading them off the screen.

Our second environment will be for those that need to practice more severe social distancing but are ok with the in-person gathering. For you, you are encouraged to park in the general parking area and bring a lawn chair or blanket to watch the service just in front of those parked in their cars. Out of respect for those gathering in this space, you will be asked to keep social distancing protocols to the extreme. You will be able to hear the service without the need for the FM radio from your car. Please note, we ask that you refrain from bringing large umbrellas and shade tents as these would obstruct the view of those behind you. There will be contact-less bathroom facilities available to only your group. You will have communion provided to you upon arrival as well as worship lyrics in case you have difficulty reading them off the screen.

The third environment will be held within the auditorium but with several changes to the way you will enter & exit, the way you will be seated, elements of the service, and the process for kids' ministry. This indoor service will be a phased re-opening with benchmarked transitions to the next phase. Families will be asked to sit as a family and to keep a close watch on their children so as not to cause an issue with another attender. Please note, if you are attending with us in the third environment, you will be asked to acknowledge several questions pertaining to your health, contact with others, and our safety protocols. These protocols include: the use of hand sanitizer, following social distancing and the prohibited use of gloves. We ask that at this environment (all of them really) you refrain from handshakes, hugs, and fist-bumps while opting for friendly waves and air-hugs. You are also encouraged to wear a face mask if you are willing and able.

The fourth environment is our online platform. The attention to detail, connection and quality that we have striven for over the past 10 weeks will not change as we move forward. You can rest assured that we will keep the same emphasis, on this environment, as we tend to all the others.

So, I hope that you can see that we are trying our hardest to provide each and every person in the HMCC family a way to worship together.

Would you do me a favor though? Please click the button below to “RSVP” for one of the environments listed above. By doing so it allows us to be the most prepared for YOU and your family.

RSVP HERE

So, the purpose of this email is to convey the return date and to advise that a well-thought-out plan is in place to return to church. The purpose is not to get into the nitty-gritty details of the plan simply for time’s sake. Rest assured we have tried to think through every detail; from bathroom usage, entry and exit process, separated seating, sanitizing between services, dismissal to water fountain usage. However, we know that with so much to consider you may have questions…questions that deserve a full answer…so to accommodate this need, I will be hosting a zoom call on Tuesday @ 3:30. I would encourage you to jump on the call to hear others’ questions and to ask any of your own. Here are the details of the zoom Q&A:

Topic: Re-Opening HMCC Q&A
Time: May 26, 2020 03:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/96615662065

Meeting ID: 966 1566 2065
One tap mobile
+19292056099,,96615662065# US (New York)

Meeting ID: 966 1566 2065

Children’s ministry will be available starting May 31^st, but in an augmented format to start. Families will need to park by our kids’ lobby and check their kids into the kids’ ministry prior to the start of the 10:30 service. All kids will sit with their families during our worship time and will be dismissed to kids’ ministry after the worship time. Every effort will be made to help our kids ministry stay social distanced…. but please keep in mind that kids aren’t very good at social distancing (laughing emoji). If this is an issue for you and your family, you are more than welcome to keep them with you throughout the entire service. There are more details to the kids’ ministry phased re-opening that you will receive when you drop off your child.

As for our students, I am working with our student ministry intern and our prospective student minister to draft a plan. Lauren, Tyler, and myself have the preliminary steps in place for a great plan so our students can return to in-person ministry. There will be a separate email next week to address that with the parents.

I want you to be aware, small groups, 9:30 Sunday Bible Study groups, and Wednesday nights are included in the phased re-opening, but none of those are included in phase 1. We will be sure to communicate with you and keep you posted as to when these things will resume. Again, none are date driven, but data driven.

HMCC Family, we are so excited to see you in person which-ever environment you choose to join. I know that there are so many different stances on this return and I hope that we have been able to accommodate as many stances as possible. Please pray for us as we transition back to in-person ministry, pray for unity of the Body, pray for all those working so hard to put all these pieces together and pray that God be glorified as the church gathers together again.

I love each and every one of you dearly. Can’t wait to “see” you on the 31^st.

In H^m,

Nathan Holmes

Sr. Minister
Hamilton Mill Christian Church
Office: 678-714-7200
Cell: 770-500-4337
HMCCFamily.com

Thu, May 7th 2:57 PM

*|MC:SUBJECT|*

Hey,

Can I just say how much I have missed seeing you!

Many of you have been asking about the plans and details for the return to in person ministry here at HMCC.

Reopening the doors of the facilities here has been an ongoing conversation since the day they closed. The staff and leadership have been working together to create fluid plans that will allow us to safely return when the time comes.

We CAN NOT wait to see you again!

I want you to know that the return to in person ministry will be done in phases that are data driven....not necessarily date driven. We feel it is better to be safe rather than rushed or first. This will allow us to process the various information from the CDC, White House & Governor's office to make a well-informed decision.

Prior to our return you will receive full details about what that will look like, but please know we are looking at every aspect of ministry here at HMCC to get ready now. This includes:

Revised service elements and methods of worship
Entry and exit plans
Separated seating options
Door attendants
Augmented cleaning regiments
Changes to age specific ministry environments
And much more

We DO have a target date in mind but need to hear from you on your level of comfort when returning to in person ministry.

Would you take a minute to click one option below and complete the information? This will grant HMCC leadership access to as much information as possible and to gauge the level of comfort our families have with the options ahead.

I am comfortable with:

An EXPEDITED Return to Church (within 2 weeks)

A MODERATE Return to Church (from 2-4 weeks)

A CAUTIOUS Return to Church (more than 4 weeks)

While we are not yet establishing a firm date to return, we soon will be. It is imperative that you continue to stay connected with various communications from HMCC so you are aware of those changes. Until we do return, and continuing after as well, we will maintain the excellence of our online presence that so many have come to appreciate in this season. So no matter your comfort-level, the ministry that HMCC provides to you and your family WILL be there, because each and every family is so critical to mission and vision of this local church here in Buford.

Please remember that God has invited us to participate in His work and we are dependent upon you to insure HMCC's influence continues and our church remains healthy and forward-focused. If you are able to give, I invite you to do so via: text to give, the HMCC app, online, your bank, and through the postal service.

Lastly, and most importantly, please pray for your church leaders: your elders, your ministry team leaders, and your staff all need your prayers in this season. So many decisions are flying at us, and from all sorts of directions....and now the murder hornet (lol, just messin'). Seriously, we need all the prayers we can get.

I love and miss you all very much. "See" ya Sunday.

In H^m,

Nathan Holmes

Senior Minister
Hamilton Mill Christian Church
Office: 678-714-7200
Cell: 770-500-4337
HMCCFamily.com

Tue, April 21st 11:45 AM

*|MC:SUBJECT|*

Hey ,

As many of you may have heard, our Governor has released a plan to "re-open" Georgia and get aspects of the economy going again. Part of that plan DOES include houses of worship and in some ways we have been given a "green light" to proceed with in person services again. In light of all that is going and in light of the immense weight and responsibility our actions hold on the health and wellness of all those within our church, the leadership is looking closely at all aspects and plans as move forward.

While I cannot give you a definitive date (yet) we will again hold in person services, here are a few things I can tell you:

We are planning a celebration, a home-coming if you would, for when we DO gather together again in the same room. We want this to be a great day for all of our church family, young and old. That is our desire.
Every aspect of our services will look different as we begin to gather again. For example, we will not have our three section approach of seating, but rather groupings by family so that you are sitting as a family while adhering to the various prescriptions of social distancing that the President and the Governor have called for. Communion will be individually served. Offering will be different. The way we enter and exit will look different to. For a time being we will have a "new normal" of Sunday morning church.
All programs will be evaluated on an individual basis with a priority given to our in-person Sunday morning experience.
Our kids ministry is already looking at new wellness policies to protect our littlest HMCC Family members. These include (but are not limited to) contact-less check-in procedures, monitoring the temperatures of children before entrance into the kids-min area via contact-less thermometers, regular hand sanitizer breaks and a modified schedule and layout as to reduced close contact (and how you do this when our kids-min looks like someone just kicked an ant hill... :) ). As a heads up, the format of kids-min will look different in the first stages of the return to gathering in person.

So many things have to be weighed and considered but please know: while we all deeply desire to gather together again in one room, we must prioritize the health and safety of all our members.

With all of this, two things to take away: change is necessary to protect all, and communication is key. Please stay tuned to your emails so you are familiar with all that is taking place.

On a side note: our offices will remain in a hybrid format and we are asking that you call before you plan a visit to the church offices. Additionally, our facility access codes have been augmented in accordance with the mandates from various government entities....so you may not be able to access the facility after hours....if you need access, please arrange that ahead of time.

If you need communion supplies, please click here and we can get that arranged for you.

Love and miss you all,

Nathan Holmes

Sr. Minister
Hamilton Mill Christian Church
Office: 678-714-7200
Cell: 770-500-4337
HMCCFamily.com

Wed, April 8th 4:23 PM

*|MC:SUBJECT|*

Hey,

I am so excited for this coming week and all the opportunities our church will have to "gather together, although not together." Here is a run down of all the details you need to know:

Tonight is the usual Wednesday Night Bible Study With Bob at 7 om on:

(Click the image to go to our Facebook page)

Thursday Night is a Communion Service via Zoom at 8:03 pm. This will be a time of worship, and communion with your church family. Before the service, you need to be able to view these worship lyrics and congregational reading, and you need to have communion ready for you and your family. If you need the portable communion cups, you can request those here.

You can EASILY participate in the service via Zoom on your cell phones (ios and android) tablets, laptops, and P.C.'s (with mic and web-camera). Your Laptop is the preferred method to maximize engagement and community.

You will need the following link to access this Zoom meeting:

Join Zoom Meeting (clicking the following link will take you to the meeting and prompt you to download and install the Zoom app.
https://zoom.us/j/136303824?pwd=bGNCa24zL2ZCODZKbng1ZysvME4wQT09

Meeting ID: 136 303 824
Password: 095291

The zoom meeting will up and ready for you to test your connections starting at 7:30, but will not be "hosted" till closer to our start time.

If you need a primer on how to use Zoom, check out this video

As we get ready for Resurrection Sunday (Easter) will you help us by liking and sharing our promotional content on Facebook and Instagram? This is such an easily way to practice some "push-button evangelism" and make this Easter the BEST one yet.

Here are all the plans:

HMCC will be Live at HMCCFamily.com at 10:30. Here are a couple tips:

You can view this on any device but it's BEST on your laptop (connected to your tv even).
If you are watching on your portable device, turn your device to a horizontal/landscape position so you can see all the chats and sermon note features.
When you first land on the page, please type in your name (nickname) so others can see you and interact with you.
If you did not add this when you arrived, you can do so after by clicking the "join Chat' button at the bottom.
If you have an older computer or less flexible browser, you can watch the stream directly from the platform here.

HMCC will be live on Facebook at 12:20. If you watched the service at 10:30, you can share this broadcast and allow your friends to watch and be reached with the message of Easter.

FWD Students will be on Zoom at 2:10 (if you need details on how to join, please reach out to your student's small group leader or email Nathan)

*Remember, if you need communion prepared for you and your family, please click here*

I cannot wait to celebrate our risen savior with you this Sunday. Please let me know if I can help in any way to allow you and your family to be "with us" this Sunday.

In H^m,

Nathan Holmes

Sr. Minister
Hamilton Mill Christian Church
Office: 678-714-7200
Cell: 770-500-4337
HMCCFamily.com

Fri, April 3rd 6:09 PM

*|MC:SUBJECT|*

To experience this email in all it's amazingness, be sure to select "Display Images Below" in your mail client

HEY |FNAME|, We have exciting news:

Please be sure to join us at www.HMCCFamily.com at 10:30. All of our 10:30 service will be at our new streaming website found at HMCCFamily.com. We'll be on Facebook live at 12:20.

Also:

WE HAVE RECEIVED AN ORDER OF AT-HOME-COMMUNION KITS!!!!

If you want us to drop by a bag of supplies for you and your family for the next 4 weeks, please use the button below to request the supplies.

Please be patient with delivery, and know that supplies will be gathered with sterile precautions and delivered in a no-touch fashion.

Request Communion Supplies

Fri, March 20th 12:52 PM

Hey Church Fam,

MOST IMPORTANTLY: why are we doing this? It is not an abundance of caution, political narrative or media bias that we practice these things.....it is an ABUNDANCE OF LOVE FOR OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN CHRIST AND OUR COMMUNITY AT LARGE THAT WE NEED TO MAINTAIN THESE PRACTICES.

Hey,

Hey,

HEY *|FNAME|*, We have exciting news:

HEY |FNAME|, We have exciting news: