After speaking with Karl and Tom Hand, the Property Committee has decided that Sunday service at FPC Athens on the square will be cancelled for this coming Sunday January 21, 2024. This decision was not made lightly but comes after evaluating the current state of the outside facilities (sidewalks, parking spaces, steps, and entrances), all of which have measurable amounts of frozen snow, sleet, and in some cases, slush which cannot be easily removed to adequately secure the church allowing for a safe passage for all members that might join the 10:00am service in the sanctuary.
There will be no online service replacing the in-person service due to the short notice and the fact this is a one-time occurrence. We will resume in-person services the following week (Sunday January 28, 2024). No one anticipated these conditions when all the inclement weather was forecast last week, nor did anyone expect them to continue for so long.
All roads in Limestone county currently remain impassable. This is according to The city of Athens Utility Department, APD, the Limestone County Sheriff’s Department, and the Limestone County EMA. While the state has cleared some portions of the US highways
passing through Athens (31 and 72), side roads and roads less traveled remain very slick. Many roads in Huntsville remain in the same state and Redstone Arsenal will also remain closed again Friday.
Condition will not improve over the next several days and may even get worse after the possibility of the expected rain for the area this afternoon. This decision is unfortunate but is made out of abundance of caution, safety and concern for all that visit our facility. The church will remain closed most likely until early to mid-next week. The facility-proper is in good shape and so far, we have experienced no issues with heating, plumbing, or other infrastructure components. I will continue to monitor these as we move through the next phase of bitterly cold weather which comes in Friday evening through Sunday morning.
Please continue pray for our church and all of its members, friends and partners in mission.
Yours in Christ,
David Lyle
For the Property Committee,
In Consultation with the Session, the Worship Committee and the Pastor of FPC Athens
