Health Updates

With the ever-changing news concerning COVID-19 in our society, we wanted to offer a health update. From the outset of the pandemic we stated that we wanted to submit to our governing authorities (Romans 13). As the state of Delaware has not introduced any new statewide mandates or restrictions, our policy on mask recommendations remains the same.

Those who have been fully vaccinated will not be required to wear masks indoors or outdoors. Brandywine Valley Baptist Church will not be enforcing a mask policy for anyone entering our building. We are asking each individual and family to be responsible for their own health decisions, considerate of state health guidance and mindful of the convictions of your fellow church family members and guests.

In addition, if you are exhibiting any COVID-19 symptoms we encourage you to stay home and utilize our livestream on our website or Facebook on Sunday at 10:30 am.

Based upon the newly revised guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Delaware Division of Public of Health, on Friday, May 21 those who have been fully vaccinated will no longer be required to wear masks indoors or outdoors. Brandywine Valley Baptist Church will no longer be enforcing a mask policy for anyone entering our building beginning Friday, May 21. We are asking each individual and family to be responsible for their own health decisions, considerate of state health guidance and mindful of the convictions of your fellow church family members and guests. Also, beginning Sunday, May 23, we will be returning to our normal seating configuration in our sanctuary.

Please watch this short video for further explanation and pastoral guidance as you prepare to attend service this Sunday.

Effective Sunday, April 11, 2021 classes for children are available during both the 9:00 am and 10:30 am worship service. No advance registration is required. Check in at the kiosk in the Lobby before taking your child(ren) to the class drop off point.

Our Sunday morning schedule is:

• In-person Worship Services at 9:00 am and 10:30 am. Please consider coming to the 9:00 a.m. service.
• Student Quest at 9:00 am in the Gym. Learn more about Student Quest
• Adult Class at 9:00 am and 10:30 am downstairs in the Fellowship Hall. Learn more about the Adult Class
• Children’s classes (5th grade and under) at 9:00 am and 10:30 am. Learn more about Children’s Classes

Online Service at 10:30 am on our website or Facebook. This is a livestream of the 10:30 am in-person service.

We want to give you a little update on where things stand with Covid protocols and Brandywine Valley Baptist Church. Please take 2 minutes to watch this short video.

Effective Sunday, March 14, 2021 there is NO advanced registration required for anyone to attend Sunday worship services or classes.

Our Sunday morning schedule is:

• In-person Worship Services at 9:00 am and 10:30 am. If you do not have children in 5th grade or under, please consider coming to the 9:00 a.m. service.
• Student Quest at 9:00 am in the Gym. Learn more
• Adult Class at 9:00 am and 10:30 am downstairs in the Fellowship Hall. Learn more about the Adult Class
• Children’s classes (5th grade and under) at 10:30 am. Learn more about Children’s Classes

We will still continue to offer our Online Service at 10:30 am on our website or Facebook. This is a livestream of the 10:30 am in-person service.

Effective Sunday, February 21, 2021 there is NO advanced registration required for adults or students to attend Sunday worship services or classes. Kids in grade 5 and under will still need to register to ensure we have enough space.

Our Sunday morning schedule is:

• In-person Worship Services at 9:00 am and 10:30 am. If you do not have children in 5th grade or under, please consider coming to the 9:00 a.m. service.
• Student Quest at 9:00 am in the Gym. Learn more
• Adult Class at 9:00 am and 10:30 am downstairs in the Fellowship Hall. Learn more about the Adult Class
• Children’s classes (5th grade and under) at 10:30 am. Learn more about Children’s Classes

Reservations for Kids open the Monday before and are only for that specific Sunday.

We will still continue to offer our Online Service at 10:30 am on our website or Facebook. This is a livestream of the 10:30 am in-person service.

Beginning on Sunday, November 1, 2020, our Sunday morning schedule is changing to better accommodate more people. The schedule will be:

• In-person Worship Services at 9:00 am and 10:30 am. If you do not have children in 5th grade or under, please consider coming to the 9:00 a.m. service.
• Student Quest at 9:00 am in the Gym. Learn more
• Adult Class at 9:00 am and 10:30 am downstairs in the Fellowship Hall. Learn more about the Adult Class
• Children’s classes (5th grade and under) at 10:30 am. Learn more about Children’s Classes

Advanced reservations are still required due to space limitations and to maintain appropriate social distancing. Reservations open the Monday before and are only for that specific Sunday.

We will livestream our 10:30 am service on our website and Facebook. (Dec. 27, 2020 the online service switched to 10:30 a.m.) 

In addition to the two in-person worship services, beginning on Sunday, September 13 we will also offer Sunday classes at 11:00 am for children in the nursery through Kindergarten. Classes for children in grades 1-5 will begin on October 11 at 11:00 am. Students in grades 6-12 will begin meeting in person for Student Quest on Sunday, September 13 at 10:00 am.  Classes resume for children in grades 1-5 on Sunday, October 11 at 11:00 am.

We are continuing to follow updates to the Delaware Division of Public Health, CDC and American Academy of Pediatric recommendations. On August 24, there was a change announced that for Delaware ages 5 (Kindergarten) and above are required to wear a face covering.

Here is the wording for this update: All children who are in kindergarten or older must wear face coverings in public settings, including school buildings, according to the updated DPH guidance.

Brandywine Church Family,
We would like to update you on BVBC’s continued response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Over the past two months, by the grace of God, we’ve been able to host in-person worship services. This has been possible in part due to our adherence to the re-entry guidelines and also the many volunteers who have been able to serve during these trying times.

Please keep in mind that while you are in our building it is possible that people without symptoms may attend church and be diagnosed with the virus subsequently. We are working hard to ensure that virus transmission does not occur while you are attending our worship services. The sanctuary is thoroughly disinfected between services. Bathrooms, hand rails and other touch surfaces are disinfected as well. We have increased outdoor airflow into our building by 50%. And as we continue to follow the steps of our re-entry guidelines, we believe we have greatly minimized the possibility of transmission.

Thank you for your cooperation and patience as we navigate through this together. While we have every intention to continue to produce a high-quality online worship service, we invite those who are able and willing to join us in person on Sundays at 9:00 am or 11:00 am. We leaders believe that God is still on the move in spite of a global pandemic and we rejoice in knowing that much good will come, even from this. 

“We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” Romans 5:3-5
-Ministry Leadership Team

Beginning Sunday, July 5 we will be offering two in-person services on Sundays at 9:00 am and 11:00 am. Reservations are still required and re-entry guidelines still apply. On Monday, July 6, the church office will be open for regular business hours, however, we recommend scheduling an appointment to meet with staff.

Re-Entry guidelines have been updated. See the complete Re-Entry Guidelines for In-Person Worship Services

Brandywine Student Live is on hiatus for the summer.  Thanks for joining us online.  You can view previous episodes of the show on Instagram or on our YouTube channel.  Thanks for watching!

The last time Brandywine Valley Baptist Church had an in-person worship service was Sunday, March 8. Due to the spread of COVID-19 and the implementation of gathering restrictions, BVBC voluntarily suspended all in-person services and activities beginning the week of March 15.

Now, in the weeks and months ahead as gathering restrictions are being gradually lifted, the following is a plan concerning how BVBC may safely begin meeting in-person again in accordance with the State of Delaware and CDC guidelines.

BVBC leaders are committed to conducting each service with excellence while still submitting to our governmental leaders with regard to in-person gatherings. We have been working on a phased plan to reopen our campus based on the best available information. This plan prioritizes love for our neighbors by keeping people safe (Matthew 22:39), showing proper biblical respect for our government officials (Romans 13:1), and demonstrating that we trust our church family to make wise decisions.

Starting on Sunday, June 7 we will host an in-person service at 11:00 am. This service will be in the sanctuary, and will be able to accommodate approximately 170 people (with social distancing guidelines taken into account). It’s important to note that during this time our online service will remain as our main service.

We ask that you pre-register in advance for this service. If you need assistance please contact the church office. Please register only if you know for sure you will be attending so we can plan accordingly.

We love you all and look forward to worshiping in-person soon.

-Ministry Leadership Team and the Board of Deacons

In accordance with the Governor Carney’s May 8 extension of the stay-at-home order until June 1, 2020, the church building will remain closed until that date. We will continue to meet online for Sunday services, student activities, weekday Bible study and more.

Brandywine Students Live – This activity has moved to one day a week: Tuesdays at 11:30 am and has changed platforms to Instagram. Melissa, Elijah and Pastor McNutt in front of a camera! We’ll do a short devo, play some games, and give away some prizes. You can find the show live on Instagram or after the fact on our YouTube channel!

Insta Devos – Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. We will be posting on Instagram. Insta devos are short devotionals filmed by students and posted to our Instagram account. It’s easy for students to participate. Film a short devotional thought; a favorite verse and why, something God has taught them, a devotional they read and want to share. It can be 30 seconds … it can be five minutes. Send multiple ideas! Email the video(s) to Pastor Matthew and we’ll post it to the account to bless the rest of the student ministry.

Facebook Live Sermon Discussions – This has been moved from Sundays to Monday at 10:00 am Join us on Facebook on Mondays for a discussion about the sermon, ways to apply it to our lives and a time of prayer

In light of Governor Carney’s announcement on March 22, 2020 ordering Delawareans to stay at home whenever possible and closing all non-essential businesses, we are closing the church to the public as of 2 p.m. today (March 23). Although churches are exempt from the mandate to close, we believe it is the best course of action for the foreseeable future. All visitors are by appointment/scheduled only. Please contact the office if you need to schedule an appointment. To schedule an appointment, call the church office at 302-478-4255. You can also email staff members (send an email from the staff web page).

Governor Carney’s announcement states this will be in effect until May 15 or until the public health threat is eliminated. We will not be meeting in our building until the state deems it safe.

We will continue to meet online for: Sunday morning service, weekday Bible study, Wednesday night student small groups and Brandywine Students Live during the week.

In consideration of the public health concerns related to COVID-19, social distancing strategies, and the State of Delaware’s recommendation to postpone gatherings of over 100, we will NOT be hosting on-site services at the church this Sunday, March 15. We will communicate about future weeks as more information is available.

Instead of gathering in person, we will gather virtually online for worship this Sunday. We are asking each of you to watch the worship service at 10am on Sunday at www.brandywine.church. The service will include a time of worship through music, prayer, and a sermon entitled, “Faith Greater Than Fear.” I believe this will be clarifying, comforting and inspire us to be people of “Salt and Light” for our community. After the service, at 10:45am on Facebook Live, we will host a of prayer, Q&A and discussion about how to serve the vulnerable.

In addition to the cancellation of on-site services, we will also be cancelling all events, groups and programs in the building during the week. Our Leadership Team will be meeting this week to discuss creative ways to KNOW, GROW and GO through our various ministries.

If someone asks why we chose to respond in this way, here’s my response:

• We are loving and serving our neighbors by protecting our neighbors.
• We are not acting in fear but rather heeding wisdom (Proverbs 22:3).
• We will seek ways to serve the vulnerable during this season.

Thank you for your patience and understanding. Continue to pray and stay connected as we communicate with you in the coming days.

In Christ,
Pastor Nate Keeler

*Update: The Brandywine Valley Christian Preschool is closed March 15-27, 2020. The Preschool follows the Brandywine School District (and the State of Delaware) regarding school closings.

In an abundance of caution to help protect our community, the following changes to our schedule have occurred:

• Brandywine’s Got Talent on Friday, March 13 – Canceled
• Awana Olympics on Saturday, March 14 – Postponed, no new date is available at this time
• Sunday morning Java – Temporarily closed

As concerns about the transmission of viruses increases, we want to help keep our community at Brandywine Valley Baptist Church as healthy as possible. We need to be responsible and continue to love to our neighbors, both within our church family and in our local community. 

If you are or have been sick, please stay home – do NOT come to church. You can watch or listen to the Sunday sermon online on the next day.

As part of our regular procedures we will continue to:

• Wipe down tables in the Children’s classroom at the end of each class
• Wipe down hard surfaces that are high touch points
• Restrict children from attending activities if they have a fever. Children must be fever free for 24 hours before attending an activity. This rule should also be followed by adults.

In addition, we will:

• Increase the frequency of hard surface cleanings
• Add more hand sanitizer stations in the building

Please visit the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) website for updates about Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).

The CDC recommends these methods to help prevent the spread of germs and viruses:

• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
• Stay home when you are sick.
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom; before eating; and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.

We also need to consider how we spiritually respond to this situation. Pastor Todd Wagner from Watermark Community Church in Dallas, TX, wrote a helpful article about how to respond from a solidly Christian worldview. Read it now. May we, as Christians, remember our long lineage of faith in the midst of crisis and take the mantle of faith in our day. 

We will continue to monitor the situation and make adjustments as required. At this time, there is no change to our calendar and we will continue to hold all of our regular activities and services. For the most up-to-date information on our plans and how we are responding, please check this web page for updates.