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You will find lots of info about our mission, our history, and our ministries under the tabs above. If you can't find what you are looking for, we would love to talk with you. Just click the CONTACT tab to email or call. Welcome to Alto!
Join us for worship Sunday mornings at 9:30am in person or Live on YouTube.
UPDATES ON COVID-19 RESPONSE
8/02/2020 - Alto & the Governor’s Mask Mandate:
As I am sure you are aware Gov. Evers has made an Emergency Order requiring face masks. (Note that there are exceptions.) Shortly after this came out, the FDL County Sheriff notified the community that they will not enforce the order. He also stated “As with any virus, we encourage you to stay home if ill, cover your coughs and sneezes, distance yourself from others around you in public, wash your hands often, and wear a mask when you deem appropriate or when on the private property of others who are asking you wear a mask.”
The consistory has varying views on wearing masks. At this time we ask that you love one another.Whether you wear a mask or don’t wear a mask, show grace and kindness to those around you.
As your pastor, I want to encourage you to consider the Biblical principles which should guide your decision. One of the core issues is when civil disobedience is appropriate for a Christian. This may be the case with masks similar to John MacArthur’s response to not letting churches meet. Personally, I’ll be wearing a mask when not teaching. I found the Biblical principles in this article helpful.
Regardless of your view or practice regarding masks, you are encouraged to join us online or in-person to celebrate our Almighty, loving God who will see us through this. Let’s keep our focus on the mission and love each other through this debate.
In Christ,
Pastor Kevin
As I am sure you are aware Gov. Evers has made an Emergency Order requiring face masks. (Note that there are exceptions.) Shortly after this came out, the FDL County Sheriff notified the community that they will not enforce the order. He also stated “As with any virus, we encourage you to stay home if ill, cover your coughs and sneezes, distance yourself from others around you in public, wash your hands often, and wear a mask when you deem appropriate or when on the private property of others who are asking you wear a mask.”
The consistory has varying views on wearing masks. At this time we ask that you love one another.Whether you wear a mask or don’t wear a mask, show grace and kindness to those around you.
As your pastor, I want to encourage you to consider the Biblical principles which should guide your decision. One of the core issues is when civil disobedience is appropriate for a Christian. This may be the case with masks similar to John MacArthur’s response to not letting churches meet. Personally, I’ll be wearing a mask when not teaching. I found the Biblical principles in this article helpful.
Regardless of your view or practice regarding masks, you are encouraged to join us online or in-person to celebrate our Almighty, loving God who will see us through this. Let’s keep our focus on the mission and love each other through this debate.
In Christ,
Pastor Kevin
7/17/2020 - COVID UPDATE
Dear Alto,
One of our middle school students who attended the middle school bonfire on July 12th and middle School Bible Study on July 13th has tested positive for COVID. Thankfully, his symptoms only lasted for one day and he’s now feeling fine. However, this means that Jessa and a dozen or so of the middle school students will be asked to quarantine through July 27th as they are considered close contacts if they were within 6ft for 15 minutes or longer. Since most of the games on Sunday night were socially distanced or only had students in close proximity for a few minutes, none of those students are required to quarantine, but they should monitor their symptoms and call 884-225-0147 with any questionable symptoms. Students that were considered “close contacts” during Bible Study (at a table close to this student) have already been contacted by Jessa and will be contacted by the CDC tomorrow. We ask that any student who attended on Sunday or Monday be cautious and conscientious of the contacts they make whether they are being required to quarantine or not. All youth group events through July 28th are canceled.
Please pray for these students, Jessa, and Bev Kowalski as she continues a slow recovery.
If you have concerns with getting COVID, you are encouraged to join us on YouTube Sunday morning at 9:30am.
In Christ,
Pastor Kevin & Jessa (as she graciously wrote most of this)
07/14/2020 Update from Consistory on Reopening Church
We continue to encourage members to take appropriate precautions…
We made the following changes since the last update in June (keep in mind these are subject to change, but this is the current plan).
Several things remain the same…
06/10/2020 Update from Consistory on Reopening Church
The Consistory met on Tuesday night and revised some things with reopening.
We continue to encourage members to take appropriate precautions…
1. If you are sick or have been tested for Covid-19 and do not have the results PLEASE STAY HOME.
2. If you are more medically vulnerable or over the age of 65, we urge you to be cautious when coming to church. We would encourage you to wear a mask, gloves, or any other form of PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) that you deem necessary for your safety at a worship service.
3. We ask that everyone who comes to church to please use your best judgment and decide for yourself if it is safe for you and/or your family to come to church. If you do not feel comfortable coming in person, we encourage you to watch on Facebook, the church website, or request a DVD or CD to be sent to you.
Regarding our worship services, we made the following changes…
1. We will be transitioning to Facebook Live in the next couple weeks. We will prerecord the service for 06/14/20 and use FB Premiere, but in the coming weeks we will be using a new dedicated internet feed to allow people at home to watch the service live at 9:30am Sunday. A staff member will also continue to connect on FB during the service. The video will also be available after the service on Facebook.
2. We will now encourage congregational singing and have praise teams lead. This does potentially raise the risk of spreading the virus, so again if you are concerned about your health or potentially spreading the virus yourself, please watch the service on FB.
3. We do want every member to have meaningful opportunities to worship and grow, so if there is a way you think we can be more effective please let us know. (Just email me at kevin@altoreformedchurch.org.) Please also understand that there will likely be some challenges with this transition and that the FB video and audio will be different. We do ask that you share feedback privately with the staff and not be critical in the comments on Facebook.
4. We will shift to using every other pew throughout the sanctuary except in the back of the “new,” north section. That is where we will be leaving a few rows using every third pew for those who are more cautious.
Some of you work in compromised places and others work alone, outside.
Some of you have vulnerable family members and others do not.
Some of you are vulnerable and others are healthy.
Some of you are fully convinced the risk is minimal and others are fully convinced the risk is not worth taking.
All of us are in a highly divisive culture breeding animosity and condemnation.
In Paul’s day, the correlating issues were eating meat and sabbath keeping. There was no clear answer and each person needed to follow their conscience, just as we need to do with taking precautions with Covid-19. Consider Paul’s words…
5 One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind. 6 Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord. Whoever eats meat does so to the Lord, for they give thanks to God; and whoever abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. 7 For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. 8 If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. 9 For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living.
10 You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister[a]? Or why do you treat them with contempt?...
13 Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister… 19 Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.” (Romans 14)
Please join the consistory in letting grace rule the day. Let’s work at bringing peace in our community by building others up and trusting God.
In Christ’s Hand,
Pastor Kevin
5/20/20 Update from Consistory on Reopening Church
The Consistory met on Tuesday night to finalize a plan for the church to restart services in the building. After many discussions we reached a clear consensus on the following points. Please understand there are many other options we could have taken, and I think we discussed them all. Given our situation this is what “seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us.” (Acts 15:28)
What precautions should people take when coming to a service?
Here are things that the church will be doing to help provide as safe of an environment as possible for worship.
Dear Alto,
One of our middle school students who attended the middle school bonfire on July 12th and middle School Bible Study on July 13th has tested positive for COVID. Thankfully, his symptoms only lasted for one day and he’s now feeling fine. However, this means that Jessa and a dozen or so of the middle school students will be asked to quarantine through July 27th as they are considered close contacts if they were within 6ft for 15 minutes or longer. Since most of the games on Sunday night were socially distanced or only had students in close proximity for a few minutes, none of those students are required to quarantine, but they should monitor their symptoms and call 884-225-0147 with any questionable symptoms. Students that were considered “close contacts” during Bible Study (at a table close to this student) have already been contacted by Jessa and will be contacted by the CDC tomorrow. We ask that any student who attended on Sunday or Monday be cautious and conscientious of the contacts they make whether they are being required to quarantine or not. All youth group events through July 28th are canceled.
Please pray for these students, Jessa, and Bev Kowalski as she continues a slow recovery.
If you have concerns with getting COVID, you are encouraged to join us on YouTube Sunday morning at 9:30am.
In Christ,
Pastor Kevin & Jessa (as she graciously wrote most of this)
07/14/2020 Update from Consistory on Reopening Church
We continue to encourage members to take appropriate precautions…
- If you are sick or have been tested for Covid-19 and do not have the results PLEASE STAY HOME.
- If you are more medically vulnerable or over the age of 65, we urge you to be cautious when coming to church. We would encourage you to wear a mask, gloves, or any other form of PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) that you deem necessary for your safety at a worship service.
- We ask that everyone who comes to church to please use your best judgment and decide for yourself if it is safe for you and/or your family to come to church. If you do not feel comfortable coming in person, we encourage you to watch on YouTube, the church website, or request a DVD or CD to be sent to you.
- If you are diagnosed with Covid-19 and have been on the church property, we ask that you let the office know as soon as possible, so we can take appropriate steps.
We made the following changes since the last update in June (keep in mind these are subject to change, but this is the current plan).
- The hymnals and bibles will be placed back in the pews.
- The nursery will be staffed with volunteers starting in September.
- Bible Class, Sunday School, and Walk Out Worship will start as normal in September.
- Ushers will be available to assist you in finding a place to sit.
- Choirs, teams, and other groups have permission to meet, but are not required to meet. Each group can decide for themselves. This includes: Sonshine Singers, Jr. Choir, Mixed Choir, Men’s Chorus, Golden Lifers, Women’s Ministry, Men’s Ministry, and Women’s Mission Circle.
Several things remain the same…
- Not utilizing all the pews
- Not serving coffee, and
- Media delivery continuing to be provided via mail until volunteers are able to visit with the residents of the nursing homes.
06/10/2020 Update from Consistory on Reopening Church
The Consistory met on Tuesday night and revised some things with reopening.
We continue to encourage members to take appropriate precautions…
1. If you are sick or have been tested for Covid-19 and do not have the results PLEASE STAY HOME.
2. If you are more medically vulnerable or over the age of 65, we urge you to be cautious when coming to church. We would encourage you to wear a mask, gloves, or any other form of PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) that you deem necessary for your safety at a worship service.
3. We ask that everyone who comes to church to please use your best judgment and decide for yourself if it is safe for you and/or your family to come to church. If you do not feel comfortable coming in person, we encourage you to watch on Facebook, the church website, or request a DVD or CD to be sent to you.
Regarding our worship services, we made the following changes…
1. We will be transitioning to Facebook Live in the next couple weeks. We will prerecord the service for 06/14/20 and use FB Premiere, but in the coming weeks we will be using a new dedicated internet feed to allow people at home to watch the service live at 9:30am Sunday. A staff member will also continue to connect on FB during the service. The video will also be available after the service on Facebook.
2. We will now encourage congregational singing and have praise teams lead. This does potentially raise the risk of spreading the virus, so again if you are concerned about your health or potentially spreading the virus yourself, please watch the service on FB.
3. We do want every member to have meaningful opportunities to worship and grow, so if there is a way you think we can be more effective please let us know. (Just email me at kevin@altoreformedchurch.org.) Please also understand that there will likely be some challenges with this transition and that the FB video and audio will be different. We do ask that you share feedback privately with the staff and not be critical in the comments on Facebook.
4. We will shift to using every other pew throughout the sanctuary except in the back of the “new,” north section. That is where we will be leaving a few rows using every third pew for those who are more cautious.
Some of you work in compromised places and others work alone, outside.
Some of you have vulnerable family members and others do not.
Some of you are vulnerable and others are healthy.
Some of you are fully convinced the risk is minimal and others are fully convinced the risk is not worth taking.
All of us are in a highly divisive culture breeding animosity and condemnation.
In Paul’s day, the correlating issues were eating meat and sabbath keeping. There was no clear answer and each person needed to follow their conscience, just as we need to do with taking precautions with Covid-19. Consider Paul’s words…
5 One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind. 6 Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord. Whoever eats meat does so to the Lord, for they give thanks to God; and whoever abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. 7 For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. 8 If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. 9 For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living.
10 You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister[a]? Or why do you treat them with contempt?...
13 Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister… 19 Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.” (Romans 14)
Please join the consistory in letting grace rule the day. Let’s work at bringing peace in our community by building others up and trusting God.
In Christ’s Hand,
Pastor Kevin
5/20/20 Update from Consistory on Reopening Church
The Consistory met on Tuesday night to finalize a plan for the church to restart services in the building. After many discussions we reached a clear consensus on the following points. Please understand there are many other options we could have taken, and I think we discussed them all. Given our situation this is what “seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us.” (Acts 15:28)
What precautions should people take when coming to a service?
- If you are sick or have been tested for Covid-19 and do not have the results PLEASE STAY HOME.
- If you are more medically vulnerable or over the age of 65 we urge you to be cautious when coming to church. We would encourage you to wear a mask, gloves, or any other form of PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) that you deem necessary for your safety at a worship service.
- We ask that everyone who comes to church to please use your best judgment and decide for yourself if it is safe for you and/or your family to come to church. If you do not feel comfortable coming in person we encourage you to watch on Facebook, the church website, or request a DVD or CD to be sent to you.
Here are things that the church will be doing to help provide as safe of an environment as possible for worship.
- We will begin to host in-person services at 9:30am starting on 5/24. We will host Facebook Premiere services for the next 3 weeks or until Facebook Live is functioning. (We are working on getting better internet and improving the audio and video for Facebook Live.)
- We will use worship videos of our teams and ask attendees to not sing. (We realize this will be very different, but felt it was best for the next 3 weeks. Consistory will meet on June 9, sooner if needed, to evaluate and plan for future services.)
- Be prepared for some hiccups. This plan may need to change, and things may not work as we hope. Please be patient as we navigate this shift.
- A seating chart was put together to figure out the best way to utilize the seating that we have in the sanctuary to allow for the maximum amount of people and still be socially distant. Please understand that “your usual seat” may not be available because of the social distancing rules. There will be benches that will be blocked off as we will use every 3rd pew.
- NO GREETERS OF ANY KIND. Instead of greeters, one person should be placed by each of the 3 main entrances and open the doors for people as they come into church. We want to avoid multiple people touching the doors. Parking assistance will be available. After the service you are asked to disperse using all exits so not to crowd the main lobby.
- The basement will be closed off to keep everyone on the main floor. With only having worship service there is no need for anyone to go into the basement which means we would have less to clean and sanitize.
- Bulletins will be available on a stand by the entrances into the sanctuary.
- Hymnals and Bibles will be removed from the benches to eliminate the need for more cleaning. Members are encouraged to bring their own Bibles with them.
- We will not be passing the offering plate. There are 3 boxes that will be hanging in the fellowship areas that we ask everyone to drop the offering envelope in before the service. A reminder should be given at the end of the service for anyone who has offering to please place it in one of the boxes when they leave.
- Communion will be done using an individually packaged element, a plastic cup of juice with a wafer in the lid. This will be available at the door when you enter.
- There will be no coffee served before or after the service.
- There will be no nursery attendants available. The nursery can be used if a parent needs to take a child out of the service. The toys in the nursery will not be available.
- Groups can use the building, but we ask that you let us know on the whiteboard sign in the lobby if you used a room. Prayer groups are asked to use the prayer room.