For years, Friend Day at Metro has been a celebrated weekend at our campuses and while that won't change this year, the weekend will look different from what you may be used to.

In order to keep our guests, volunteers, and staff safe, we are maintaining a 100-person capacity for all in-person services. But with the potential for increased attendance, we are adding additional services exclusively for Friend Day Weekend.

These additional services will be pre-recorded and shown live on in our main auditorium, so you will still get to experience the in-person atmosphere.

Our online service times will remain the same, so if you are planning to attend via our streaming platforms, nothing will be changing there.

Please take a look below to check service times and types before registering.

EDWARDSVILLE CAMPUS

Saturday 
4:30p - (Live service) -- MetroKids offered
6:15p - (Live service)

Sunday 
9a - (Live service) -- MetroKids offered
10:45a - (Live service) -- MetroKids offered
12:30p - (Recorded service)


VANDALIA CAMPUS

Sunday
9a - (Live service)
10:45a - (Live service) -- MetroKids offered

As you may have noticed in the above service times, MetroKids will be returning for Friend Day weekend. As with our main in-person services, MetroKids will be taking precautions to make sure your children are safe. Due to these precautions, MetroKids will look a little different than what you and your child may be used to, but we are dedicated to providing a fun environment where your child can learn about God while you attend one of our main services.

Check below to see some of the safety guidelines we will have in place:

• Masks required for children (ages 3 & up) and volunteers
• Temperature checks for children and volunteers
• Health screenings for volunteers before serving
• Social distancing in all MetroKids areas
• Reduced class sizes 

MetroKids will NOT be offered at all Friend Day services, so please check the schedule in the section above to make sure that MetroKids will be offered for the times you plan to attend.

Note: Registration spots will be limited, so please sign your children up early!

Friend Day 2020 plans have been unveiled and we think you are going to love this new opportunity to reach our communities for Jesus.

Friend Day is simply a concentrated effort, as an entire church, to reach out to friends and family that do not have a relationship with Jesus. It is a no-pressure invitation for your friends to sit back, enjoy a service, and experience why you love church.

This year, Friend Day will take place on September 19 & 20 and we are so excited to share a new way for you to invite your friends to be a part of things.

We know inviting someone to church is difficult, so we have created the Metro Party Pack to help you out. This is a box filled with things that will make your friends smile, including: a gift card, popcorn, candy, socks and a small card encouraging your friend to join you for Friend Day weekend.

The best part about this initiative? We handle everything for you! Simply go to metroinvite.com, fill out the form and that’s it! All you have to do is follow up with your friend when then boxes arrive the week of Friend Day.

Depending on comfort levels, you can invite people to attend church with you in-person, online, or together at your home. While Friend Day 2020 will look a little different this year, we believe God is going to work in amazing ways within the lives of our family and friends.

Boxes are limited in quantity; request yours by August 30.

Metro family,

Over the past few months, we have watched you adjust to online services, transfer your Metro groups to Zoom, and continue to show up for each other in genuine community. To say that we are inspired by you would be an understatement.  

You have lived out the mission of Metro by growing in your relationship with God, staying connected to each other, and showing love in tangible ways throughout our communities.

But we have missed you!

We are excited to enter Phase 1 of reopening on June 20 & 21, so we can begin moving toward the day where we will all be together in the buildings once again.

As we begin reopening our buildings, we know patience will be necessary. Your health is important to us, so we will exercise caution. If safety expectations are met during week one, we could increase capacity in the following weeks.
 
We simply ask that you will join us in praying for the lives that will continue to be changed through a relationship with Jesus, and for the details of the reopening plan to run smoothly.

Everything you need to know about safety protocols and gathering options can be found by clicking the button below.

Dear Parents and Guardians,

As you have heard by now, the Illinois governor extended our “stay at home” order through the month of May. This new information, in addition to information we received from Bigstuf Camps, forced us to make the decision to NOT attend Bigstuf 2020 in Panama City Beach, Florida. As cases of COVID-19 continue to rise, the safety of our students is more important than risking travel and exposure to students from across the country. We are working with Bigstuf Camps and the Vandalia Bus Company to receive partial refunds for deposits paid.

Since Bigstuf Camp is a large summer-long event, the refund process is expected to take a few weeks. We will issue another email with additional information as soon as it is concrete.

We have seen incredible resilience in teenagers as they have coped with disappointment and changes, but we know they will be sad to miss out on one of their favorite weeks of summer. Bigstuf is a time when students show up with expectation...for friendship, spiritual growth, and decisions that impact their lives moving forward.

We are working as a staff, to create alternative summer plans that will keep students engaged and expectant for God to show up in unexpected ways. More information will follow.

Dear Metro Family,

In these strange times, we have found a new level of gratitude for “essential employees” risking their lives to keep systems running. We are also thankful for the technology that allows us to take church outside of the buildings and into homes across the globe.
 
In this transition to online community, we have felt your support and encouragement! Thank you for standing with Metro Community Church to make sure the mission of growing closer to God, each other, and the disconnected, remains strong.

As we make this transition, we are trying to make our online service as accessible as possible. This means utilizing multiple stream options every week. We understand that with an abundance of options comes the risk of adding some confusion.

We want to make sure that you are aware of, and have access to, every streaming option for yourself and anyone you invite to an online service.

Below are the platforms we are utilizing. Please note that technology is tricky, especially with an increasing number of churches utilizing online options, and you may need to alter your choice based on how each platform is performing. We invite you to be part of any chats going on during the services. Saturday 6p | Sunday 9 & 10:45a
 

• Our Website: Each service will be accessible through our website’s “Watch Live” tab located at the top of each page or by typing metrocommunitychurch.com/live into your browser. This page will host all of our live stream resources.

• The Metro Community Church App: If you haven’t downloaded our new app, you can find it in all of the app stores. Once you open the app, tap on the “Live Stream” tab located at the bottom of the screen, and watch directly from your mobile device. The stream can also be accessed via our Apple TV and Roku apps.

• YouTube: We have begun streaming live through YouTube and want to encourage you to subscribe to our channel. Our YouTube channel will also feature all of our previously streamed services, including our Metro Kids content, as well as many of our Metro-produced videos. Follow the link and click on subscribe.

• Facebook Live: We will continue to stream on the Metro Community Church Facebook page, so if you haven’t already, like and follow our page to be notified when we go live.

 
We are also excited to bring you content from our fantastic Metro Kids leadership. We encourage parents to enjoy the worship portion of the service as a family and have a separate screen available for children to watch a video created with them in mind. These materials can be accessed via the “Watch Live” tab of our website.

We are already looking forward to everything that God has planned for this weekend. See you in a couple of days!

Parents and Guardians,

We know that many events and plans have been altered recently. We want to keep you up to date with the latest information on Bigstuf summer camp, in Panama City Beach, Florida.

• The leaders behind Bigstuf have released a statement regarding the current status. You can read that HERE. 
• As of this date, the camp is still moving forward, but just like the rest of the country, they are waiting to see when our nation begins opening up and moving again.
• We have been in contact with camp staff and have discussed several variables that will determine timelines, decisions, and refunds. We do not have any concrete information at this time.
• "Metro News" will continue to update additional details regarding alternate summer plans, refunds, and our STRIVE fundraising campaign.

If your son or daughter is not currently connected to an online small group, please let us know. This is a vulnerable time for our teenagers and we are seeing the increased value of online communities, as well as students having access to leaders who will continue to check in on them.

It does not matter if they have recently attended Fusion; we would still love to get them plugged in to one of our groups. If you have any questions, please reach out to us directly.

Each day we are faced with the reality that new areas of our lives are being altered. It is an unsettling feeling to know that most things we woke up counting on, have been postponed, changed, or moved online. We are unified in our longing for something that is not changing.

We want to encourage you with this verse from Hebrews 13:8: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”

At Metro, we may have to wait to meet in person again, but there are many aspects of our church life that have not changed. We have an amazing community that is committed to stay connected, invite new people in, and care for each other’s needs. We have teaching that is relevant and Biblical. We get to keep learning about a God that does not change. And we have hope that during this time, God will allow the church of 2020 to explode past the confines of four walls and reach individuals you love and care about.

With this in mind, here are the ways our ministries within Metro are making Jesus and community available in new and exciting ways during this time.

• Weekend Services
  • Our campuses will meet ONLINE ONLY
  • Join us on the Metro Community Church app, Facebook Live, or metrocommunitychurch.com/live
  • Service times are Saturday 6p | Sunday 9 & 10:45a

• Watch Parties are encouraged!
  • Invite people to attend an online service with you by sharing the link.
  • Post pictures or videos on Facebook or Instagram, using #mccwatchparty, of you and your family watching a service together.

• Metro Kids
  • We have created an online component for your children, grades 6 and under, that will have new content every week available at metro communitychurch.com/live
  • We encourage parents and children to worship together with the livestream until the message begins.
  • While parents listen to the message for adults, children can watch the message specifically designed for them in another room or on a separate device.
  • During a family meal, feel free to use the included online discussion guide with children to talk about their lesson and give them a chance to share their thoughts.

• Metro Groups
  • Groups are moving to Zoom or FaceTime if they are larger than ten people, or if you are uncomfortable meeting in person. 
  • A video tutorial for Zoom will be sent out via email to Metro Group leaders by Sunday Night.

• Metro Students
  • The Sunday night Fusion experience is moving online and will be found at metrocommunitychurch.com/live starting this weekend.

• Metro College
  • Starting Thursday, March 26th, the Thursday night experience (CRAVE) is moving online and can be found at metrocommunitychurch.com/live

• Community Outreach
  • You will soon have print and online options for reaching out to your neighbors and finding ways to meet needs in your community.
  • More information is coming soon.  

We are overwhelmed by the way you have shown up to care for each other, encourage each other, and offer help where you can. In a time of uncertainty, it is great to know that the love of God is being shared in tangible ways by the people that call Metro their home. We are praying for your, your families, and the people in your lives that need a message of peace right now. We look forward to seeing you online as we work to keep everyone safe, healthy, and connected to Christ.  

We have some EXCITING news for our campus, but we are going to make you wait a little longer. It is such a huge announcement for our church family that we want to make sure everyone can be there.  

Excite Night WILL happen, but it is being temporarily postponed. We are balancing the tension of wanting to spend time with each other as well as stay mindful of the current health situation.

With changes to our everyday lives, there is a cloud of uncertainty, and we understand that some may have anxiety. In order to give Excite Night the atmosphere it deserves, we are planning to roll it out at a later date. Stay tuned for future announcements and we look forward to the celebration that is coming for our campus!