MCJ Coronavirus Update

Greetings family, hope everyone is doing okay in these very uncertain times we're in right now. We're starting to get questions about the status of MCJ 2020 KC, mostly whether we still plan on moving forward with the family reunion. The answer is absolutely yes! We do not have a crystal ball to know for sure how things will be over 5 months from now in Sept. However, we can say that planning continues and by all indications the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic will likely have eased considerably by then and we should be back to something approaching normal, or at least what we can refer to as our new normal.

I'd like to share with you exactly what the thinking process is so that hopefully you all will share my perspective about whether we will most likely be able to continue this 73 year old tradition this year in 2020. The first check-in was with our host hotel, The Embassy Suites on the Plaza in Kansas City. They along with the entire travel industry, airlines, cruises, entertainment venues of all kinds are having their business severely disrupted right now. However, they remain open and in fact are booking events in late April and beyond in anticipation that the most severe restrictions on movement and congregating in groups will be lifted by then. As most of you know that follow the news closely, the projections of how long the "shelter in place" advisories are supposed to last should not extend much beyond 30-45 days.

Many of you may live in areas that are either "locked down" or have at least some restrictions on freedom of movement and limitations on congregating in groups over a certain size. These drastic prohibitions are the very things that are supposed to dramatically reduce the spread of the virus and help us get back to living our lives and doing the things we want to do. We hope and pray these measures work, and all other efforts to fight the spread of this virus are successful. We strongly encourage all family members to educate themselves with the most up to date information and practices that will help keep themselves and their families safe.

We realize that the times we live in have made us anxious and fearful of what the future holds. In moments like this we need to have strong faith in God, and the ability to discern what is happening in our society and the world in general to help us stay calm and to be careful in our thoughts, words and actions. We fully expect that the coronavirus epidemic will ease in the coming months and we will recalibrate our lives accordingly. We will adjust to the new reality of how we maintain the traditions that are important to us but also keep our families safe.

As we move forward with our MCJ 2020 KC reunion planning, rest assured that we will absolutely incorporate best practices and make sure that everything we do will be done with an eye toward keeping our families safe. You will continue to receive updates multiple times a month through this e-newsletter that will be posted on the MCJ website, emailed to everyone on our email list and posted on the MCJ Facebook page. Please encourage everyone to go to www.mcjfamilies.com and register on the website. If you've registered previously and forgot your password there is a password retrieval function or you can redo the registration process. Keep your families safe and we'll be in touch soon.

Be Blessed!

MCJ 2020 KC Planning Committee