Madison County Church Cancels In-Person Services As COVID Case Numbers Begin to Rise Among Congregation

A church located along Highway 25 in Berea has made the decision to temporarily suspend in-person services following multiple positive COVID cases among its members.

In a social media post, the Church on the Rock announced its choice to close its doors “until further notice”. This comes just weeks following the recent revival the church held at the end of July. This multi-day event saw members from the COTR congregation as well as members from other churches gather indoors at their sanctuary.

The Madison County Health Department has recorded over 90 local positive COVID cases since last Friday, and in a video announcement posted to the COTR Facebook page, senior pastor Mark Sarver revealed that he and members of his family are among those who have recently tested positive for COVID-19.

The church has stated that its staff is currently working from home in an effort to prevent further spread of the virus.

“The safety of our congregation and community is of utmost importance to us”, the social media post reads.

Health Department officials are continuing to urge the public to remember to maintain proper social distancing techniques, and to be aware that going out into public venues increases risk of exposure to the virus.