North Augusta’s True North Church rolled out the red carpet for Augusta University Health System employees.
Church members reached out to Chief Experience Officer Julie Moretz, desiring to show support for first responders working through the COVID-19 pandemic in a significant way.
“It was hard to determine what that might be because of social distancing,” Moretz said
Church members and volunteers decided to spend two hours of their evening with signs and balloons, cheering on staff who were leaving or arriving to begin their shifts. They rolled out red carpets at two doorways, resembling an awards show, Moretz said.
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The August event received so much praise, the church repeated it two more times. In October, they included a Pelican’s Snoballs truck. The last event took place near the end of February.
Moretz commended the church for being respectful of patients’ family members walking in and out of the hospital’s A and B entrances. They toned it down to a respectful clap, she said. However, when it came to the staff, they cheered with enthusiasm and energy.
“The staff were very very grateful for this,” Moretz said. “Some would come out dancing, their arms up and shaking in celebration. It was a moment for them to forget what they just left or what they were about to walk into.”
The impact the church made extended beyond medical staff into what Moretz referred to a blessed moment. While the church members were lined up along the red carpet, a crying woman pushing an empty wheelchair came out and mentioned to Moretz that her husband had just died 15 minutes beforehand.
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“These individuals enveloped her and one of the pastors knew just what to say,” Moretz said “He gave a blessing to her and of course she was crying, but everybody was just so moved and touched by what was happening on the inside of the hospital on this particular evening. This is was at the height of what we were dealing with regarding COVID. I know that meant so much to the church members as well as the individual who was leaving that night by herself and without her spouse of many years.”
Currently, there are no future plans to roll out the carpet again, according to Moretz.
“We haven’t made any plans to do it again, but I think that they are so well connected in wanting to show appreciation, I wouldn’t doubt it,” she said of the church.
More information is about True North Church is available at truenorthchurch.com.
Shellie Smitley is a staff writer for The Augusta Press. Reach her at shellie@theaugustapress.com
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