Inside the church during Sunday’s service.
Maya McFadden Photos
Pastor Otero and Mayor Elicker select raffle winner.
Mayor joins Fair Haven service to pick winner of 2021 Corolla, as church resumes worship with Covid precautions in place.
Avila is a member of Una Iglesia Para La Ciudad on East Pearl Street in Fair Haven. The Fair Haven church hosted a two-month raffle for a car to fundraise for its upcoming move to State Street in Hamden.
Somos, Una Iglesia Para La Ciudad. Para dar sus ofrendas y diezmos, visite UIPLC.org Gracias por apoyar nuestro ministerio!
Posted by Una Iglesia Para La Ciudad on Sunday, January 17, 2021
Mayor Justin Elicker joined the Sunday service, a hybrid in-person/streamed event, to pick and announce the winner of the raffle. Avila’s daughter purchased two tickets and decided to put her mom’s name on one of them.
Before picking the raffle winner, Elicker praised the church for its Covid-safe protocols and talked with the service members about continuing to work together during the pandemic.
A total of 1,000 raffle tickets were sold at $50 each for the fundraiser. The funds will be used to pay the new property’s engineer and architect, said lead Pastor Hector Otero. Last year the church raffled off round-trip tickets to Israel.
The new site in Hamden will be home to a Christian academy, musical academy, counseling center, and a daycare.
Inside the church during Sunday’s service.
Signage for social distancing decorated the pillars indoors as each family sat a seat or two apart.
The church started its in-person church services back up in November after developing a Covid-safe plan. Seating is placed six feet apart indoors. Masks are required. Church staff remain at each entrance and exit to sanitize visitors upon entry. Visitors enter through the side entrance and exit out the front of the building. The worship room is ventilated and disinfected after each service.
The raffle celebration closed the Sunday service.
“I missed the music and energy of church,” Elicker said.