Guidelines for On-Site Worship Services
1) General Facility Usage Guidelines
Normalization
“Be Not Afraid”
In the Bible this phrase appears often (26 when I searched). Over the past now nine months we have been afraid. Your Council has made decisions for making the resumption of “CHURCH” as safe as possible, probably erroring on the cautious side. From my personal perspective and I think for many of our Council members; we have come to realize that precautions do not assuage the trepidations of those with medical conditions. They will not attend until the pandemic has passed. As such, your Council passed a motion to begin a normalization process.
We will open the main sanctuary doors, distribute bulletins, and most importantly allow limited fellowship between services. The side sanctuary door will also be open as has been our practice these last few months.
Coffee and light snacks will be available with masks being required during circulation in the fellowship hall, but as in restaurants, while seated at tables and consuming, they will not of course be required. We understand and appreciate that those who still feel anxious about social interaction must and will remain in isolation. We encourage you to do so.
We are at the place however where “Church” must start being church and fellowship and communication must resume even as cases spike. So, we are instituting these measures on November 22nd.
Thank you for understanding and we look forward to fellowshipping again.
Yours in Christ
Tom Hollopeter
Council President 2020
- Hymnals, songbooks, attendance cards/pens will be removed from the sanctuary.
- Committees and Groups (over 10 people) may meet on-site or via “ZOOM” meeting.
- Committees or small groups of ten (10) or fewer people may use the facility and are encouraged to wear face masks, follow the social distancing guidelines below, and be responsible for cleaning tables, chairs, and other surfaces used before leaving the facility.
- Hand sanitizer will be available at entrances/exits and bathrooms.
- The sanctuary, bathrooms, and fellowship area surfaces will be disinfected after each service.
2) Use of Face Masks and Social Distancing Guidelines:
All members and guests over the age of 10 will be required to wear a face mask during worship services.
- Disposable face masks will be available for worshippers arriving without a mask.
- All worshippers wearing a facemask must be seated and remain six (6) feet apart from other worshippers – except for family units who may be seated together. Worship leaders without masks must remain 12 feet from worshipers.
- No physical contact (handshaking, hugging, or elbow/fist-bumping, etc.) is recommended.
- The sanctuary floor and chairs will be placed as to ensure appropriate social distancing.
- Ushers will remind worshippers and guests of social distancing requirements.
3) Worship Service Guidelines:
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Fellowship Hall is reopening! Masks are required and giving people appropriate space is requested. We understand that it is impossible to sit four people at a table and have six feet between everyone, but the tables will be spaced and there will be limited chairs at each table. Please take this opportunity to catch up with members of our church family.
- Sanctuary Guidelines: The cloth chairs are back in the sanctuary! There will be pods of chairs with a six feet space between them, but there will no longer be any requirement relating to who may sit together. There will, however, be small pods for those that wish to sit alone or in small groups. Please respect those who wish to sit in smaller pods. The larger pods will be set up for anyone who wishes to sit together. There is no requirement that seats stay where they are so long as there are six feet between pods. You are welcome to move chairs if you need more in one pod or less in another. Communion will be taken by pod with social distancing only with the remaining pod groups.
For those who wish, there will be the opportunity to enter through and leave through the side door of the sanctuary to avoid the fellowship area. This is the same entrance and exit we have used since May.
- During Worship Service:
- Worship hymnals and songbooks will not be used during the service.
- Bulletins will be available during both services. There WILL BE NO reuse of bulletins at a service.
- Worshippers will remain in their seats during the “Sharing of the Peace.”
- Collection plates (baskets) will be located at the front of the sanctuary.
- Leaving Worship:
- Worshipers may leave on our own. Remember to maintain social distancing.
- Worshipers will exit the sanctuary through the rear sanctuary door, pick up mail from their mailbox, and exit the facility through the main Fellowship Hall door.
- Those with health concerns or preexisting conditions may be exit through the side door.
- All visiting and conversation between worshippers should maintain appropriate social distancing.