Current plan as of 06/05/20
With the loosening up of restrictions in Minnesota, we started to regather as a church family in our building on June 7th. I want you to be aware that we have a plan in place to follow the Minnesota Department of Health rules and things will look different for a while. Please see the video below for a visual of what things look like right now.
Here are a few highlights:
- The sanctuary is spaced out and the overflow opened up. We are able to have up to 132 people to stay under the 50% occupancy requirement.
- Every other row of chairs has been removed and the remaining are spaced to 6 feet. We also are asking that you leave three chairs between you and other families. Please give space to others. Things are marked as clearly as possible.
- There is no nursery available. Kids are welcome in the service. The quiet room is available for you to use.
- There will continue to be no coffee or treats served. We aren't allowed to do that right now per the state's rules. You may bring your own coffee. Communion will also not happen for the time being.
- There is drop-off only offering, meaning no passing of plates. Online giving is still available of course. We are also not handing out bulletins. They are available for you to take or available online. We won' t be initiating hand shakes.
- The cleaning of high touch areas has been implemented since this all began. In addition, we do have hand sanitizer around the church.
- Try to give people space. There are obvious areas of bottle necks. Just be respectful of one another and we won't have any issues on it.
The Pandemic Return Plan is at the top of this post. This shows three phases to our gathering and church life. Keep in mind that this is a living document, meaning it will change often. I will post the most recent one on the bulletin board in the church and here online. There will be constant evaluation of this.
I recognize that meeting verses not meeting is a tense issue for some people. Please know that we are doing all we can to make it safe. At the same time, know that if you are not ready to come back for whatever reason, that is totally fine. Seriously, there is no pressure from me for you to come. We are all trying our best to do the right things in this. I am asking that no matter where you land on any of it, that you show grace to one another. Resist the urge to judge others who think or feel different than you do. We are one in Christ, don't let something like this create tensions between each other.
No matter what you decide, you can still join us online at 10 a.m. on Sundays. The online service will be the same message as the live in-person gathering.
Have a great weekend!
Pastor Derek