Our Response to the Most Recent CDC Guidance
Good Thursday morning friends!
I bet many of you are wondering where our Monday email regarding Pre-Registration for Worship got to. We purposely didn’t send it out because we expected things would change…and they did!
On Tuesday evening, our Leadership Board met to discuss the the most recent CDC Guidance regarding mask-wearing for those who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. During that meeting we made some important decisions regarding in-person worship and other in-person activities. Attached to this email is a letter from me with detailed information about the decisions that were made. We hope you will take the time to read it. In the meantime, here’s a brief summary of our new worship guidelines:
- Effective immediately, we will no longer require folks to read, sign, and return the Return to In-Person Worship Covenant.
- Also effective immediately, we will no longer require folks to pre-register for worship. Our three worship services will be open to all who want to attend, including unexpected guests.
- We expect all who attend in-person worship to follow the CDC guidance regarding masks: those who are fully vaccinated may choose to wear a mask or not, while those who are NOT fully vaccinated will be expected to wear a mask. We will rely on the honor system and will not ask for proof of vaccination.
- For the time being, we will continue to physically distance and ask everyone to be respectful of those who do not want to shake hands or hug.
- Because there are some who want to continue wearing masks in spite of being vaccinated we ask everyone to respect each other’s choices to mask or not.
- Since some who want to attend in-person worship may still be vulnerable, our services will be designated as follows:
- 8:00 am Classic with Communion – Masks Optional
- 9:30 am Traditional – Masks Recommended
- 11:00 am Praise – Masks Required
- Because congregational singing and speaking is safest when people are masked, we strongly urge those who want to sing or speak aloud during worship to do so while wearing a mask.
We will have seating available for approximately 75 people, including worshipers and worship leaders. The chairs are set up in groups of two with each group positioned approximately 3 feet from neighboring groups. If you have more than two people in your party, you are welcome to move the chairs to meet your needs. We ask that you return them to their original positions at the end of the worship service.
As we have noted before, we will continue offering online worship at 9:30 am and 11:00 am as long as there appears to be a desire for us to do so.
For more information, especially regarding study groups and other meetings, please read the attached letter, which is linked here: New Guidelines for In-Person Activities at SoL 5-20-21
As a reminder, our worship bulletins for Sunday will be sent out on Saturday evening. We look forward to worshiping with you this coming Sunday. Remember: no pre-registration is necessary to join us in the Sanctuary!!
Grace & Peace, Pastor Jody