Dear Friends,
Many people seem to be asking the same two questions: “When are we going to start back to worship in the church building?” and “How can we do this safely?” Greater minds than mine throughout the worldwide church are working to answer these two questions.
Saints United Lutheran Church, in consultation with church council, will resume worship in the church building on Sunday, July 12, at 10 AM. We will continue to provide live streaming of the worship service for those who choose to continue to stay home.
Once we open for in-person worship, we will have specific guidelines in place to protect everyone.
- The church sanctuary will be sanitized before every worship service.
- In adherence to the “Yellow” phase guidelines from Governor Wolf, attendance will be limited to 25 people. Because of this, we ask that you call or email Maureen in the church office if you plan to attend worship. We need to keep count of how many worshippers will be in the sanctuary, and if you get in touch ahead of time, we will be able to inform you if we are already at capacity. We do not want to have to turn anyone away if they come to the church, so it is important that you let us know beforehand if you will be attending each week.
- In-person worship will look different. Worshippers will need to bring their own facial masks and wear them in the sanctuary. We will require social distancing in seating, as well as family seating.
- The best research now says that congregational singing has a high potential of spreading the virus. We will, therefore, be worshipping without congregational singing, or we will sing through our masks quietly.
- Sanctuary worship will have socially separated preaching by Pastor and singing by Judith. There will be no sharing of the peace—you can wave instead—no passing of the offering plate, and no coffee hour following the service.
- We are still figuring out how we will handle Holy Communion, and once that is decided, you will hear more about it.
- We ask if you are feeling sick or have a temperature that day that you do not attend. We will have hand sanitizers as you enter the church, and they will also be available in the pews.
As we get closer to our re-opening date, we will be communicating with you all, so you know what to expect. If there are any changes to the guidelines or procedures, we will update you ASAP.
We will get through this together and establish a new kind of normal, so please be patient, so nobody becomes a patient. Until we are back together in person, stay safe and please do not hesitate to call or email me.
In Christ,
Pastor Hopkins
