Hi First Presbyterian,
If you remember my Mid-Week Meet-Up from last week, you know that the Session met last night and, among their other business, discussed re-opening our sanctuary for worship. I’m sure many of you are anxiously waiting to hear an update of what they decided.
Based on a recommendation from the Re-opening Task Force, the Session approved returning to indoor, in-person worship services at 8:30 am and 10:00 am, beginning this Sunday, April 18. Each in-person service will observe social distancing, will require mask-wearing, and will not include gathering indoors before or after the service. There are some differences between the services, so please take careful note of the following details:
The 8:30 am service will be without singing
The 10:00 am service will include some masked singing
The 10:00 am service will also be live-streamed for people to participate from home
Each in-person service will allow for there to be up to 20 spots in attendance. A “spot” may be an individual, or a household or group of friends who are comfortable sitting together. A “spot” may have up to five adults. If you are comfortable attending an in-person service, please feel welcome to attend even if your “spot” has only one person in it. In order to ensure that we don’t overfill the sanctuary, registering in advance to attend in-person services will be necessary. A link to sign up will follow in a separate email tomorrow. As the weather continues to improve, there will also be occasional outdoor worship services.
The design of these services allows for everyone’s risk tolerance. The 8:30 am service is available for those who want to worship in-person but are not comfortable with singing. The 10:00 am in-person service is available for those who want to worship in-person and are comfortable with masked singing. The 10:00 am live-streamed service is available for those who are not comfortable worshiping in-person at all. In order for these services to continue happening, it is vital for everyone to comply with the health and safety guidelines.
As we begin to emerge from the past year of COVID, I encourage you to be thinking about the theme of my sermons during Eastertide. I said in a sermon recently that I believe if our desire is to become the same church as we were before the pandemic, then we will have failed to take advantage of the pandemic’s opportunity to reevaluate our priorities and goals as a community of faith. We are a people of the Resurrection! Let’s imagine together what new life God is calling out of us over the next weeks and months.
Whether you will be continuing to view our services online or attending an in-person service, I look forward to worshiping together with you!
Peace to you,
Pastor Neff