June 3, 2020
To: Paris Mountain Charge
There was a discussion on Sunday as to how we might proceed with in-worship service. It was decided that we should wait until Stage 2 is in place. The Bishop has announced Stage 2 is now in effect. It is possible that we could return to in-worship services; however, at this time we do not have a date. The question being how many are willing to obey the guidelines? The sanctuary would have to be set up and we could only use Providence Chapel at this juncture because, to proceed, we need access to digital technology.
Listed below are the restrictions the Annual Conference requires us to have in place for in-person worship.
- Digital Bulletins, digital word elements
- No child under age 7 (Stage 2)
- Face covering required from the time you leave your vehicle until you return
- Strict physical distancing
- Hymnals, Bibles and all worship materials will be removed from the pews, and the church will thoroughly be cleaned and sanitized before each service.
- No choir
- No Singing
- No Fellowship time (includes coffee)
- Limited restroom use
- No handshakes or hugging
- A place will be set up for your offering and communion. Communion will be pre-packaged. We have ordered our communion sets; they are due to come in this week.
- No lingering in the church or outside. You enter and you leave.
- We would have to be notified as to whether you will attend or not; so we can decide if we will need a second service.
- There will be a Health Form on the website for you to fill out. This form will be strictly kept in the confines of the church, probably in a locked area. The Annual Conference is saying it needs to be filled out if someone gets sick to protect the liability of churches.
I do understand some don’t like the use of masks, but you can tie a handkerchief around your nose and mouth. This is not for your safety; but, for the safety of others.
We are asking how many would attend and would comply with these restrictions. Please click here to CONTACT US and lets us know whether or not you would attend in-person worship while abiding by the restrictions listed above.
Please be honest with us, speaking kindly. It is not necessary to be rude to those of us who are trying to unite us once again for an in-person worship service. We need no reason for your decision, just a simple yes or no will be fine.
Sincerely,
Your Health Care Team
Steve Jennings, SuSu Jennings, Holly Furtner, and Pastor Karen