Grace Church of the Nazarene—Re-Opening Plan

 

We are excited to be able to physically return to worship services together.  Community Café, Sunday school, nursery, and Children’s church will NOT resume until further notice. After careful consideration of the most responsible and compassionate approach to re-opening, we have put the following guidelines in place for the safety of the congregation and to prevent any potential spread of the Covid-19 virus in our community. Those who are immune-compromised are at risk and should strongly consider worshiping from home. Please read the following items carefully and plan accordingly:

·         Symptoms of the Covid-19 virus include: fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle/body aches, headache, new loss of taste/smell, sore throat, nausea or vomiting, diarrhea.

o   If you have ANY of these symptoms, we ask that you stay home and join us virtually through our live- streamed services.

o   We ask that you assess yourself and family members for symptoms prior to attending services including checking your temperature.

 

• Masks are an important prevention tool, and are strongly recommended by state and federal agencies. We ask that you wear a mask at the following times:

o   Starting from the point of exit of your vehicle in the parking lot,

o   entering the church building,

o   to your seat in the sanctuary,

o   while singing (if you choose to sing),

o   when exiting the building,

o   and to your vehicle upon departure.

You may remove your mask once seated in the sanctuary; however, we ask that you wear a mask at all of the other times listed above. If you or a family member forgets or does not have a mask, one will be provided. If you do not feel comfortable wearing a mask, or are unable to do so, we ask that you continue to stay home and join us virtually through our live streamed service.

 

• Seating: The rows of chairs are now set-up 6 feet apart. We ask that congregants sit together as a family unit. Sitting in the same row as another family is allowed, but we encourage you to sit, at least, two seats apart from another individual. We ask that seating for services be in the sanctuary only and not in other areas of the building, including the foyer, unless absolutely necessary.

 

• Greeting each other will continue with the following additional precautions:

o   Greeters will be at the doors to hold open the door for your entrance and exit from the building.

o   We ask that you proceed directly to your seat in the sanctuary after entering, minimizing any gathering or roaming around the building, and keeping entrances and exits clear.

o   Greeting each other should NOT include any physical contact, including hugging, kissing, handshakes, and so on. Friendly waving and other substitutes for physical contact are encouraged!

o   We understand that fellowship is an aspect of our church experience that is greatly missed. We ask that fellowship and any congregating together take place outside of the church building with masks in place.

 

• Offerings: We encourage you to continue giving financially to Grace Church by using the church website. For those who prefer to give cash or check offerings at service time, greeters will have an offering plate to place these in on your way out of the building after service.

 

• Additional precautions:

o   Hand sanitizer is available in various locations throughout the building. We encourage frequent washing and sanitizing of hands as a precautionary measure. The church staff continues to thoroughly clean the building per state and federal regulations.

o   Bibles and congregation books have been removed for your safety. We encourage congregants to bring their own bibles to services. The water fountain will be closed off. Congregants are encouraged to bring their own water bottles/beverages.

 

We thank you all in advance for your help in keeping Grace Church a safe place to worship, and for loving each other and our community through doing your part in the prevention of the spread of this virus. See you soon!