COVID-19 In-Person
Worship Operational Policy
Grace Memorial Baptist
Church (August 5, 2020)
Values
- The Great
Commands to love God with our all and to love our neighbor guide our priorities
and therefore a desire to create a safe and welcoming space for all who gather
together for worship. - Grace recognizes
the importance of gathering together as an act of obedience and worship before
God as part of the mission of church seeking to build a community of faith. - Grace recognizes
the risk COVID-19 presents to our community, and therefore the need to develop
and implement an operational plan to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and ensure
the safety of all who participate in public worship gatherings. - Grace also
recognizes that part of achieving our priorities will include complying with
public health guidelines from the province of New Brunswick. Therefore, we will
seek to take necessary steps towards identifying and reducing the risk of
exposure within our community context. - Grace will
implement the following COVID-19 In-Person Worship Gathering Operational Plan
for all worship gatherings.
Provincial Government Guidelines as
of July 31, 2020
- Religious
gatherings are permitted with physical distancing. (A minimum of six feet/2
meters between people of different households.) “Occupancy of any facility must
be based on the ability to maintain physical distancing between people that are
not close friends and family.”[1] - Signage must be
posted on proper hand hygiene, respiratory hygiene, and physical distancing
throughout your facility as applicable. [2] - Venues hosting
celebrations and ceremonies (among others) are required to maintain a record of
the names and contact information of all persons who attend.[3] - Wearing a
non-medical mask, also referred to as a community face mask, is required when
unable to maintain physical distancing.[4] - Public washrooms
must be equipped with hot and cold running water under pressure, liquid soap,
paper towel, toilet paper, and garbage containers. Handwashing signs must be
posted.[5] - Participants
should be advised if they have symptoms of COVID-19 or are required to self-isolate
by Public Health regulations, they should stay home, contact Public Health
Telecare 811 and not enter the premises. This can be done passively (signage)
or actively (questioning.)[6] - Businesses open
on a daily basis are required to clean common areas twice daily. [7]
Operational PlanDeciding to Attend Worship
We ask congregants (including staff) to self-screen using the provincial guidelines each time before attending a worship gathering, and to stay at home when not feeling well. If one begins to feel unwell while at worship, one should go home and let the office know as soon as possible.
A congregant must not attend a worship gathering in person if they are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19. Please call 811 for assistance and assessment.
Individuals who have travelled outside the Atlantic bubble (as defined by the Province), or people who have had close contact with confirmed COVID-19 cases cannot enter the church building until they have isolated for 14 days and/or have been cleared by Public Health.
Entering/Exiting/Movement in the Building
No more than 25 households (not including those staffing the worship gathering) shall be permitted in the sanctuary in designated seating to maintain proper physical distancing. Congregants will be guided to an appropriate seat by an usher. Please do not change seating location after being seated.
Names and a phone number will be recorded by a volunteer as congregants enter the building. In the event there is an on-site exposure, Public Health will require the church to provide this information for the particular gathering in question.
Volunteers and staff who will be assisting persons (including greeters/door openers, ushers) are required to wear masks. (Masks for volunteers will be provided by the church as needed.)
Because physical distancing cannot be ensured, congregants will be required to wear masks while entering, exiting and moving about the building, but may remove their masks while seated in their pews.
Entrance to the building for Worship services will be through the Welcome Center doorways. Doors will be opened and shut by a designated person. Exiting after the gathering should be done in an orderly manner through the front doors or through the Welcome Center doors.
Hand sanitizer will be available at the entrance and at various locations throughout the building and must be used upon entering the building each time.
Worship Elements of the Service
Musical elements of the service will occur at the front of the sanctuary. Seating in the first 5 pews of the west side of the sanctuary (in front of worship team) can only be used those who are part of the music team for that particular worship gathering.
Musical instruments can only be used by one person during each worship gathering unless it is possible to sanitize contact surfaces between the use by different persons.
A microphone can only be used by one person during each worship gathering.
Congregants desiring to sing must wear masks while singing.
Physical distancing should be maintained during worship. Shaking hands, hugging, touching, passing items between people cannot not occur.
Offering baskets will be available in the entryway to the sanctuary and will not be passed around during the service. Use of electronic giving continues to be encouraged.
Bulletins will not be available during the service. They will continue to be emailed and posted on the church website.
Hymnbooks and Bibles will not be available during the service. Songs and Scripture passages will be projected on the video screen.
In the possible event communion is offered, it will only be by self-contained juice/bread packets which can be picked up as one enters the sanctuary.
Children & Youth
At this time, Grace is unable to offer nursery, children’s church or youth classes during the worship service. Children and youth are encouraged to remain in the service and efforts will be made to make the service intergenerationally relevant. Activity packets related to the service will be provide for children which can be picked up by parents in the entryway. Nothing within the packets needs to be returned.
Welcome Café
Providing beverages and food and a place to congregate in groups for conversations within the building is not possible at present.
Washrooms
The washrooms in the Welcome Center and outside the large kitchen on the lower level will be available for congregants at worship gatherings. We ask people to be courteous and physically distance when using washrooms and, in keeping with section 2, wear a mask while using the facilities.
Cleaning/Disinfection
Common areas, high touch surfaces and washrooms will be disinfected between worship gatherings.
Conclusion
We pray this Operational Plan reflects a commitment to love
God and love others. Christ sacrificially gave Himself for the church. We are
called to be the church and the presence of Christ in our time. Practices and
procedures will likely continue to adapt as circumstances related to COVID-19
change, but we are all called to be the church in all circumstances. Faith,
safety, flexibility and care for one another should be our guides as we trust
God in whatever comes our way.
[1] https://www2.gnb.ca/content/gnb/en/corporate/promo/covid-19/recovery.html#yellow
[2] https://www2.gnb.ca/content/gnb/en/corporate/promo/covid-19/measures_businesses.html
[3] https://www2.gnb.ca/content/gnb/en/corporate/promo/covid-19/recovery.html#yellow
[4] https://www2.gnb.ca/content/gnb/en/corporate/promo/covid-19/community_measures.html
[5] https://www2.gnb.ca/content/gnb/en/corporate/promo/covid-19/measures_businesses.html
[6] https://www2.gnb.ca/content/gnb/en/corporate/promo/covid-19/measures_businesses.html
[7] https://www2.gnb.ca/content/gnb/en/corporate/promo/covid-19/measures_businesses.html