Interim Guidelines For Attending Worship Services In Person
Dear Brothers and Sisters of Love Divine Fellowship,
We are thankful that we have been able to worship at Love Divine Fellowship via “live-streaming” of our services. This has been and continues to be a tremendous blessing to our local fellowship. Fortunately, our state and local governments have begun to slowly ease some of the restrictions that were put in place to slow the spread of COVID 19 while still keeping in place the safeguards that minimize the spread of the virus and that protect the most vulnerable among us. We do not want to do anything to contribute to the spread of the virus in our fellowship or in our local communities, and we do not want to cause someone to have to miss work because of exposure to the virus. In addition, we have several members in our fellowship that are particularly vulnerable to this virus that continue to remain sheltered at home. Their family members are remaining vigilant in maintaining the requirements of social distancing and hygiene in order to protect them while still being able to safely interact with them at home, and so we need to protect those members that are in turn protecting those that are remaining at home. Our health directors have determined that the majority of the transmissions of this virus are taking place indoors and so they have provided us with guidance in how to come together for in-person church services in a safe manner. We believe that this is a temporary situation and that we will resume normal services again at a future date. In the meantime, we have put into place some guidelines that enable us to resume services in a safe manner. These guidelines might seem to present a hardship, but keep in mind that they are being put into place with the goal of allowing some to come together to worship in person until the restrictions on gathering are lifted. If you would like to attend in person, we ask for your cooperation in trying to comply with social distancing and with the following guidelines so that in-person worship can be held in a safe manner.
1. We would like to ask you not to come to church if you are sick or having symptoms of coughing, runny nose, fever, or sore throat. Please wash your hands before and after attending service. Continue to refrain from shaking hands, hugging, and from touching your face.
2. When you arrive at church, the deacons will seat you in the sanctuary in order to maintain social distancing (6 feet). You will be seated with your entire family or household to include children and young people. Your family has already been practicing “shelter in place at home” together, therefore, we want to continue that in the seating of your entire family in the sanctuary. The deacons have a plan for also seating singles and couples in a social distancing manner. You may not be able to sit in your normal location in the sanctuary, but again this is one of the hardships during this trial.
3. The local and state authorities have recommended that we wear face coverings while attending in house worship. We would like to ask everyone that has their own face covering to wear it when coming to the in-house services. If you do not have a face covering, we will provide you with one. Please wear the face covering until you are seated in the sanctuary. The decision to leave your face covering on in the sanctuary during services will be left up to you as an individual and at your discretion.
4. We are asking that there be no congregating in the lobby, outside areas, bathrooms, or fellowship hall before or after the service. After the service is over, the deacons will dismiss the congregation by rows to allow everyone (including children) to dismiss to their cars. We feel this is the only way to ensure social distancing after a service. Even on the outside of our church, we do not want to harm our testimony with the community by not practicing social distancing in our parking lot.
5. We might need to have the Fellowship Hall set up with chairs that allow for social distancing in case an overflow is needed or for those wanting to feel safer regarding social distancing.
6. We would like to ask your special attention with regards to social distancing in using the nurseries and rest rooms with no more than 3 in the sister’s rest room and 2 in the brother’s rest room at a time. A mask for both places is strongly recommended by the deacons and pastor. Mothers with very young children may want to consider continuing the “live streaming” option as children 2 years and younger are not permitted to wear face masks.
7. Although it has been recommended by the local and state authorities that the vulnerable population (everyone 65 years and older, people with disabilities, people with respiratory or cardiovascular conditions) not attend in person worship services, this decision will be left up to you as an individual and at your discretion on whether to attend the in-person worship services.
I know as you read these guidelines that allow us to be able to come to a service in the interim, you may seem overwhelmed (as we are), but we cannot stress the importance of not putting our church at risk for a quarantine, our people at risk for the virus, or our people at risk of unemployment due to COVID 19. We just ask your patience, prayer, and help as we try and come up with a temporary way to have services that we all are craving for. This is our time to live for others while practicing these safe guidelines.
Bro. Doug Baker and the Deacons of Love Divine Fellowship