How is your church handling the pandemic developments?

[Staph]

4. When the lockdown started in March, our church went to pre-recorded services broadcast on Facebook

and church meetings on Zoom.

Then in the summer, we went to live-broadcasting services held in our parking lot, with everyone watching from their cars. After one service in a snowstorm, we went back to pre-recorded services until the weather improved. We put together a Relaunch Team in the fall, to plan how and when we would get back inside.

We finally had our first in-person service for Easter. Everyone masked. Health questions asked at the door. Attendance taken, for notification purposes in case of an infected person (none yet!). Socially distanced seating, in family groups, with a limit of 40-45 parishioners at a time. No choir, but a soloist performing behind a plexiglass barrier. Live-streaming the service for those who don't want to or can't get out. We've picked up new viewers from many states away.

After we opened up services, we began holding in-person/Zoom meetings, held socially-distanced and masked. With long visits standing in the parking lot afterwards. We hadn't seen each other in so long!

After the CDC announcement on Thursday, our Relaunch Team had another meeting, and decided that we weren't ready to change our process yet. We've sent a link to a survey to find out how many are fully vaccinated and how soon our folks expect or want to attend unmasked. There was some grumbling at this morning's service, but no strong pushback. We are framing it as "Do No Harm". In our responsibility to love our neighbors, we must protect them and ourselves.