Covid-19 and Safety Practices

Our goal is to provide a safe, welcoming environment for you to worship with us.  While it's impossible to eliminate all risk of infection, we are working hard to make things safer for you during your visit.  We're employing the following safety practices to reduce the risk of infection during your visit.  It may require a little flexibility on your part, so we appreciate your cooperation and help as we all work together to protect and serve one another during this time.  

  • Sanitizer Stations

    We have provided hand-sanitizer stations around the church, including the lobbies, entrances, and restroom areas.  We encourage you to bring your own pocket sanitizer for your use.  There are also paper towels and disinfecting wipes available in the restrooms, so you can cleanse any surfaces you might contact before your use.

  • Individually Sealed Communion Elements

    Communion is an important part of our worship, but we will have to do things a little bit differently than what we're used to so that we can increase the safety for everyone.  Instead of passing plates with bread and juice (commonly-touched surfaces can transmit germs), we will have each participant come to the communion table to take their own communion elements, which have been placed on a clean table by a gloved and masked servant.  Also, the bread may seem different to you.  I trust you will appreciate the difference and join us in celebrating and proclaiming the Lord's death for our life!

  • Masks During Your Entire Visit

    We ask everyone to wear a covering over their nose and mouth during their entire visit with us.  We will do the same for your safety.  

  • Sanitizing Before and After Services

    We are having the building professionally cleaned and sanitized each week before our Sunday services.  Additionally, we have a team of volunteers sanitizing the pews, handles, and switches between and after services to reduce the spread of germs.  

  • Social Distancing

    We have marked safely spaced seating in pews and moved the lobby furniture to help you keep a safe distance at all times.  Please love others from six feet apart and greet them with waves, smiles, friendly words, thumbs up, or whatever creative and distanced greeting you can think of.  Also, please efficiently exit the building after the service, and take advantage of some nice shade trees to fellowship before and after services with appropriate distancing for as long as you like.  

  • Child Safety

    We ask all families to stick together for their entire visit.  For safety, our childcare and recreational areas are closed.  But don't worry, we've prepared some help for parents.  Each family will receive a safely prepared and sealed tote with snacks, activities, and drinks to help provide some boredom relief and fidget therapy during the service.  You're encouraged to bring quiet toys or activities as well for your children to use during the service.  Another solution is for parents to tag-team with their kids either during the service (if they need to get out and stretch their legs) or on a weekly basis (one parent attends then the other on alternating Sundays).  We will try to keep the services upbeat and shorter, to make the experience as pleasant as possible for the young ones.  

  • Even More Safety Practices

    In addition to all the above, we're taking lots of additional precautions to keep our guests safer.  We've set aside a separate seating area for seniors and higher-risk persons who would like to stay safer by staying separate from the larger crowds.  Our greeters are opening the doors for our guests.  We have posted health and safety posters from the CDC with info about preventing spread of germs.  We continue to offer online access to our live services.  We've propped open our interior doors to reduce the need to touch door handles and light switches.  There are free water bottles at the water fountain areas.  We've replaced offering plates with an offering box on the wall.  We've removed pew Bibles and hymnals temporarily.  We're even parking our cars in every-other-space arrangement to keep safe distance between parkers.  We're trying to stay on top of all the latest safety improvements and best practices to prioritize safety for everyone.  If you see anything we've potentially missed, please share your ideas for improvement with a greeter or church staff.  Rest assured, we'll keep adapting as the circumstances and available medical research change.  We appreciate your help and cooperation as we try to keep you and everyone else safe.