Dear Members,
Greetings in the name of our Precious Savior Jesus Christ. I want to thank you for being patient and faithful. We are so excited to be able to get back in the church building. But we must be very diligent in our efforts to maintain a safe place of worship. Each one must do their part.
In the following pages you will read the approach we will be taking to protect and provide safety for all. I highly encourage you to please read the following pages in order to participate in our upcoming services.
We all desire safety as instructed by our government leaders (Romans 13), we especially desire to obey the command of Scripture to assemble and worship (Hebrews 10:25)
Though some may think otherwise, the church is still essential and with that being said let us take the necessary steps to ensure our fellowship is accompanied with safety.
- Those At Risk
Because of the dangers related to COVID-19, we are asking members 65 years and older, or those who have underlying health conditions such as breathing conditions, cancer treatments, suppressed immune systems, etc, to consider worshiping through the avenue of our live-streamed services or CD recordings.
I do want to express that you have the complete liberty to make these decisions for yourself and you will not be turned away if you do decide to come. We deem it necessary to express that your health is our greatest concern. If you do not feel comfortable returning to inside worship we understand.
Again, those who are at greatest risk are the following:
- People 65 years and older
- People with chronic lung disease or moderate to severe asthma
- People who have serious heart conditions
- People who have immunity issues
- People with diabetes
- People with chronic kidney disease undergoing dialysis
- People with liver disease
2. If We Become Aware That Someone In Attendance Is Ill, We Will Follow These Procedures:
- We will ask the person to stay at home and seek medical care if needed. Persons should stay at home for at least seven days after symptoms started AND three days after symptoms have improved and fever resolves without the use of fever-reducing medications.
- Any areas on our grounds that have been in contact with the ill will be sanitized.
3. Social Distancing
- We will be following the six feet social distancing recommendation of the CDC. This includes seating arrangements as well as our approach to dismissing service(s)
- No one should plan to attend any services who are known to have had any contact with known COVID-19 confirmed cases.
- Members are encouraged to, but not required as it’s your own decision, to wear a mask and frequently use hand sanitizer that will be found conveniently placed throughout our facilities.
- To simplify this process, the following practices shall be observed:
A.) DO B.) DON’T
· Wear a mask Shake hands
· Stay six feet from others Hug others
· Cover your coughs and sneezes Come to church if you are sick
· Use hand sanitizer frequently Touch your face
4. Volunteers
We are thankful for those who are faithful in serving as ushers and treasurer. To ensure both their safety, as well as your own, we will be observing the following:
- There will not be an offertory “time”.
- There will be no passing of offertory plates or bulletins during the duration of this epidemic.
- We will have our hallways and isles clearly marked for one-way foot traffic. Please follow all signage.
- Ushers will seat attendees before the services begin. Families will sit together. There will be 3-4 empty seats between families.
- We will sit every other row (which is six foot), and stagger the rows in an alternate seating pattern to ensure social distancing is followed. Distancing will be kept in all directions - front, back, left, and right.
- At the end of the services, ushers will dismiss attendees in a controlled manner to ensure proper distancing. There will be no gathering in the doorway(s) or foyer.
- Attendees will be encouraged to promptly return home at the end of each service and refrain from fellowshipping at the end of services.
- The sanctuary will be cleared at the end of each service and cleaned.
- There will be no water fountains in operation at this time. If you would like to bring your own water you are at liberty to do so. Please remember to take your personal belongings with you.
Sanitization of Our Facilities
While we here at Wayside Baptist Church has always strived to maintain the highest of cleaning standards within our facilities, many adjustments will be made in order to prevent illness from spreading in our common areas.
- Someone will be cleaning the facilities following each service.
Conclusion:
To recap the new, and temporally, placed service times and manners we would like to remind you of the following:
- There is one Sunday service which will be held at 11 a.m. weekly
- There will be no Sunday School for a short duration.
- There will be no choir.
- There will be no bulletins dispensed. We will be utilizing our new information monitors to make all announcements
- While we do understand the importance of fellowship there will be no congregating in the sanctuary or foyer after services.
