This is targeted toward people who are not able to connect with our live-streamed worship. The following parameters are in keeping with guidelines set by our Bishop.
Worship at 8:30 will be structured in a way to ensure the safety of all who attend in this time of pandemic. If you come to 8:30 worship, you can anticipate the following elements:
- The service will be in the sanctuary, so as to allow broad social distance among participants
- Entrance doors will be propped open, so you will not need to touch door handles
- All worshippers are requested to wear a mask. Extra masks will be available at the doors
- Sarah Brosvic and Rick Stout will be serving as greeter/ushers. They will guide you to available seats
- Specific seating places will be marked on the pews. There will be two pews left empty in front of each available row, and people will be able to sit either at the ends of pews or the very middle. This leaves well over six feet in all directions.
- Purell will be available at various places.
- There will be no bulletins. The projection screens will be in use.
- There will be no passing of the plate. An offering plate will be available at the entrance.
- There will be no “greeting time.” Dr. Palmer will greet people after the service, but at a distance, with no handshaking.
- If you wish to socialize with others, we ask that you plan to converse in the parking lot before or after the service.
- There will be no singing. It is very difficult for us, especially in our Methodist tradition, to conceive of worship without singing. In our live-streamed worship, of course, we have singing, and people are encouraged to sing at home! But multiple studies are showing that singing is tantamount to coughing or sneezing when it comes to spreading the coronavirus; it is a dangerous activity for a whole congregation to be doing for multiple minutes in worship! As our Bishop’s guidelines state, “Congregational singing is strongly discouraged because singing propels droplets farther.” We look forward to singing hymns again at a future date.
- Music will be provided by our organist, Dawn Filler, for the prelude and postlude. The service will not end until the postlude is completed. Worshippers will be able to appreciate not only the sound of our beautiful organ, but also the fact that they will be able to see Dawn on the screens.
- Worshippers will be ushered out at the end, in a fashion similar to a wedding (one row at a time, but starting at the back, so that people are not walking right past others)
- The service is expected to be 35-40 minutes in length
With all these unusual features, we still look forward to a meaningful worship experience at the 8:30 hour!
