On with the Show
Well, we made it through our first in-person service in three months last Sunday, and for the most part things went well. It was great to see everyone, and most people seemed to feel comfortable and safe. To top it off, the weather was just perfect, so we are planning to give it a go again this week with another outdoor service (10:30 a.m.). As I mentioned last week, we just felt it was important to give everyone a chance to reconnect in worship while protecting everyone’s health and welfare.
Having said that, not everything was perfect (it seldom is), so we are working to correct/improve various aspects of the service, most notably the in-car experience. We know that most of you had trouble hearing on your car radio (if you could hear at all). We think we have a solution, and we are working on that for this Sunday. If we encounter inclement weather, we will invite everyone to listen in their car.
There was some concern about singing and congregational responses, but we will likely continue those practices, especially after I attended a Cleveland Clinic Webinar this past week, which concluded that singing and congregational responses are generally considered safe outside, provided that we are abiding by physical distancing guidelines.
When we move inside, which we are hoping will be on July 5, we will take additional precautions, including a sanitizing station, disinfectant wipes to keep surfaces and door handles as clean as possible, and, of course, continued distancing in our seating pattern. If we need to curtail our singing, perhaps we can have soloists perform.
There has been a lot of discussion and debate in our area and across the state about when to re-open, and we have come to the conclusion that there is not one absolutely correct answer — even after a vaccine is discovered. I just felt that it was important to give everyone an opportunity to gather again with as many safeguards as possible in place.
We would all like for this virus to just go away, but that is not likely to happen, so we have decided to do what humans have always done since the beginning of time — adapt and adjust.
I invite and encourage all of you to continue this journey with us. We are stronger together, and we know that our faith will continue to guide, enlighten, and deliver us.
Until we meet again, Be Blessed — Pastor John