Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
I’m pleased to say we’re able to relax our meeting restrictions a bit, and, all being well, it won’t be long before we can open up even further.
We will no longer be taking temperatures, but we will be keeping masks and registration for services inside the building because this ensures we have space for everyone. It also means that we can resume singing congregationally at the 9am service.
At 11am we’ll meet outside without sign-ups. You can now simply come at 11am without needing to tell us in advance. If you have been vaccinated, you won’t need to wear a mask because there is plenty of space to spread out. But please still bring one with you. If weather is very bad at 11am, instead of cancelling the service, we’ll simply mask, move inside and sing inside if numbers allow.
Sign-ups will no longer be required for any of our small groups, including Children’s Ministry and Youth Ministry. Masks will be required (both inside and outside) for children’s and youth activities, but other small groups will have their own rules about masking.
For the time being, we’ll continue the live broadcast of the 9am service and will offer drive-thru Holy Communion between the morning services. The minister presiding at Holy Communion will no longer wear gloves, but will sanitize their hands, and wear a mask when handling the elements.
As always, we’re trying to respect the advice we’ve been given from the secular authorities, some of which comes from people who do not understand the importance of or even reality of spiritual things. That means that we won’t necessarily follow everything they say, but we will seek to submit to the broad principles unless doing so causes spiritual harm. We’re also trying to provide something that is as accessible as possible, yet respectful to those who are more vulnerable, hence some variety in what we offer.
As things open up in our society generally, I’d like to ask you to be gracious and discrete with one another over things like vaccination status and preference for wearing a mask. There are many good reasons why someone might make a decision on these things either way, or just not want to talk about it; so it’s best if we assume our brothers and sisters have weighed their thoughts carefully.
Love in Christ,
Rev’d Alex
