This message from Reverend Christine Dance is also available as a video.
March 9, 2022
Beloveds,
We have been diligent, patient and careful for two years of this pandemic and have finally reached the metrics that we laid out in our re-opening guidelines, where all our metrics are FINALLY out of the red zone and we are continuing to decline in cases. Of course, the CDC has changed the system now, where we are at moderate risk and do not need to mask inside. However, we still think that is the prudent thing to do.
Based on our current situation and the guidelines we set, the Board, the Minister, and the Staff present you with the following guidelines for gathering in-person and inside.
Small Group Gatherings
We are opening the building for in-person small group gatherings starting this Sunday. The guidelines for gathering and the form to request space are both available online. We are asking folks to adhere to the “2 out of 3 rule” of being outside, 3’ distanced or masked. So if you are outside, you can be unmasked and distanced but if you are inside, you should be masked and 3’ distanced.
Indoor Worship—Starting March 27th
We are thrilled to invite folks back into the sanctuary for in-person worship starting on March 27. This is in addition to our online streaming worship on Zoom, YouTube, and Facebook. It will be a special day–our Celebration Sunday of our Stewardship Campaign and our Flower Communion. If you attend in person, the following guidelines will be in place:
- All participants will be masked, except for speakers or singers
- We are capping the capacity at 100 people. Please take 90 seconds to fill out this survey so we can assess attendance to know if we should plan for one service or two in order to meet the demand of the community.
Outdoor Worship—March 13 and 20
We will continue with outdoor worship this Sunday and next Sunday, which may be our best Pet Blessing ever because we can do it outside or in the comfort of your pet’s safe home.
Starting this Sunday, if you attend in person, you can choose to mask or not mask. If you are going to be less than 3’ away from another person not in your family (as some in the shade have done), we ask you to mask.
Final Thoughts
If there is one thing that we’ve learned in this process, it is that it can all change. We will continue to make changes deliberately, adjusting as we go along, and following the science.
I know that there have been a lot of personal feelings about our being closed and online for this time. It has been hard. But I also want to acknowledge that we’ve heard from many of you that you have been proud to be in a community that has been on the side of caution and community care. We will continue to look at all of this from the perspective of those who are most marginalized, living into our mission of being “radically inclusive.” We will need to practice that inclusiveness as we decide when/where/how to meet in our small groups and large groups alike. I encourage you all to be open to knowing that others are in different places of safety, worry, and protection than you are, and to practice consent deliberately and compassionately.
We truly hope that we are turning a corner and creating a new “normal.” I look forward to co-creating that with you, worshiping with you in all the ways, and continually building a community for our time.
With gratitude and more affection than you know,
Rev. Christine