First Presbyterian Church
In-Person Worship Announcement
July 28, 2020

So, I am excited to share with you that we are once again ready to offer in-person worship beginning this Sunday, August 2!

In-person worship will follow the same precautions and safety policies as were implemented by the Session back in June.

•  As you arrive for worship, we will have outside doors (north and south side of the Narthex) open so no one will have to touch handles in order to enter
•  Everyone needs to wear a mask/face covering when entering and exiting the sanctuary.  These masks/coverings may be removed once you are seated.
  • If you do not have a mask/face covering, we will have masks available.
•  As you enter and exit the sanctuary, hand sanitizer stations are available.
•  The pews are marked with blue painters tape in order to provide guidance for appropriate social distancing.  We recognize that families will be seating together so ushers will be available to provide guidance.
• As we begin returning to in-person worship we will not have a choir.  Hopefully we can return to choral music in the near future…we will continue to monitor best practices.
•  Initially congregational singing will be limited since singing is a much more forceful push of air.
  • When we do resume congregational singing, hymns will be printed in the bulletin to eliminate the need to use hymnals.
•  We will be keeping attendance so we can have an accurate record of who is present on what Sunday.  (In case we need this information at a later date.)
•  Worth Hall will be closed except for bathroom emergencies.
  • Cleaning and disinfectant supplies will be outside of bathroom doors.  We would ask anyone needing to use the bathroom facilities to help wipe down/disinfect surfaces touched before leaving.
•  At this time we will not be offering nursery care.
•  Exiting the sanctuary will be by quadrants, utilizing all doors, including those near the front of the sanctuary, to better observe social distancing.

Just as we did in June, we want to encourage everyone to carefully assess their own level of risk, and comfort, before deciding whether or not to join us for in-person worship.  Obviously, we will continue to offer on-line worship.  While we want to see everyone, and worship with everyone, we respect that not everyone is comfortable being in close confines with others for an extended period of time.  As much as we long to see everyone, we also value everyone’s safety more.  So please chose the method of worship that best fits you and your family’s needs.

If you have any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to contact me, or one of your elders.  We would be happy to talk with you.