We are excited to announce that we will be gathering again for an Outdoor Worship Service at 9 AM on the grounds of the church, followed by a Streaming Service on Facebook Live at 10:30 AM on the church’s Facebook page.
. Here are several details to note for the Outdoor Service.
-Bring your own Lawn Chair.
The service will take place in the back yard of the Church Offices, just to the right of the old Chapel. That is an area with a good amount of shade, and away from the noise of Ramsey Street. We think it will be a peaceful and pretty place for an outdoor service with microphones and music.
-Bring your own face mask.
We are requiring that you wear a face mask. If you are asymptomatic, a face mask prevents you from unknowingly infecting other people. If everyone wears a mask, everyone is more protected. Our love and care for our brothers and sisters in Christ, should be greater than our dislike and discomfort over wearing a mask. If you cannot abide by this request, we ask that you continue watching the services online.
-There will be no corporate singing during the service.
We will ask you to hum along and meditate on the words to the hymn or praise chorus instead. COVID-19 is most often spread through the air. Singing requires deep breathing, and a large release of air particles. So it is safer for us to not sing as a group. We will have soloists or duets instead.
-If you have serious underlying medical conditions, we believe it is still safer for you to continue watching our services online.
-We will ask you to sit by the Orange Cones.
We will space out orange cones throughout the worship area, and ask you to sit by them, so we can give each other enough space to gather.
-Drive-In Worship for about 5 cars.
Close to this area of our campus are about 5 parking spaces where some of our elderly could park their cars and watch and worship with us–if they cannot get out and carry a chair to the grass. We will also have some chairs available, if you don’t have a chair, or they are too heavy for you.
We believe that by following these precautionary measures, we can safely gather and worship together again. Our Church Council had a long conversation about this. We were informed by practicing nurses who sit on the Council. We were also given guidelines from our Bishop. Worshiping together inside of a building–in an enclosed space–is too risky at this moment. Daily, I see articles from friends and colleagues of outbreaks occurring at churches who are worshiping inside without masks, and continuing to sing corporately and mingle together closely. Here at St. Andrews, we will not the jeopardize the health of our members and regular attendees like this. Instead, we will worship outside with safety measures for the foreseeable future.
Friends, we’re living in a pandemic. None of us like it. Everyone wishes it were over. Everyone wishes we could just go back to normal. But we can’t. But we can take these precautionary measures, gather together again, and renew our relationships within the Body of Christ; so that is what we will do.
