Dear family and friends of Church of the Atonement,
May the Lord our God be with you this day, and every day. May His blessings be abundant in your lives. We, the members of the Reopening Committee, have been working diligently to handle the many issues pertaining to reopening. We thank everyone for your prayers and sacrifices at this time. We can see God’s hand at work in our meetings, giving us wisdom when we need it most. At this time, we would like to bring you up to date on what progress the committee has made.
First, we want to offer a quick reference guide (see below) that outlines the various “steps” in our reopening strategy.
Second, we are happy to announce that the Session has voted to move us into “Step Two” status for ministry. We plan to regather at Church of the Atonement for worship services starting on August 2. As we reopen, we have a HUGE need for servant leaders to serve as greeters and ushers. Please consider how you can help with these critical ministries. You can sign up here.
Finally, the Reopening Committee would like to outline some guidelines and suggestions for worship:
Precautions we are taking:
Thank you for your patience with us as we adapt to the ever-changing landscape of guidelines to seek the safety and wellbeing of our congregation.
In Christ,
Tom Scibek and the Reopening Team
May the Lord our God be with you this day, and every day. May His blessings be abundant in your lives. We, the members of the Reopening Committee, have been working diligently to handle the many issues pertaining to reopening. We thank everyone for your prayers and sacrifices at this time. We can see God’s hand at work in our meetings, giving us wisdom when we need it most. At this time, we would like to bring you up to date on what progress the committee has made.
First, we want to offer a quick reference guide (see below) that outlines the various “steps” in our reopening strategy.
Second, we are happy to announce that the Session has voted to move us into “Step Two” status for ministry. We plan to regather at Church of the Atonement for worship services starting on August 2. As we reopen, we have a HUGE need for servant leaders to serve as greeters and ushers. Please consider how you can help with these critical ministries. You can sign up here.
Finally, the Reopening Committee would like to outline some guidelines and suggestions for worship:
- Worship services will be at 9:00am and 10:30am, with services lasting 45-50 mins. There will be an online signup required for attending services. Information will come in a separate email. Seating will be available in the Sanctuary, Rankin Hall, the Christian Education Center, and the Chapel.
- Masks are required to be worn at all times upon entering the building for anyone age 3 and older. Masks are available if you forget yours. Montgomery County requirements for face coverings can be found at this link. The Montgomery County Covid-19 informational portal can be found at this link.
- We ask everyone to practice our “symptom-free wellness policy”. If you have symptoms of any undiagnosed illness, please refrain from attending any ministry event until you are well or have a diagnosis.
- Unfortunately, there will be no Sunday school nor nursery when we resume. To help children participate in worship, we are introducing a new worship bulletin. Additionally, families with young children may want to reserve space in Rankin Hall where tables covered with coloring paper will be made available. Please bring your own coloring supplies.
- Drinking fountains will not be available. Please consider bringing your own water.
- Though we will begin onsite worship, online services will continue. People who have underlying health conditions or are in a high risk groups, should follow directions from this CDC link.
Precautions we are taking:
- We have purchased 6 hand sanitizers stations which will be strategically placed throughout the church building for everyone’s use. Please sanitize your hands before entering the building.
- Ushers will open the main doors and Rankin Hall doors to minimize people touching doors handles. These are the only doors that will be opened in the church. High contact surfaces will be cleaned between services.
- Offering boxes will be placed outside the sanctuary and Rankin hall for donations.
- There will be one, single-use family bathroom available on each level.
- Elevator use should be single pod use (one person or one family at a time.)
- We will ask for every attendee to wipe down their seating area after service.
Thank you for your patience with us as we adapt to the ever-changing landscape of guidelines to seek the safety and wellbeing of our congregation.
In Christ,
Tom Scibek and the Reopening Team
