Dear Hope Church Friends,
We trust that the video shared last week from Hope Church leadership was welcome news! Along with you, we are looking forward to the resumption of in-person worship, as well as a move toward reopening the building during the week. Thank you again for your support and patience during the past year, as with Consistory’s support we have strived to be wise in the path we have taken. And now with reopening on the horizon, we want to share with you a number of details and guidelines to help us all be a part of this reopening plan. What follows is a lot of information, but we expect you have a lot of questions! We hope this will be a helpful guide for everyone as we are grateful for this move back toward being together.
IN-PERSON WORSHIP INFORMATION:
In-person worship in the sanctuary will resume on June 13, but for June 13 and June 20 we are dividing the congregation into 2 groups in order to manage the number of people attending. In addition to the 2 divided groups, we will include visitors and those involved with the liturgy that Sunday.
- Here is the attendance schedule for the 10:00am services:
- Sunday, June 13: households A-K attend + Visitors
- Sunday, June 20: households L-Z attend + Visitors
Please remember that the Facebook stream will continue to be broadcast at 10:00am, and the WHTC broadcast at 11:00am.
Following these two Sundays, the Task Force will assess how to continue and will communicate to the congregation
- Here are details for you to be aware of for attending worship:
- All attendees will be required to wear masks while at Hope Church. During the liturgy, you are welcome to participate fully in spoken responses and singing, but masks are required throughout. There will be guidance from the pastors on how to share in Passing the Peace and the Offering.
- As you arrive at church, all entrances will be open. You can enter the sanctuary from either the Gathering Area or through the 11th Street doors.
- As you enter the sanctuary, an Usher will direct you to a pew for you/your household; please follow the direction of the Ushers, as we have carefully thought through how to comfortably and safely arrange seating. And you may not be able to sit in your “regular” pew!
- Please plan to arrive early! It will take some extra time to get households seated in the sanctuary. The sanctuary will be open by 9:30am, and we recommend that you arrive by 9:45am.
- Children are welcome to attend with their parents, and a Word with the Children will be part of the liturgy. But there will not be staffed Nursery or Church School for the Summer; instead the nursery will be open for parents who need to stay there with their children (and the Facebook livestream will be playing on a screen in the Nursery). Hope Church Staff will be working to return to Nursery and Children’s Ministry programs in the Fall.
- In case the number of people in the sanctuary is too many, overflow seating will be provided in the Chapel, with the service broadcast on the large screen monitor. We ask for your understanding and cooperation if we need to direct people to this option.
- Following the worship service, there will be fellowship time outside on the lawn by the Memorial Garden off of 11th Street! (weather permitting)
- The Church Office will be reopened starting Monday, June 14. Masks will be required in the building, and we ask for your full cooperation in following the guidance of our administrative staff.
- The office will be open from 9am-5pm Monday-Thursday, and initially our administrative staff will be set up in the Gathering Area to welcome and assist those entering the building.
- Pastoral care meetings and appointments can be scheduled with the pastors in the building.
SMALL GROUP MEETINGS IN THE CHURCH BUILDING:
- The administrative staff will be contacting small group leaders to facilitate groups resuming meeting at Hope Church.
- Masks will be required. There will be protocols for room set up, and there will not be food served at gatherings.
MINISTRY/COMMITTEE MEETINGS:
- Through the summer, ministry and committee meetings will continue to be convened via zoom, with the intention of bringing those meetings back into the church facility in the Fall.
- The Consistory will likely bring its meetings into the church building over the summer months.