We are all looking forward to coming back to church on September 6th and details of services for September through to the end of November can be found on the 'About our Services' tab. However, the experience will be different until the Covid virus presents no threat, so the following message will let you know what to expect:
What will it be like coming back to church?
The church has been closed for services for such a long time now and although it’s lovely to be able to open again, we needed to make sure that everything was in place to open safely. We want everyone to have the best experience possible under the Covid-19 regulations and enjoy being in church. If you know what to expect then it might help those who are still feeling uncertain to have some confidence in coming.
If you are feeling unwell then please do not come. If you are considered to be vulnerable then please consider if you should be joining us.
We have had to carry out risk assessments and follow protocols, so:
The church will have been thoroughly cleaned with no-one entering the building for 72hrs prior to the service.
When you arrive, you will notice road cones by the doors paced at 2 metre intervals. Please wait there for the steward to escort you in. This will stop too many entering at a time.
You will need to wear a face covering and sanitise your hands before going through into the church.
A second steward will show you to your seat. You will notice that some rows of pews have been closed to allow for social distancing, with only two people to a pew. We will confirm your contact details for ‘Track & Trace’
You will be given a sealed pack containing a hymn book, service book, gift aid envelopes and a pen. In fact, anything that you will personally need for the service. After the service we will ask you to put everything back into the bag and seal it again and leave it on your pew.
We cannot sing hymns during the service but we will be playing CD’s of hymns recorded with a choir.
For communion services, the celebrant will take communion on behalf of the congregation for the time being. Communion will be offered in one kind only to those who wish to take it.
At the end of the service the steward will ask a row at a time to leave so that we don’t get a build -up of people. You will be asked to sanitize your hands again on leaving. Once outside you will be able to socialise if you wish at a distance.
We are limited to the number of people who can be in church at any one time and for us it is 28. This should be enough for most of the services but for special occasions we will have to make arrangements as it would be unfortunate to have to turn people away. Some churches are operating a ticket system but we’ll see as we go as everything keeps changing.
If you have any concerns or questions about coming back then please call me.
Linda 01525 714256